Andrew Hofmeyr

Artist Andrew James Hofmeyr grew up in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. After an early love affair with the City of Gold, he left for the magic of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape before moving abroad to Taiwan, the UK, and then back to the Western Cape in South Africa. Inspired by urban and rural environments alike, Andrew feeds off the world around him. He is influenced by nature, the human-animal and the intersection of these two (often contrary) worlds. For Andrew, telling stories is an integral part of how we make meaning in the world and the narrative journey is a strong theme in all of his work. It is no surprise then that he has a master's degree in English literature. Andrew’s work is colourful, quirky, whimsical, and naïve. He works in pen, ink and acrylic paints on wood. In recent years, he has been exploring sculpture through “land-art” as well as reductive carving in wood and mixed media. Asked about his work, he says, “It’s such a gift to be able to create. Having fun and bringing an element of play to my work is something that I take seriously. My aim is to create artworks that resonate on a level of irrepressible joy”. Andrew has held several solo art exhibitions in Taipei, the UK, and South Africa. While living in the UK, he exhibited as part of the Brighton Open Houses, and upon his return to South Africa, curated (and exhibited in) a group show at the Muizenberg Festival. In Swellendam, Andrew co-founded the Masiuekers Valley Project, aimed at transforming a large tract of neglected public land into an environmental sculpture park, and ran the Masiuekers Kloof Environmental Sculpture Competition. Throughout the years, Andrew has continued to produce artworks that appear in private art collections around the world.