Marizaan Grobler
Artist. Creator. Visionary.
I am an Art student at the University of Pretoria experimenting and developing my art and creativity skills. My art is to raise awareness about suicide and using the medium glass.
Artist Statement
Life through a glass house
​
Our society pressures us to stay strong and fight regardless of the consequences, so sometimes we fail to realize that we or someone else needs help before it is too late. People expect us to keep up with the world, and family and friends often fail to notice when we fall behind.
People need to pay more attention to the little things, especially among the youth, when they observe that something just doesn't seem right or when they say something concerning even in a playful manner. We are living in stressful times and suicide rates are climbing.
In choosing suicide as my topic, I want to bring more awareness to this alarming issue. People are so busy with their lives that they do not see the signs of someone who is suicidal that can be treated and prevented. The reason I chose this topic is that I am deeply moved by the fact that people suffer so much pain that they are willing to take their own lives. The hopelessness is felt by both the person who commits suicide and their loved ones.
My choice of medium for this project corresponds with my topic, suicide. Glass is a fragile medium and a fragile topic. However, it is also sharp, nearly as sharp as the world to the suicidal and the pain their loved ones endure from suicide. Glass throughout my work is symbolic for many things: We have lost sight of how some people suffer. The glass symbolizes that the person can see through it, along with the world. Yet we are blind to how some people suffer. It symbolizes that the person has given up while the world goes on as usual.
My art can be seen on both sides and the cracks can represent both the brokenness and the survival they are barely hanging on to. It represents rebirth and that it is never too late to rise stronger. The cracks are symbolic that a new self can emerge. Even though broken glass is viewed as negative and in my work, as it does represent the fragile state of mind. The shattered glass can also be viewed as positive in my work as it is symbolic of a new beginning. It gives one the idea of loud noises and chaos and is symbolic that one can break free from the darkness and pain.
The purpose of my artwork is to raise awareness through the use of glass in order to help people better understand the world and to make suicide signs more understandable and clearer.
Untainted
This work is created out of Hydrogen Peroxide and Red Pencil shavings. The medium is symbolic as the solution is often used to clean cuts and red is the colour of blood. In this case the medium links to people who self-harm as an alternative for not being able to commit suicide for various reasons such as responsibilities, for example, looking after their children.
Trapped
This work consist of two pieces one is an oil painting on glass and the other one is a pencil drawing. The art on the glass can be viewed from both sides, the front is what the world sees, that the person is 'fine' and the back represents how broken they feel with the cracks on the glass. Both artworks represent that the person feels trapped in their situation and no matter how hard they yell the world goes on.
Survival
This artwork is acrylic paint on broken laminated glass which can be viewed from the front and the back. The work is meant to be what the world sees, even with cracks in the person the world is still blind to the pain they are experiencing. The work gives the idea of brokenness and that the person is barely hanging on which is one viewpoint. But linking it to the title Survival the art can also represent someone who has been through a lot and had survived. The cracks show that the person is stronger than before and that a new self is emerging.
Transparency View
The artwork is glass that is engraved on. It is meant to represent that someone we know and love may be suffering and that we are to focus on our own lives to notice. It represents the hurt and frustration felt by the suicidal and how they view the world as painful, in contrast to the view of the world that just goes on as normal.
New Self
This installation art is a mannequin covered in silicone and broken glass. Blue food colouring is mixed with the silicone to give it a blue tint. The colour blue is symbolic of when a person suffocates or can't breathe. Therefore in this work, it shows that the person is in pain and that they are struggling to breathe and survive in the world. The shattered glass also represents the pain the world has caused and in return, it has become just as dangerous to anyone who comes close. For instance the pain they can cause loved one's, especially when committing suicide. On the other hand, if the person has accepted help and survived, this artwork can also represent a stronger new self breaking free from the darkness and pain.
