Gallery appreciates digital art

The invited guests had an opportunity to view Gustav’s old and recent pieces, while sampling delicious wines from the De Grendle estate.

Gustav was born on a farm in the Free State and is a qualified clinical psychologist. When he got retrenched in his 20’s he became a computer programmer. This was the start of his journey towards digital art. After travelling to Australia with his laptop and digital camera, which he described as the notebooks of the time, he started to create digital art pieces. He originally thought that this would lead to graphic design or architecture but soon realised that it was something completely different. “I didn’t want to force the process and this is why I decided not to try to fit what I was doing into any specific field at the time,” Gustav said.

It has been 11 years since he held his first exhibition in Johannesburg and today he exhibits and sells paintings around the world.

Gustav explained that in his work he tries to celebrate all facets of humanity whether it is a philosophical statement or an emotional outburst.

While his chosen medium is perspex he has been experimenting with sculpture and incorporating animation and video into his work.

Gustav explained that while there is a perception that the art world looks down on digital art, there has generally been positive feedback about his work from academics and critics.

“Digital art definitely has a place in the art world,” he reckoned. “I don’t think it will ever replace traditional art forms completely but more and more artists are using digital art. There is a need for art to become more interactive but the challenge for artists, is to see their digital work to the end,” he concluded.