Wesley John Fourie
Drawing heavily upon Hindu philosophy where all natural resources are considered as God’s ( a river, a mountain valley, etc.) Wesley John creates site specific textile installations that pay homage to each place in which they inhabit. Whether knitting the height of a mountain, a 1/100 scale of a river, the height of a waterfall, or the circumference of a body of water, Wesley John works to elevate these natural resources to divine status through art.
These works act as shrine to their original bodies, or to be thought of as extensions of their natural bodies.
Their work is predominantly textile based, though has also been written, performative, drawing, and painting. Wesley John see’s art as a vehicle to raise awareness of the sacred status of our natural environment, and will often be found (when not in their studio) lost somewhere in the forest. Due to an interest in spirituality, they have spent extended periods of time across the Indian subcontinent.
Their work is held in private collections across New Zealand, India, Japan, Nepal, Germany, Italy, and Australia.