Artists
DAB Gallery is proud to represent the following artists:
Deborah Lazarus
Deborah Lazarus (South Africa, b.1970) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Cape Town. Lazarus works with traditional art materials as well as digital processes in her art practice.
At the Madonna exhibition at DAB Gallery, Lazarus exhibits some of her early digital artworks which evoke the theme “ma donna” - my lady. “In creating these works I was influenced by the devotional paintings of Madonna and Child painted by artists between the 14th and 16th centuries. My intention in these works was to depict intimate moments – such as a mother tenderly holding her sleeping child.”
John Bauer
John Bauer is a well-known ceramic artist and materials engineer, who has exhibited widely both at home in South Africa and abroad, and was represented in two South African museums before the age of 30.
He is globally recognized for his unusual, cutting edge developments in Porcelain production. Using Tsung Dynasty techniques, the images on his work rise above the surface of the clay. They are not negative impressions, but positive ‘expressions’ from the clay’s surface.
He perfectly reproduces in porcelain the trappings of a past age, where skill and craftsmanship were an artist’s primary concern. By appropriating rare coins, carvings, lace and organic substances he not only references the technologies of the past but archives them for the future.
John Bauer pushes the limits of what is technically possible in ceramics. A sentimentalist, he salvages antique crochet cloth, linens and lace and makes these materials immortal by recreating them, stitch by stitch, in porcelain. He is able to enlarge them to gigantic proportions or offers them in an extreme diminutive form. There is always a surprise factor in his work. It is full of light and translucency. Love is a central theme in Bauer’s work. He sometimes uses the inspiration of netsuke, old coins, flowers, found objects and dolls to embellish his work. His signature bowls carry his artwork of mythical creatures and angels whispering words of wisdom and love.
Qeren Creates
Qeren Creates is currently participating in DAB Gallery's EMERGE: A group Exhibition.
Qeren Creates is a multidisciplinary artist from Nelson Mandela Bay, currently residing in Cape Town. Qeren's work is an effort towards externalizing the inner worlds of feeling and thought. Qeren employs a range of characters to denote different parts of the mind and how they interact with each other. Qeren's most well known character is Imaginary Friend, a protagonist who represents the spark of hope we are born with and that we carry with us as we experience life.
Growing up in various cities, towns and villages in Southern Africa, Qeren embraced art from a young age, not only as a solitary pastime but also as a way to connect with new friends in every new place. Punk-rock, skate culture, hip-hop and street art dominated Qeren’s early exploration of the arts, with a deep love for painting, digital artwork and animated work developing later on.
Qeren’s work spans virtual and digital mediums, bringing together fine art, prints and collectables. To date, his characters have found form in painting and sculpture, as well as animated, 3D, virtual- and augmented reality works.
Intentional meaning is paramount to Qeren’s art practice. Every work has an intended but incomplete message, inviting the viewer to interpret, project, and ultimately complete the shared pool of meaning.
Qeren has exhibited locally and internationally and in 2023 was named by Design Indaba as one of 20 of South Africa's most promising emerging creatives. His work has been acquired by both corporate and private collectors and as has been comissioned by the National
Deon Lategan
Jeffreys Bay based surf and wave photographer.