Elzahn Nel

About

 

About the artist

I am Elzahn.

I’m an illustrator and visual artist living in Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, a small town en route to Die Kouebokkeveld outside of Cape Town.

I grew up between the Boland and the Karoo in sunny South Africa.

I studied Fine Arts and have since continued to be a scholar of the Arts, building my skill set with all kinds of bits and pieces. Some of my most valuable lessons came from learning under Scottish artist, Elsie Evans. Most importantly, she taught me to never be caught without my sketchbook, and when I get inside my head (major over-thinker), to “just get on with it” (in a heavy Scottish accent).

My art heroes include David Hockney, Cornelia Parker, and Marina Abramovic.

In my twenties, I exchanged Cape Town for Bangkok and lived there for seven years. Bangkok is my other home, one of my greatest loves! I participated in various exhibitions, as well as a three-month residency at the Tentacles Art Space.

Some of my favourite clients and collaborators include Cherry Time, Kraak, Festival of Dreams, Lounah, Klyntji, Vorster & Braye and Durbanville Hills.

My medium of choice is gouache, watercolour and paper.

Some things that shouldn’t be in my bio:

  1. If I weren’t an artist, I would be a gardener.

  2. I believe in the power of doing hard and uncomfortable things.

  3. Sometimes (I wish I didn’t) I care a bit too much about what others think, and sometimes too little.

  4. I like to smell things. Anything. Everything.

  5. One of my favourite passages is from Marina Abramovic’s memoir, where she identifies and embraces the 'heroic self,' the 'spiritual self,' and the 'bullshit self,' beautifully recognizing the complexities of being a human and an artist. (You meet these three selves in my Daily Drawings. View and shop them HERE).   

  6. I consider the following events to have shaped my being: meeting my partner, living in Asia, becoming a mother, and losing my father.

  7. My practice is entirely rooted in a love of drawing.

  8. Sporadically, I write stories. You can read them HERE. THIS ONE was published in Klyntji. 

  9. I live and breath for a creative, art-filled life. Sometimes torturous, but mostly really fantastic. 

    That’s it for now.

    Don’t hesitate to reach out, I love a good chat.
    hello@elzahnnel.com