CARYN SCRIMGEOUR
(b. 1970, Johannesburg, South Africa)

Caryn Scrimgeour's subject matter is chosen from commonplace objects that surround her. Delicate chinaware, glassware and insects are combined with trinkets and knick-knacks and portrayed against a backdrop of richly patterned fabric in a way that is reminiscent of 17th century Dutch still life painting.

Objects that are fragile and precious are juxtaposed with mundane items, which in turn are elevated to the same level of importance. Her works are filled with symbolism, and the place settings consequently ‘become representative of major events which have impacted my life over the past ten years, but which are also events that most women will experience in the course of their lives, in one form or another.’ The objects in these paintings are easily recognisable, familiar and often nostalgic, making the images highly accessible to the viewer. Even the use of symbols and images drawn from other cultures and societies serve to entice rather than alienate the viewer

Scrimgeour explains, ‘The constantly changing positions of the knives and forks are indicative of the inconsistency and fluctuation of what we see as sacred or fundamental to our core beliefs…For instance, an empty place setting, symbolises a loss of self, emptiness and missed opportunities.’

The images are elevated from that of traditional still-life by the use of aerial perspective which forces a shift in our viewpoint and the way in which we interpret the objects. At the same time it creates an almost abstract interplay between the objects and the patterns, creating a contemporary context for a very traditional genre.

Scrimgeour graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a B.A in Fine Art and lives and works in Cape Town.  She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and at Everard Read London. Her work is held in private collections in the UK, Europe, Asia, the USA and South Africa.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021
Entangled, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2019
A Word is Not a Sparrow, Everard Read Gallery, London, UK

2018
My Borrowed Life, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2016
Postcards from Chinatown, Everard Read Gallery, London, UK

2014 
Breaking Point, Exhibition Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2012 
Conundrum, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2008 
Fragile, Fertile Deceptions, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2006 
Solo Exhibition, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021
Summer 2021, Everard Read, London, UK

2019
Birds, Rust-en-Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa
Winter, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2018
Investec Cape Town Art Fair with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa
Winter, Everard Read London, UK

2017
Summer Exhibition, Everard Read Gallery, London, UK

2015 
Winter, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2014 
Summer, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2013 
100, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2013 
Centenary, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Possessed, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Sydney Art Fair, Everard Read Johannesburg, Sydney, Australia

2012
Johannesburg Art Fair, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Winter, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Small Works, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
India Art Fair, Everard Read Johannesburg, New Delhi, India

2011
Johannesburg Art Fair, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
15th Anniversary Group Exhibition, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Self Portrait, Rust En Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa

2010 
Summer, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
View From The South, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2009 
Sex, Power, Money, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Summer, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2008 
The City, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2007 
Artwords II, Rust En Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa

2006 
Seven Deadly Sins, Rust En Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa

2004 
Women's Day, Rust En Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa