As a devoted fan of both sport and art, I've been captivated, like nearly two million others, by the work of Werner Bronkhorst, a South African artist who shares his process so vividly on social media. His work pulled me in; his sense of play kept me there.
His view of play as both practice and philosophy felt like the perfect starting point for a conversation. We caught up with Bronkhorst as he was finalizing a mini collection he is calling "Singles," and we had a conversation touching on tennis, canvas, social media and the deeply human urge to create.
Obviously, since this is for Racquet, we'd love to dig into your notion that "Art and sports are so similar - they're leisure, not obligation." Can you unpack that?
Making art or playing sports is very much a leisure. No one forces you to paint a picture or to hit a ball with a racquet but you do it because you love it. You can’t just do it whenever you want to, though. It takes time, money and of course skill to paint or play tennis which therefore makes it as leisurely as any other fine goods.
Tell us about your latest collection. How does it connect with your larger body of work?
I’m currently working on a mini collection while I’m here in London which is called ‘Singles’. It features tennis players or spectators from all walks of life on 19 different green canvases. This isn’t the first time I’ve painted tennis scenes, though. A previous collection named ‘Forbidden Grass’ featured a couple of tennis inspired artworks and so did my most recent collection named ‘Crack’. I love the sport so it often finds its way into my bigger collections.
What role does play have in your day-to-day practice?
‘Play’ can be both a fun and serious term. I always have fun when I paint but you best bet I’m also very focused and take my craft extremely seriously. I constantly find ways to add play in my day whether it’s random visits to art museums, or playing music while I paint. My dad used to joke around by saying it’s playtime all the time for me.
Do you have a favorite player — past or present?
No. There are many players I look up to for their talent or their personality but I have no one clear favourite tennis player. I’m not sure if this is normal but I love watching and supporting up and coming players as well as the greats.
If you could display your tennis collection anywhere in the world, where would it be?
In London! That’s why I flew all the way here from Sydney just to make these 19 tennis inspired canvases while the Wimbledon Championship is happening. It’s home brewed and enjoyed locally!
You're big on museums and seeing work in person. As a person who has EXPLODED on the internet, do you still believe the physical experience matters? And do you put a deeper emphasis on one over another?
Social media is great. It exposes so much amazing work to so many people but art and even sport is enjoyed best in person. For me as an artist to visit art museums is like a young tennis player watching Federer and Nadal on centre court- you leave inspired and invigorated to go play good tennis or in my case, make good art that others can enjoy in person too.
What's been the biggest gift of social media for your career? The biggest challenge?
The biggest gift is knowing that there are people who love my work and are pleased to see what I create and in return I’ve been able to fund the process of making cool artworks for those people to enjoy. The challenge comes in knowing how to keep a balance. I’m a father of two beautiful young kids, engaged to my gorgeous fiancee and there’s a lot of responsibility on me to have a personal life too.
If the internet disappeared tomorrow - how would you still reach people?
Wow. I would probably invite everyone to my studio to see the process in person!
Who would be a dream collaborator — a brand, musician, creative—or athlete?
Wow. Musician: Doja Cat. Brand: a list too big to mention. Athlete: in tennis: Federer but I also have many other sports in mind!
