“Da Vinci? I couldn’t imagine that the introspective Madonnas from the Renaissance’s incomparable intellect could easily become immersed in the often acerbically witty commentary of Bailey,” said gallery director Mark Read.
Read added that, while it was easy to “be mesmerised by Leonardo’s iconic women set in idealised classical landscapes”, it wasn’t easy to imagine “vague images of them inhabiting brilliant yet somewhat dysfunctional landscapes of southern Africa”.
“Bailey, however, with this collection has achieved the unexpected, seemingly effortlessly,” he said.
“A Renaissance beauty demurely floats in the night skies above Cape Town. Another finds herself in an arid wilderness; a smorgasbord of elements from the contemporary and the classical. Well done, Beezy. To my mind, this is your most powerful show to date.”
A painter, sculptor, printmaker and performance artist, Bailey was born in Johannesburg and obtained a fine art degree from London’s Byam Shaw School of Art in 1986.
Landscapes with a twist is at Everard Read Gallery, 6 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, until 7 June.
Details: 011 788 4805; www.everard-read.co.za
