Lien Botha
Navigating Memory and Place
Born in 1961 in South Africa, Lien Botha embarked on a journey that transitioned from the immediacy of press photography to the explorative realms of fine arts. Botha's academic pursuit at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, where she obtained a BA in Fine Arts in 1988, opened her to the vast potentials within alternative mediums such as printmaking, painting, and sculpture. Over the past two decades, Botha has been a prolific contributor to the art world, participating in numerous group exhibitions both locally and internationally, and holding twelve solo shows to date.
In "Africa Reframed," Botha presents "Parrot Jungle," a project that takes viewers on a disrupted road trip through forgotten spaces. The journey spans the ordinary yet captivating route between Betty’s Bay and Cape Town in South Africa. Through 45 deeply personal photographs, Botha captures the essence of daily surroundings, each image laden with the thematic weight of a world in decomposition, yet still resonant with the echoes of birdsong. This collection stands as a poignant appeal, intensified by the raw aesthetics of her shots, revealing the extraordinary within the mundanity of life through meticulously captured details.
From the series Parrot Jungle
"Parrot Jungle" is more than a photographic series; it's a narrative of revisitation and rediscovery. Botha describes it as a drive-by revisited, a chance to return to the elusive sites missed while on the way to another destination. The project becomes a journey of deliverance without a designated endpoint, a drive filled with personal and strategic resonances, from the memory of Roger Waters drowning out the broadcaster's bad news to the invisibility of the road under the rain, the roadkill, the pedestrians, the stray dogs, and the fleeting presence of a site hut before it merges into the roads yet traveled.
Botha’s narrative weaves through personal and collective memory, marked by encounters with individuals like Helene Lambert, whose "Histoire des Jardins" survived the Congo, and Lebo Diale, her last tenant in St Martini Gardens. "Parrot Jungle" is a testament to Botha’s deep engagement with her environment, offering a reflective look at the journey through life’s landscapes, both physical and emotional.
Lien Botha’s work challenges viewers to see beyond the surface, to uncover the layers of story and significance that lie within the ordinary. Her explorations into the fabric of daily life through the lens of her diverse artistic practice make her a compelling voice in the dialogue between memory, place, and identity.
