Embark (Diasec)

Cornè Theron

Cornè Theron was born in Worcester in the Western Cape in 1974. She matriculated in Bloemfontein and went on to study law at the University of the Orange Free State, graduating in 1997 with an LLB. Theron felt the urge to paint and to express herself, which led to taking art classes. Subsequently, she participated in two group exhibitions and started her full-time art career.

She was chosen as one of 10 artists for the Fresh Talent exhibition held by the Crouse Art Gallery.
Theron describes herself as a contemporary neo-optical artist. In her abstract figures, she often portrays images of women who find themselves underwater. “I examine our reactions to environments that are foreign to our natural abilities and control,” explains Cornè. “I experiment with different types of glass as filters to create my images. I enjoy exploring the fact that our eyes are not developed to see underwater, so the images are blurred. I use water as a metaphor for our subconscious and I am very attracted by exploring the ‘Blue Space’. A neuropsychiatrist friend of mine calls the subconscious our stored memory. Most of our reactions stem from our ‘programming’. I am fascinated by the way we mostly react toward each other without first logically thinking about it and reasoning about it. The sources of our influence and the way it impacts us, in terms of our individuality and the way we relate to each other, motivate my work” the artist adds.

In 2019 the artist moved together with her family to France to gain international experience and to grow her art career on a far bigger international level.

Cornè Theron is an established artist who has gained lots of positive comments and her art is respected and bought by collectors worldwide. In 2020 Theron hosted her first international solo exhibition titled AMA and within one week the body of works was sold out.
At an exhibition in Hamburg in 2021, Theron successfully launched a series of digital works that follow the artistic style of her pixelated paintings.
In the meantime, her digital artworks are an established 2nd line of her work and the Swimmer Girls are hugely popular.

2023 Cornè Theron held her 2nd international solo exhibition AQUA at the Hallenbad Ost in the Documenta City Kassel (Germany). This multimedia exhibition in the former indoor swimming pool built in 1929 was celebrated by visitors and media alike.
‘An artist worth watching’ said ARTSY-CEO Mike Steib.

In South Africa, she is represented and exclusively shown at The Artists Gallery Cape Town.