There exists a space where poets go to write about the mixture of heaven and earth, material and spiritual. There is a playground where artists come to bathe in the presence of something bigger, something tremendously transcendental. This is a garden where the artworks spring to life, emerging from the very ground they are planted.
The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden/Park and Studio is a strange gem that can be found in Stellenbosch, between various wine farms. Here, earth and sky mix, to somehow capture the raw materiality of life in its essence. The artist, who I do not think makes the big works himself, decorates the indigenous hills with his works that tower above any living being. Some of the works depict animals, but some of them depict nightmarish figures, figures seemingly trapped behind the skulls of animals. Human becomes animal in this garden, and I want to share this special place with you. So please join me on this virtual journey of this strange yet beautiful display of an artist who found harmony between indigenous plants.
Drinking Homemade Iced Tea and Looking at Art
As you enter the studio or garden from the parking area, you first walk past a small dwelling that was built using the ground from the property. Here, you can find iced tea being sold made with local honey as the sweetener. Different flavours for different people, but we chose two that looked the best for us. The one lemon, the other a mixture of ginger and other herbs.
But inside of this little house, and in the bathroom, you will find some of Lewis' artworks. Not only is a gifted sculpture he is also incredibly talented in making drawings.
Something about his raw gritty style captivates me. I can really feel the motion, the emotion, and the passion involved in making them. Few artists, according to my humble opinion, can create art from "incomplete" drawings. In this case, Lewis really shines. It is just like with cooking: the less the ingredients, the harder it is to cook. Here, the art speaks of a balance that he somehow found with using as few lines as possible.
Inside the Studio
When you pay, you can enter the studio where some of the moulds are exhibited. Here you can also see more of his drawings, which might be raw ideas that his mind entertains. It is a strange feeling when you descend down into the studio. There is a calmness that thickens the air, but not a good one. It is eerie, strange, and reminds one of the moments in which pending doom might just happen. It reminded me of a horror movie in which one of the sculptures comes to life.
There is also bones, remains, from animals on the farm, I would guess. From small fractures, to the skulls of baboons. This adds to the strangeness of the experience of walking in the studio, or in the mind of the artist. It feels like a forbidden space we should not dwell in, but we are given the rare opportunity to see it.
It is a must-visit for any artist and poet.
Visiting the Garden on a Hot Day
You need to book in advance to visit the garden. You cannot always judge the weather. We booked, and when we arrived on the day we booked, it was extremely hot. Just our luck. But they luckily provide you with the most beautiful paper umbrellas. In a previous post I made, I photographed my girlfriend playing around with one of the umbrellas. These small papery objects really saved us from the dangerous rays!
As you leave the studio, you are greeted with so many objects. Some of them are hidden, some cannot be missed, and others just blend in with the environment so well that you will miss them. Below, you can see a small bird that blends in so well with the background.
The hill on which the sculptures are exhibited looks onto the Stellenbosch mountains. It is such a wonderful blending of earth, material, with the sky, the heavens, things beyond us. Nature also blends in with the works, as everything feels like a well-choreographed dance happening right in front of us.
In yet another post, I shared more close-up photographs of the artwork in which you can appreciate the texture of the works. The artist really took care with adding as much texture to the work as possible, again emphasising the "incomplete" state of the work, but in a well-balanced manner.
Some of the work, like the one below, can only really be appreciated against the backdrop of the mountain. Their size goes beyond the size you can really appreciate it if you get too close to it.
Again, nature blends into the artworks so well. Even the ducks, which I show more below as well, enjoy these artworks. The droppings these birds make on the artworks, also "sculpt" them more, adding more texture and different colors. Rust also plays a big part in it. The two figures above you can begin to appreciate the contortion of the human figures being encased by the skulls.
And below, you can appreciate the more nature themed works, for which he is really famous in the country. Again, the mountain in the background adds to the beauty and splendour.
I particularly like the photograph below, as the edge of the mountain seamlessly flows into the hill, with the lone figure, also contorted, hits its fist into the earth. This can be seen as an act of frustration or creation. I like the duplicity in meaning that comes forth when you walk in the garden.
And here (photograph below) the hidden-ness of the figures can be appreciated. They almost creep up next to you or behind you as you walk through the garden, getting ready to jumpscare you.
There was some controversy around the work of Dylan Lewis a couple of years ago. On the "Rooiplein" or square on Stellenbosch University campus, one of his figures stood as part of an art exhibition. Stellenbosch is home to a lot of fundamentalist Christians and they did not take the artwork's presence well.
The figure is similar to these, the contorted male figure, trying to get rid of the skull that sits on its face. The horns of an animal looked so similar to the devil for these Christians that they wanted the piece removed.
Unfortunately, the newspaper is only in Afrikaans, but the sentiment from the local people was that the sculpture needed to be removed. Over a thousand people wanted the artwork to be removed, with people calling it "drog beelde" or demonic figures.
Some people cannot appreciate art.
Earthly Figures
Some of the figures are made from earth, soil, mud. Maybe these artworks are not meant to last forever. When it rains, I can only imagine, the figure below slowly breaks down. There is strange poetic beauty in the slow dying artwork as it becomes one with the environment again.
But then there are the ducks again to remind us of nature's presence in the garden as well. They also help with the breakdown of the art in their own way. I can only imagine some of the bird species using some of the broken-down material to build their nests!
From the Tiny to the Massive; From the Busy to the Tranquil
When you walk through the garden, you can enter two tranquil spaces. The first one, photographs below, houses small figures of the larger ones found outside. They are juxtaposed against the massive building (again with the mountain backdrop).
But as you walk toward the forest area, you can enter a very strange place. I am not sure for what they use this space, but you walk into the side of the hill. It is cold and quiet. I can only think the tremendous beauty of a poetry reading inside of this space. Maybe in the future, I can organise something like that in the space. It is so tranquil and beautiful. It is so cold opposed to the warm outside.
But you can also sit in the strange forest, to only listen to the wind as you are still surrounded by the sculptures. Here is a short video clip to illustrate and show the tranquillity. Maybe you can find it peaceful.
Postscriptum, or A Slow Day
You need to spend the whole day there. Let us call it a slow day. You should sit between the sculptures and contemplate many things, from the monstrosity of humanity to the beauty of destruction. It is the playground for artists and poets alike.
I really hope you enjoyed this virtual journey with me. Please let me know in the comments what you thought about this place! Maybe someday you can visit it.
For now, happy travelling and keep safe.
All of the writings are my own, albeit inspired by my musings as I walked through the gardens. All of the photographs (and video) are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and iPhone.