Orchid art project flowers behind prison bars

A group of 11 artists from the visual arts project of the Drakenstein Correctional Centre have been commissioned to produce graphic works on Fabriano Rosaspina paper for the Orchid Society Project.

The artists, some of whom are new to the programme launched in 2015, have interpreted their own "place or condition of being in relation to the physical and symbolic aspects of the orchid flower".

The works were produced in collaboration with the initiators of the programme, mentor and artist Marieke Kruger, and correctional centre overseer and facilitator of the programme Bertie Fourie.

The 11 etchings, scraper boards and linocuts of various forms and sizes will go on auction at Stephan Welz & Co in Constantia on Tuesday, October 17.

Proceeds from the sale will go towards addressing the decline in the orchid population of the Western Cape.

The Cape Orchid Society's Spring Show in September, hosted by Stephan Welz & Co, was the headline event for the society's fundraising campaign for the Jubilee Legacy Project.

Sixty works of art inspired by orchids were donated by emerging and established South African artists for the event.

These works will also form part of the Stephan Welz 2017 Spring Auction. 

• This article was originally published in The Times.