'Slow Landscape: Whispers of the Wild' An Exhibition at Leliekloof Lodge

Admin
May 19
4 min read

Set within the quiet surroundings of the Stormberg mountains, Slow Landscape: Whispers of the Wild brings together a group of artists whose works reflect on landscape, memory, stillness, and our connection to place.

Rather than a traditional gallery exhibition, the works exist within the lived spaces of Leliekloof Lodge; encountered gradually by guests and visitors over a number of months. Paintings, and mixed media works unfold across rooms and shared spaces, becoming part of the rhythm of the environment itself.

Some works have been specially submitted for the exhibition, while others form part of the growing VanniKloof permanent collection. Together, they create a quiet conversation between artists, landscape, and the experience of living with art.

The exhibition explores landscape not only as something visual, but as something felt: shifting light across a room, weather moving through the mountains, silence, distance, memory, and presence.

Many of the works are not offered for sale, allowing the exhibition to exist not purely as a commercial space, but as an ongoing artistic environment shaped by observation, atmosphere, and connection to land.

Hosted at Leliekloof Lodge, the exhibition will continue to evolve over the coming months as guests encounter the works slowly and in unexpected moments.

Participating Artists

Ester Venter

After a successful career in the film and television industry, including 15 years as chief make-up artist on the popular soapie, 7de Laan, Ester returned to her hometown of Burgersdorp in 2017.

Initially retreating to the farm Raden, she embraced a quieter, more reflective lifestyle while establishing her art studio, E⭐️Art, in Burgersdorp. Through her studio, she has nurtured emerging talent with some of her students' work also exhibited at Vannikloof Studio.

Ester draws inspiration from the natural world, as well as the rich colours and textures found in weathered and rusted objects. She has a particular affinity for abstraction, often interpreting broader scenes into expressive, layered compositions.

http://www.estargallery.co.za

Sonelle de Klerk

Sonelle is a South African artist based in the Stormberg mountains of the Eastern Cape, where she lives and works between VanniKloof Studio and Leliekloof Lodge. Influenced by the surrounding landscape and the slower rhythms of rural life, her work explores themes of place, atmosphere, memory, and quiet observation.

Her practice is rooted in a deep connection to landscape, not only as something seen, but as something experienced over time through light, weather, stillness, and presence. Alongside her own practice, she founded VanniKloof Studio as a space for creativity, learning, and artistic exchange within a remote natural setting.

https://www.vannikloofstudio.com

https://www.lelieklooflodge.co.za

+27 72 828 9266

Michael La Grange

Michael is a farmer and innovator based in the Burgersdorp district of the Eastern Cape, widely recognised within the South African agricultural sector for his practical approach to farm innovation. His work includes the invention and patenting of a durable outdoor calf-rearing hutch designed to protect calves from harsh weather conditions, as well as developing thoughtful, cost-effective approaches to predator and problem-animal management.

Alongside his agricultural work, Michael has maintained a quieter painting practice, creating oil landscapes inspired by the surrounding rural environment and the expansive landscapes of the Stormberg region.

Annemarié Aucamp

Annemarié is a retired teacher and pensioner, and a widow living on their family farm in the Molteno district where she assists in hunting expeditions. A naturally talented artist, she enrolled as a student at E⭐️Art in 2018 to further develop her talent.

Surrounded by the ever-changing beauty of the landscape, she draws constant inspiration from nature. Annemarié works confidently across a variety of mediums and has a particular strength in portraiture, both in drawing and painting.

She finds joy in long walks through nature, often capturing scenes through photography, which she later uses as reference material for her artwork.

Anita Joubert

Anita is a South African artist formerly based in Burgersdorp beneath the Stormberg mountains, whose work has been deeply influenced by the region’s rich rock art heritage and surrounding landscape. Through careful observation and faithful replication of San rock art panels across the Stormberg, she developed a practice centred on preservation, interpretation, and a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship of these early artists.

Her work reflects a fascination with the detail, symbolism, and storytelling found within the ancient paintings of the region — from eland and elephants to hunting scenes and trance imagery. One of the most significant references within her practice is the small rock painting at Leliekloof depicting a baby antelope suckling from its mother, an image that continues to resonate deeply within the landscape and forms part of the VanniKloof permanent collection.

Although Anita has since relocated to the coast, her connection to the Stormberg and its cultural history remains an important part of her artistic legacy.

Corné Haasbroek

Corné, originally from Dealsville in the Free State, is married to Jan Haasbroek, a respected farmer in the Burgersdorp district. Before meeting her husband, she earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Victoria Toma College, laying the foundation for her creative pursuits. A dynamic businesswoman, Corné is also an accomplished lawn bowler and a gifted singer, lending her beautiful voice to the church choir.

Once her children had grown and left home, she embraced the opportunity to pursue her long-held passion for art. She enrolled as a student at E⭐️Art, where she continues to develop her artistic voice. Her work is inspired by dramatic elements, the beauty of nature, and anything she deems worthy of a place upon her walls.

Loelie van der Walt

Loelie van der Walt is a local artist from the Stormberg mountains whose work captures the quiet beauty and character of rural life in the Eastern Cape. Working primarily in landscape painting, her artworks reflect the surrounding farmlands, changing seasons, mountain vistas, and everyday moments found within farming communities.

Through her work, Loelie preserves the atmosphere and rhythms of a rural way of life shaped by land, weather, and community.

One of her artworks exhibited forms part of the VanniKloof permanent collection, contributing to the exhibition’s ongoing conversation around landscape, memory, and lived experience in the Stormberg region.