Strauss & co - 15 February 2020, Cape Town

5  JAKE AIKMAN SOUTH AFRICAN 1978– Across the River II signed and dated 2015 on the reverse oil on paper 51 by 51cm R18 000 – 24 000 6  JAKE AIKMAN SOUTH AFRICAN 1978– Across the River (Rose Tinted) signed and dated 2015 on the reverse oil on paper 78 by 63cm R20 000 – 30 000 Jake Aikman reveals images that shift, shimmer, and move, reflecting natural aspects of the world, on surfaces that are two-dimensional and static. He works “intuitively with scale, focus and repetition to produce paintings that capture the mystery and ambiguity of an isolated moment. His paintings often delve into contexts obscured by natural phenomena. Vast seascapes, remote coastlines and dense forests typify Aikman’s practice, where a calm surface alludes to the unknown that lies beneath. His ever-changing palette reveals rich nuances of colour and tonal depth, which further echo the complexity of the emotional drama that underpins his subject matter.” 1 Although born in London, he now resides in Cape Town – having obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree there in 2008. The poetry of his allusions to different forms of the natural world are almost ekphrastic in their ability to dance and change with each iteration of colour, size and surface. “Typically his natural canvases of sweeping seascapes, remote coastlines, and dense forests are rich but calm, perhaps alluding to something beneath the pacifically ambiguous and scenic tableaux.” 2 The works in the Across the River series are serene examples of Aikman eking out the existence of scenes that are barely there but that are, at the same time, overwhelmingly present. 1.  https://saffca.com/artistcv/jake-aikman/ 2.  https://www.brooklynstreetart.com/tag/jake- aikman/ 18