Ziya joins Yolanda Maartens in the studio for OFM Art Beat and to share her insights into “Ethereal” – on at Oliewenhuis Art Museum till 2 March 2025.

“Ethereal” invites visitors into a captivating and serene world where colour, texture, and light converge to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.

Ethereal – noun. ”extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world”.

Curators Ziya Khubeka and Zethu Mvila have selected artworks from both Oliewenhuis Art Museum’s Permanent Collection as well as Artbank SA’s contemporary collection. 

The selected pieces share a light, airy, and playful tone and evoke a sense of weightlessness, with dreamlike qualities and heavenly abstract forms that transport the viewer into a realm of quiet beauty and stillness, fully encapsulating the very definition of ethereal.

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In a press release, Oliewenhuis Art Museum describes the exhibition as one that explores how colour can evoke serenity and wonder, encouraging visitors to step away from the familiar and embrace a refreshing aesthetic.

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Ethereal is designed to create a sense of ‘querencia’, a place where time stands still and the outside world fades away, allowing for a peaceful connection to the artwork and atmosphere. With soft ambient lighting and carefully placed artworks, the exhibition offers a floating experience through realms of colour and imagination.

Visitors are invited into a world that takes them just outside of reality, giving them a glimpse of something light and refreshing, as described by Khubeka. Through colour, texture, lighting and space a whole new world has been created reflecting the very vision of peace both Khubeka and Mvila have tried to capture.

The exhibition will be on view until Sunday, 2 March. Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein. The museum is open Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 17:00, and on weekends and public holidays from 09:00 to 16:00. 

Admission is free, and secure parking is available for R10 per vehicle (payable in cash). The museum is fully accessible, with a ramp at the main entrance and a lift providing access to the first floor.

For more information on Oliewenhuis Art Museum please contact the museum at 078 968 4300 or ontwerp@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all upcoming exhibitions and events.

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