Haidee Nel: Infantry

Part of Gallery Weekend in Mineral Point

Child soldiers. HIV-cure rape. Police overreach. Child shields. Child labour. Abuse. Neglect.

Having two daughters of her own, sculptor and performance artist, Haidee Nel is increasingly aware of the realities of escalating violence against children. This urged her to create empowering sculptures, imbued with imagination and quirk.
Masked by their playfulness, these are metaphors and monuments for pain experienced by both adults and children. They interact on multiple levels. It allows children to identify visual cues, such as strength, optimism and perseverance.

The works provide subtle clues to challenges that they may be familiar with, such as clenched fists, closed eyes, tense shoulders, bare feet and so much more. The sculptures offer a gateway to empathy for the adult and in some cases a means to reflect on their own childhood experiences. A step to achieving acceptance and faith through Ubuntu as described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu: I am because other people are.

Nel graduated from the Michealis Art School in Cape Town. She studied sculpture under the supervision of Jane Alexander and Gavin Young. Haidee Nel is an award-winning artist and is included in numerous private and public collections.