Serial killer artwork makes impact
A young artist from Waverley made an extraordinary artwork of Gert van Rooyen.
The recent anniversary of the death of Pretoria paedophile Gert van Rooyen coincided with the exhibition of an extraordinary artwork of this serial killer.
The artwork by Caitlin Greenberg formed part of the Sasol New Signatures 2014 exhibition in the Pretoria Arts Museum from September to October last year. It is titled ‘Oom Gert (1938-1990), 2014’.
Greenberg, who lives in Waverley, said the artwork comprised of nearly 22 000, 1cm portraits of his victims assembled to create the face of Van Rooyen. It took about six months to complete.
“The focus of this piece is the victims, not the killer. The repetition of these five victims, done in different shades of grey to symbolise the past, is a memorial for these girls. I wanted to place the emphasis on them,” Greenberg said.
Van Rooyen and his mistress Joey Haarhoff abducted six young girls in Pretoria 25 years ago. He was exposed when a 16-year-old girl escaped from his clutches.
Van Rooyen shot dead Haarhoff and then himself while police were chasing them in Pretoria. The five missing girls were never found.
Greenberg said the artwork evoked an extraordinary response.
“People tended to examine the image from afar, then move closer to get a better look and in the end move back again by the sheer impact and feeling of unease that the artwork enforces.”
This artwork forms part of an entire collection Greenberg is currently working on for her Masters Degree in Fine Arts at Tshwane University of Pretoria, examining how serial killers are represented in the media and the impact this has on society.
“I grew up with the memory of this man and he was the personification of ‘don’t talk to strangers’ for me. It is interesting to me that even after all these years, people still feel very uncomfortable about him,” she said.
Greenberg’s final exhibition will be at the end of 2016, where not only Van Rooyen, but several other ‘celebrity monsters’ will be displayed in a variety of styles.
“The exhibition is still developing and though I can say that no other killer will be represented in a similar way as Van Rooyen, I cannot disclose any more information yet.”
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