Artistic conversation: Louisemarié Combrink in conversation with Jan van der Merwe

Stairways and Ruins

Abstract

This contribution presents a textual version of an artistic conversation between Louisemarié Combrink and the artist Jan van der Merwe, in which the latter gives an account of his five-phased approach to creative work. This is done with specific reference to his work Speelgrond/Playground of 2023, made for the Stairways and Ruins exhibition.1 The significance of this approach is that Van der Merwe applies this mode of work to his oeuvre as well as to his teaching more generally. This approach comprises of considerations pertaining to (1) conceptualising; (2) processes, (3) materials, (4) techniques, and (5) presentation. As a focused approach to the mindful production of creative outputs, the insights gleaned from this conversation are presented as useful for professional artists, as well as teachers and students of creative disciplines.