”One can observe a supernatural presence in her drawings, which lies hidden beneath the carefully structured juxtaposing mirror images. Most of her works had taken years to complete. The distinct patterns and tessellations in her work repeat with an alternative rhythm of highly contrasting colours and dense work as a kind of horror vacui. Her drawings are kinetic with optical illusions, and ranges from surrealism to metaphysical shades inspired by her inexplicable dreams. But her quest to document her dreams and what she perceives comes at a price. Characterised by extreme details and a hint of Vanitas, they speak of the travails of an intellectual mind torn between revelation and creation.”
– MARY PHILIP – AUTHOR, FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND EDITOR, MUSCAT, OMAN.
”Pretorius definitely holds the golden key: something remarkable.”
– KATIE RUTH DAVIES – AUTHOR OF BLOOD OMEN SAGA AND DARK WINGS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE SPECIALIST, COPY-EDITOR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF GEORGIA TODAY NEWSPAPER, TBILISI, GEORGIA.
”About her work as an artist, Sharmaine said, ‘My art is about all the holographic memories surrounding us daily. I draw what I see and experience in my dreams. My art contains maps, puzzles and hidden musical compositions according to the Chladni chart of sound frequencies among others. It is supposed to be beautiful, entertaining and fun. It also takes my mind off myself.’
– HUBERT VAZ – FEATURES EDITOR AT MUSCAT DAILY, APEX MEDIA, MUSCAT, OMAN.
“Sharmaine Thérèsa Pretorius is called tongue-in-cheek the Susan Boyle of art. The artist’s work with kaleidoscopic software also led to the nickname queen of the kaleidoscope whilst generating photographic digital art of her original drawings. Artfacts.net ranks her as one of the foremost 100 000 artist in the world at present, though her exhibition details are not up to date yet.”
– LUCA CURCI – ITSLIQUID GROUP FOUNDER, VENEZIA, ITALY.
“She has been described as the ‘’Essence of an extraordinary, gifted mind’’ by Faces Oman magazine because of her prodigally styled intellect and intricate artistic drawings, including hidden puzzles and musical compositions.”
– MOHAMED BENHAD – Al-TIBA9 CONTEMPORARY ART FOUNDER & CURATOR, ALGERIA & SPAIN.
“Oguchi came to Oman to interview Sharm T.P. aka Sharmaine Theresa Pretorius, a well known artist, who has already drawn international attention for her paintings of holographic memories. He has a niche interest in artists who have a unique touch, different from anyone else in the world, which is completely original. Usually, he does not find them in the mainstream or underground art culture. “I rely on feelings or select unique works or artists, who are like no other in the world. The work must be original and reflect a sense of humour. It is very important that the artist has a very strong will to be highly active in his/her area,” he said.”
– STAFF REPORTER – TIMES OF OMAN, MUSCAT,OMAN.
“She sees herself as merely an interpreter, an observer of what ‘simply is’, seeing her work as a puzzle, a map and a musical composition.”
– ETHEL AND MAVIS – DWELL TIME NOT-FOR-PROFIT ARTS PUBLICATION – INTERVIEWERS & AUTHORS.
“Sharmaine Thérèsa Pretorius is a South African artist who is divided between Oman and Bulgaria.The work exhibited by the artist, on the occasion of the exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery – Aledilá – Beyond the Obvious -Hyperaesthesia Onerica”, entitled “Time Epiphany” is fully part of those works that have a conceptual and avant-garde depth; the musical accompaniment of Opera From Scratch 2017 entitled “The Second Sight”, creates an ethereal atmosphere, one of a kind, almost hypnotic..”
– MARTINA VESTI – ART CURATOR, M.A.D.S ART GALLERY; MILAN, ITALY – FUERTEVENTURA, CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN.
“The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of ART HABENS are marked out with such unique visual identity that reflects the personal technique that you have developed over the years. What has at once captured our attention of your approach is the way you use visual language in a strategic way to offering an array of meanings to the viewers, highlighting the elusive connection between reality and the dreamlike,almost spiritual realm….”
– JOSH RYDER AND KATHERINE WILLIAMS – CURATORS – ART HABENS ART REVIEW, SPECIAL BIENNIAL – EDITION – EUROPE.
REFERENCES:
Dreams from the spiritual realm take form in art – LIFE AS A HUMAN
The Essence of an Extraordinary, Gifted Mind • FACES Oman •
INTERVIEW: SHARMAINE THÉRÈSA PRETORIUS (SHARM.T. P) | ITSLIQUID
ALDILA’ Official CATALOGUE by M.A.D.S. ART GALLERY SL – Issuu
ART Habens Art Review – Flip eBook Pages 201-250 | AnyFlip
10 Questions with Sharmaine Thérèsa Pretorius | Al-Tiba9 Contemporary Art (altiba9.com)
A Gifted Foreign Artist Names Mtskheta Her “Real Home” – Georgia Today on the Web