Artist Biography
Monica Blignaut (1994) is a South African artist who specialises in painting, and sculptural painting installations. Her style is defined by its visible brushstrokes, often in short, choppy strokes, and a focus on the immediate impression of a subject, rather than precise detail. painting. Her paintings focus on mood and atmosphere, conveying the moods and emotions aroused by the subject rather than a detailed tone‐picture.
One of Blignaut's influences are the Impressionists and how their vision impairment played a significant role in the development of their unique styles and the evolution of their art. Much like the prominent artists of that era, she has a unique eye condition that influences and guides her artistic vision and techniques. Her condition influences her ability to perceive shapes, colours and details leading to her characteristic painting style. She layers brush strokes allowing for the viewer's eye to optically mix the painting in real time. The closer you come to her painting the more blurred and out of focus it seems, this allows the viewer to experience the unique sensation of the painting changing depending on where you stand and move.
Her paintings draw on themes of nostalgia, memory and yearning through the materiality of her practice. Her subject matter explores loss and experience through physical spaces and explores the lasting effect landscapes leave on us and what remains afterwards. In her sculptural practice, Monica explores the use of creation and deconstruction through materials, and languages to explore how the creative flow state and the artistic process are key parts of making sense of the world and a means to communicate and connect beyond language barriers. She explores invisible constructs exploring how we navigate mental health, and identity through her work to explore pain and the neurodivergent experience of living. Her artistic process is cathartic with the act of creating being key which she documents through photography and video.
In addition to her artistic practice, Monica runs a professional art studio. The Blue Gecko Art Studio is a painting studio based in the city of Cape Town, South Africa where Monica resides and works.
