Magda van der Vloed is a prolific, new-expressionistic artist in the contemporary South African art scene. From the quaint town of Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape, her father’s innovative spirit ignited Magda’s passion for creation. She draws her inspiration from the quirky and mundane aspects of daily life, capturing the everyday absurdities of human behaviour through the media she consumes. Her work offers commentary on the complex political, social and personal issues we face as a society, employing large swathes of bright colour and deceptively light subject matter.  

Magda’s works often feature strong, confident, and fierce femme characters who embody a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. The choice of this subject matter not only empowers her characters but also invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the societal norms that shape them. Through her art, Magda challenges traditional narratives, encouraging a dialogue about femininity, strength, and resilience in a world that often seeks to undermine them. This emphasizes the urgency of a new dawn, urging the collective embrace of change and a challenge to the status quo, particularly ingrained gender roles in the workplace and relationships. It urges us to question the familiar path of conformity and to consider acting in innovative and fresh ways.  

Magda’s allure with pin-up portraiture challenges the long-standing history of viewing women through the male gaze in fine art. By embracing a kitsch aesthetic, popularized by artists such as Vladimir Tretchikoff and Andy Warhol, she intends to empower her figures with a sense of agency, a freedom that symbolizes feminism, self-love, self-awareness, and self-expression. Her goal is to overturn the sexist history associated with the iconic subculture of pin-up girls. Thus, her characters exude a confident and defiant spirit that she hopes will resonate with the spectator.  

“My use of bright colours is intentional and reflects the exuberant, yet apocalyptic, artistic landscape we find ourselves in today. Call it a ‘vibe shift’; the winds of change are blowing, and I try to capture it. Certainly, there is a youthful element to this bad-taste renaissance that I love. If the markers of ‘good taste’ are subjective and ever-evolving, then the same goes for ‘bad taste’. Where good taste whispers, bad taste screams in bright, bold neon colours: Look! React! Feel! I embrace the chaos and tackiness for what it is. It needs to be loud to penetrate the senses. In a society that is numbed and overstimulated by visual information, I attempt to shock the hopelessness of life into submission just by LIVING. Embrace life!” – Magda van der Vloed 

Disclaimer:

Actual colours may vary slightly from the images shown, due to lighting when photographed, and colour variations in monitors and on phone screens.