2021
belly of the beast
This piece came together after talking to a friend on the Promenade in Sea Point, about how there is such a big a divide between the rich and the poor in SA and around the world quite frankly. As I left the prom to drive back to my house in Walmer Estate, I saw a young girl by the side of the road staring into the sun as it sets. She looked so at peace with herself but also as if she longed for more.
While she stared into the distance, I had a song playing in my car called “Is it heaven up there, because it’s hell down here” by Palace. In that moment I knew that this was a piece in the making. I immediately grabbed my small notebook and drew a quick sketch of a girl sitting at the top of a pile, not yet sure what the pile would be.
As I started creating this piece, it all unfolded. She’s at the top of this pyramid, that’s seemingly Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but only flipped. She’s at the top because she’s content with the little that she has. She might dream to also have more, but is more really enough?
Within this world below her, you can see everything’s messy, everyone’s naked and so exposed. This is what happens in the belly of the beast.
