OUDTSHOORN NEWS - Local artist and doctor Janet Dixon will present a solo exhibition during this year's Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) in Oudtshoorn.
The exhibition, titled Hier, Nou or Wearing the Purple Hat, will be hosted at a collective gallery established by local artists at 43 Baron van Reede Street in the Karoo Antiques building.
Artists exhibiting at the venue include Hanco Blignaut, Simone Smit, Hilton Jackson, Nelton Willemse, Peter Engelbrecht, Constance Jonker and Johan Coetzer, among others.
Dixon was born in the Eastern Cape and grew up in Mthatha and Graaff-Reinet. She has been drawing and painting, often outdoors, since she was young. She later studied medicine at Stellenbosch University and has worked as a general practitioner for many years. During the 1990s, she ran her own practice in Pretoria before later working as an assistant or locum in rural practices in South Africa, Canada and England.
She has been living in Oudtshoorn since 2001 and now mainly consults online and spends several months each year in Germany, where her life partner lives.
Throughout her medical career, she has valued a holistic approach to healthcare and enjoys integrating natural solutions into her practice where possible. According to Dixon, working both as a doctor and an artist offers her different ways of understanding the world.
"As a medical doctor who has spent decades witnessing beginnings, endings and everything in between, I've come to understand that while the language of science and medicine evolves, the human body remains constant."
The theme of her exhibition reflects on these observations.
Her latest work explores mortality, the passing of time, and the evolving relationship between the body, self, science, and entropy. The artworks include collages made from old medical journals as well as safety glass from the locked cupboard where she once dispensed medication.
Nature remains a constant source of inspiration for Dixon, particularly the vast landscapes of the Karoo. Even when exploring questions about the human condition, she says she often finds answers in the natural world.
Dixon began exhibiting her work in Oudtshoorn about two decades ago and says the town's vibrant artistic community has played an important role in her creative journey. Artists such as Thijs Nel, Francois Tiran and Ina Marx helped broaden her outlook on art and life.
In 2005, she founded the Artists of Oudtshoorn Collaborative, which later developed into the ArtKaroo Gallery that operated between 2007 and 2017. During that time, she curated and participated in numerous exhibitions, including shows linked to the KKNK and Klassique festivals. In recent years, she has stepped back from managing galleries to focus more fully on her own artistic work.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
