Painter Johann Louw presents his newest solo exhibition Der Abscheid at SMAC gallery in Keyes Art Mile. A rising star on the contemporary South African art scene, Louw has exhibited at the Beijing International Art Biennale and the prestigious Venice Biennale and his works can also be found in the Sanlam Art Collection.

The exhibition's title references the work of Austrian late-Romantic composer and conductor Gustav Mahler - specifically Der Abschied, the finale of one of Mahler’s greatest symphonies Das Lied von der Erde. Filled with dirge-like passages and dark C-minor tonality, the finale of the symphony was inspired by the diagnosis of a fatal heart condition that eventually caused the composer's death.

Similarly in his paintings and charcoal drawings Louw examines notions of mortality and identity, depicting ambiguous vulnerable figures in seemingly forsaken landscapes. An overture of encroaching uneasiness hangs over the images as Louw's subjects stand as witnesses, peering out from deeply-etched shadows.

Opening event Sat Nov 18 at 10:00.