'Bearings' heads to NAGN

Iréne-Mari van der Walt
The painter Nicky Marais's exhibition, Bearings, opens in the National Art Gallery at 18:00 next Thursday, with the playwright and multidisciplinary artist Ndinomholo Ndilula speaking at the even.
Marais also hosts an event on Saturday 8 June for art lovers to expand on the art process she follows and the works that form part of the exhibition
The exhibition was inspired by Marais' move to Oranjemund in early 2023 and how she had to find her feet in her new surroundings. She lived and worked in Windhoek as a sculptor and project coordinator for art activities until 2023 when she moved to the diamond town.
Here she explores and paints the relationship between people and the earth. She was at the helm of the visual arts department at the College of the Arts in Windhoek until her retirement in 2019. She was also responsible for the accreditation of new courses and syllabuses.
She has since been appointed as an external examiner for both the College of the Arts and Cosdef's arts and crafts centre in Swakopmund.
She also works as a consultant for Art Can Transform - a project of OMD's in Oranjemund. She was also instrumental in setting up the art centre in the town.