Kristi Marié is a Cape Town-based landscape and abstract painter with a passion for exploring the relationship between nature and colour. After studying Art Direction and Graphic Design, she transitioned into a fulltime artist, driven by a deep curiosity and a love for experimentation. Her diverse body of work reflects a mastery of various mediums, thanks to her constant desire to learn and push creative boundaries. Nature remains her most consistent source of inspiration, shaping her unique and vibrant approach to art.

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Conceptual Statement —

Where the Clouds Gather (ǁHui !Gaeb) The earliest document naming of the Cape originating from the Khoekhoe culture This body of work began as a response to the overwhelming pace of the city. The constant noise, speed, and density of urban life have left me feeling anxious — like I can’t breathe deeply, like I want to retreat inside the four walls of my home and stay there. Some days I walk through the streets of Cape Town and imagine it all disappearing: the cars, the buildings, the rush. I crave a moment where everyone is gone — just for a breath — so the wind can speak, the stars can be seen, and the land can exhale again. In these paintings, I’m trying to recreate that imagined stillness — not as a form of escape, but as a way to listen more deeply. I’m not depicting history; I’m reaching for emotional memory, for atmosphere, for what the land might have felt like before it was paved over and hurried. The work is informed by the quieter ecological presence of the Cape coastline — and by the absence of man-made interruption. Titles reference Khoekhoe place-naming — specifically ǁHui !Gaeb (“where the clouds gather”) — a phrase that felt like a map back to that slower rhythm. Not untouched by struggle, but not yet overrun by noise. Technically, each piece is rendered with only two pigments on hand-dyed linen or wood panel. The surface is aged through a slow, meditative process of soaking, staining, and layering inks and spirit-mixed oils. The palette remains minimal: ochres, fog greys, weathered stone. These textures are meant to evoke time — not as narrative, but as emotional residue

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