Marvol Gallery is hosting self-taught South African artist, Zara Newman.  Join us at the opening of Zara’s solo exhibition titled “What makes you yellow?”. Zara’s artistic expression and passion for the arts and innovation emerged as an escape from continuous health challenges caused by a genetic disorder called Marfan Syndrome.  

Art for Zara has been an attempt to counter the effects of medical trauma and the loss of her childhood memories. Zara has used her art and writing to preserve her memories as she navigates the treachery of Marfan syndrome. She sees her creation of art as a record of happiness and a way of taking back control in a time of pain and medical mayhem.   

Zara draws inspiration from black portrait photography.  She is influenced by Nigerian photographer Ima Mfon and Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley. Her exploration of digital art and more contemporary styles is influenced by Seth Pimentel and Karabo Poppy.

Most of Zara’s work is in black and white.  The catalyst for this decision was her constant exposure to X-rays, which in their simplicity, captured the hidden secrets of her body. Looking beyond the surface is a theme throughout work. 

Zara uses the colours, black and white, as a metaphor for simplicity. Her aim as an artist is to relay difficult topics through visual simplicity.  All of her pieces have been made with the intention of tackling topics such as racial discrimination, inequality and mental health.

The only other colour present in Zara’s work, and which is the theme of the exhibition, is yellow. She says that her reason for using yellow is motivated by interactions with children, where they are told to describe their feelings by naming a colour that they feel best depicts their emotions. The question posed to children is “What colour are you feeling today?”  Blue is usually seen as sadness, red as anger. Yellow for most children is warmth, light and brightness associated with the sun. Yellow is the halo that highlights a holy being in renaissance art. Yellow is a gold piece in someone’s teeth when they smile. Yellow is the half circle in the corner of a child’s drawing of the sun. Yellow is what brings life when nothing else is there. Yellow is joy as well as light.