Discover the best of the Eastern Cape’s contemporary art scene in this exciting new exhibition at Parkwood's impressive contemporary arts space Art It Is. In Eastern Cape Emergence the gallery showcases the work of eleven emerging and established artists working in a variety of mediums who are inspired by various facets of the Eastern Cape's natural, urban and social environments.

Interesting artists to look out for include Anthony Harris, who is particularly well known for his landscapes. Harris describes his paintings as exploring “the complexity of the terrain in ways that challenge the viewers’ own boundaries and conventions of romanticising something” and he has hosted no less than sixteen solo exhibitions at the prestigious National Arts Festival in Grahamstown . Also inspired by South Africa's broad landscapes is Joanne Reen, whose works capture the isolation and ecstasy of the Karoo (as she terms it “I am in the landscape and the landscape is within me.”).

Ceramic artist, painter and sculptor Lydia Holmes’ whimsical works often carry a darker edge, tracing the growth and effects of industrialisation on the environment and directly challenging man’s abuse of nature. A self-taught artist, Holmes also attended fellow Eastern Cape painter Greg Kerr’s pastel fine art workshops. Greg Kerr’s works, which focus on portraiture within urban settings, also form part of the exhibition.