Re:Locate Painting

J. Badenhorst is a multidisciplinary South African artist whose practice centers around expansive, emotive landscapes while also exploring the power and presence of contemporary portraiture. With a deep reverence for the natural world and the emotional resonance it holds, Badenhorst’s landscape works feature sweeping skies, silhouetted treelines, and birds in flight — often painted onto multiple layers of glass and set within deep box frames. This unique technique creates an immersive three-dimensional effect that draws the viewer into a moment of stillness, transition, or quiet awe. Badenhorst’s landscapes capture the delicate tension between light and dark, movement and silence, evoking scenes at dusk, before storms, or in the hush of early morning. The layered glass surfaces invite an intimate connection with space and time — not just observed, but felt. While landscapes form the foundation of Badenhorst’s visual language, their contemporary portraiture provides a bold counterpoint. These works are emotionally charged and often textured with metallic elements and gestural strokes. Combining abstraction and realism, the portraits explore themes of identity, strength, and transformation with striking clarity. At the heart of Badenhorst’s work lies a fascination with contrast — between natural and urban, inner and outer worlds, serenity and intensity. Whether capturing the vastness of a skyscape or the fierce strength in a human gaze, each piece invites viewers to pause, reflect, and engage more deeply with the present moment.