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Hilton Arts Festival

We are thrilled to showcase the incredible work of our talented artist community The Creative Commune, at this year's Hilton Arts Festival! We believe that by coming together, we can create something truly special to celebrate our authentic and connected community. 

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Meet the Artists

Amy van den Bergh

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Amy Jane is a part-time artist, tattooist, writer and mom in Utrecht, Netherlands. She graduated from Rhodes University with a BA in Fine Arts and a PGCE. She co-founded The Printing Girls in 2016. Her art practice focuses on printmaking, using water-based mediums and making her own paper to maintain an environmentally-friendly studio. Her work is detailed, imaginative, and often fairytale-esque, based on interactions with living creatures and GAN. Her style is detailed, and often fairytale-esque. She enjoys creating playful work that engages with the viewer humorously or through some strangeness.

Ann Ludwig

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Ann is a talented artist based in Johannesburg, with a major in History of Art from UNISA and a B.Mus degree at WITS. She has received practical art training from various teachers and workshops, and has recently found her passion in printmaking Her quirky and amusing images are inspired by her love of literature, theatre, art history, and nature, particularly trees. Currently, Ann is working on a series of prints featuring a donkey, a cat, and a jester journeying through diverse episodes in literature, history, and place. Her creative exploration has become her own journey of memories, inspired by R L Stevenson’s Travels with a Donkey.

Ann-Marie Tully

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Ann-Marie Tully is a South African artist working with printmaking and objet (including textile and botanical arts, contemporary jewellery and ceramics).She is a co-founder of Art Print Studio KZN, with artwork represented in significant art collections, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the NIROX collection, and the Oliewenhuis Art Museum!Ann-Marie’s themes explore the interactions and intersections of human-animal-plant ontologies, myths, cosmologies, divinatory and totemic symbolism; also engaging situated historical content.

Beth McAlpine

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Beth McAlpine is an artist and printmaker living in Johannesburg. She has printed at the Artist Proof Studio for the last 5 years, as well as recently teaching monotype printing from that studio.
The environment, endangered animals especially the most vulnerable, feature strongly in her work, which has been exhibited and sold both locally and Internationally. She is constantly surprised by the final print... the hiss hiss of rollers, the ink .. are a meditation and an ever evolving surprising journey.

Daniela van Aswegen 

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Daniela currently lives in Hilton, KZN with her husband and toddler. She is a trained designer and coach with a BTech in Multimedia from the University of Johannesburg and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Coaching through the SA College of Applied Psychology. As part of being a facilitator at the Good Place, Daniela challenges herself to showcase work that has been created during exploration phases; raw and unrefined as part of her journey to making authentic art. She is a member of The Printing Girls and is in the early phases of her art career but has found joy in creating bold and fun works using orchids and avocados. 

 

Demi van Tonder

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Demi is based in Cape Town and identifies as an artist, thinker, and coffee drinker. Despite battling imposter syndrome daily, their art helps them show up and face it. They are fascinated by the raw and real parts of the human heart, which they believe steer our souls to wherever we go. Words will always find a way into their work, whether through bold brush strokes or lines of color that mimic the heartstrings they pull on.

Donna Solovei

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Donna grew up in Johannesburg, but studied in London and now lives in Cape Town with her partner and two daughters. Her artwork is inspired by her experiences and moments in time, and she enjoys experimenting with color and printmaking techniques. Recently, she has expanded into surface design with handpainted wall murals and supplying artwork for international wallpaper houses.

John Roome

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John Roome is a printmaker who finds his voice in the intricate dance between ink and paper. He is captivated by the raw expressiveness of linocut, woodcut, and mono printing. His artistic journey unfolds against the vibrant backdrop of Durban, his muse and constant inspiration. John seeks to capture the essence of Durban's urban spirit through the deliberate graphic marks of linocut and woodcut, exploring the intersection between nature and city life. His goal is to invite viewers into a contemplative space where the resilience of urban trees and the architectural poetry of cityscapes converge.

Judy du Preez

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Judy is an architect from Port Elizabeth. Creativity is the common thread that runs through her life and brought her joy and meaning from a very young age. She left her corporate job to travel Europe with her husband, embracing life as a digital nomad in early 2023. Judy's art, inspired by her travels and design background, is a vibrant and joyful celebration of life's simple joys. Her work brings positivity and creativity, reflecting the dynamic essence of her journey and artistic spirit.

Leonora Venter

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Leonora Venter is a South African artist who explores social realities through the of discarded or damaged elements of nature. Her work often features "broken" trees, driftwood, and the nests and skeletons of birds, which represent human displacement and transformation. Venter finds beauty in these discarded objects, which are not always valued in our world, much like the millions of "discarded" people displaced by manmade disasters. She obtained a BA in Fine Arts from NWU works mostly on paper, using various printing techniques to achieve intense linework, tones, and textures. Venter is a proud member of The Printing Girls and Urban Sketchers, Johannesburg.

Michelle Jager

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Michelle Jager has a background in art and design, graduating with a National Diploma in Textile Design. Starting as a textile designer and illustrator, she later earned a Diploma in Therapeutic Reflexology and opened her own practice. After a health scare, she returned to art with a fresh approach. Her process-focused work explores human experiences like dreams, damage, humor, happiness, loss, and recovery. Recently, she has been drawn to teals, deep blues, greens, pinks, and rusts, which she finds mysterious and evocative. Aiming for viewers to feel seen and understood, Michelle is grateful for the support of coaches and artists as she continues to create and exhibit her work.

Dr Rachel Baasch

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Dr Rachel Baasch is a highly accomplished lecturer and Research Associate in the Arts of Africa research program. She was born in Kwa-Zulu Natal in 1987 and completed her undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications at Rhodes University in Makhanda. Her research focuses on the intersections and connections that can be identified between different geographical and ideological spaces within the 'global south', exploring the theme of borders in various contexts. Dr Baasch is currently invested in a co-authored book project with Prof Simbao and Dr Stephen Folaranmí titled Audacious Art Practices: Situating the Arts of Africa. She believes that creative practice is one way of forging new connections in an increasingly disconnected and divided world.

Dr Rachel Baasch

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Dr Rachel Baasch is a highly accomplished lecturer and Research Associate in the Arts of Africa research program. She was born in Kwa-Zulu Natal in 1987 and completed her undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications at Rhodes University in Makhanda. Her research focuses on the intersections and connections that can be identified between different geographical and ideological spaces within the 'global south', exploring the theme of borders in various contexts. Dr Baasch is currently invested in a co-authored book project with Prof Simbao and Dr Stephen Folaranmí titled Audacious Art Practices: Situating the Arts of Africa. She believes that creative practice is one way of forging new connections in an increasingly disconnected and divided world.

Stella van Dongen

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Stella is an artist based in The Netherlands. Her inspiration comes from and flows into several art forms: music, theatre, painting, print making and poetry/writing. With a spiritual approach and themes like the sun and the moon, she creates intuitive art with emotional depth that speaks to the soul and aims to inspire. She holds a BA in Language and Culture Studies and in Art History, and a MA in Modern Art from Utrecht University. A co-authored article of hers was sold at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and reviewed in the New York Times. After completing two preparatory courses at Conservatories, Stella will begin her vocal technique studies this year. 

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