Wonderink met gedig

As a bilingual artist, language plays an important part in my work. Words switch from one language to the next, dancing around in my head as I navigate the world.

I created this artwork in a response to a poem that is very unique and special to me – it can be read in both Afrikaans and English.

Languages have been used as a barrier to communication, yet this poem shows just how this ideology can be transformed. It allows people of different backgrounds to see the beauty and wonder of linguistic creativity emergent from a centre of cohesion and synergy.

MY STORIES BEGIN AS LETTERS

My pen is my wonderland.
Word water in my hand.
In my pen is wonder ink.
Stories sing. Stories sink.

My stories loop. My stories stop.
My pen is my wonder mop.
Drink letters. Drink my ink.
My pen is blind. My stories blink.

^{Written by Joe Public}

To me, the poem is a writer’s inner thought. A confession that while multiple ideas are swimming through the writer’s mind, not all of them will come to life in ink on paper, and even fewer will reach a conclusion. Yet, when letters become words, part of the writer’s life and energy will remain trapped inside that story forever.

That is exactly how I feel when painting. The paintbrush and paint becomes my pen and ink, creating wonderful diverse stories. So many ideas flowing, yet only some of them will be born to this world, the rest will remain in my wonderland.