My painting practice interrogates the physical and psychological landscapes we inhabit, specifically those shaped by proximity to violence. The idylls of gated communities in post-apartheid South Africa, provide some refuge. I use printing, painting, drawing and photography, found and developed, to reconstruct such poolside environments. Affluent Modernist homes and supposedly relaxed occupants reflect the privilege, politics and memories fabricating their lived realities. Offering voyeuristic viewpoints on intimate moments, my artworks convey an inescapable sense of being watched. Whether on the street or protectively walled, surveillance is a way of life. As voyeur, my paintings pose the question of who is watching? And yet, they also concede the guilt and collusion of white entitlement. Having benefited where others have suffered, I wish to continue addressing the legacy of apartheid through the increasingly contentious issue of land redistribution without compensation. This is foreground in a layered digital film about my mother’s childhood on a farm in Natal, and is informed by my experience as an immigrant to the UK.
Jacqui Chapman 