Previous work

Three unfinished or damaged bust sculptures on pedestals, displayed in an art gallery or museum.

Jacques van der Merwe

All those fond memories

The sarcastic title frames a work of three highly textured plaster busts. Their surfaces are bound in tightly stretched bandages, fractured strands hanging loose, revealing the timber armatures beneath. These forms, part body and part construction, signify the abject within their expressions. On the far right, an almost hidden, deflated white brain rests on a shoulder, a symbol of fractured memory and psychological disjunction.

A slow-moving video projection washes over the faces of all three busts. These self-portraits recall the sculpted bust yet disrupt it: the projected image acts like a mask, unsettling the static form. In this doubling of face and bust, the work evokes Freud’s uncanny, while the moving image returns the gaze, challenging the authority of the traditional portrait.

The work recalls the artist’s past, shaped by the narcissistic hold of his father—a presence that dominated from childhood until migration to Australia. All Those Fond Memories testifies to psychological scars shaped by memory, trauma, and loss.

Date: 2018

Medium: Plaster, silicon rubber, medical bandages, perfumed talcum powder, aluminium, steel, Indian ink and digital video projections.

Dimensions: 71cm x 45cm x 32cm (each)

Images taken by the artist

Two sculpted busts on display pedestals in an art gallery, with a backdrop of colorful circular art installations on the wall.
Sculpture of a person's bust with a rough, unfinished surface, mounted on a wooden pedestal, in an art gallery.
White sculpt sculptures of a woman and a man with a small skull between them on a black background.

Pair-Bond

Date: 2018

Medium: White Hydrocol, plaster, bandages, jacaranda and treated Pine, tablets, lint and dog hair.

Dimensions: 135 x 56 x 80cm

Image taken by the artist

Sculpture of a human face in profile made of white material with a large seashell as an ear against a black background.
White sculpture of a person's bust with a large mole on the neck, against a black background.
A bronze sculpture of a frog lying on its back, with a small gold bell attached to its foot.

Foreign Landings

A figurative exhibition that explores my immigration process, featuring small-scale works in bronze and pen-and-ink on paper.

Date: 2013

Images taken by the artist

Art gallery display with sculptures on white pedestals and framed photographs on the wall.
Art gallery with framed black-and-white portraits on the wall and sculptures on white pedestals, including human figures in dynamic poses.
A detailed sculpture of two flying pterosaurs, with one larger and the other smaller, made from dark material.
Two bronze bust sculptures hanging on a white wall, one with large twisted horns and the other with a short haircut.
Black and white watercolor portrait of a person with curly hair, wearing a necklace and a dark coat, standing outdoors with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.
Close-up view of a metallic sculpture depicting three human faces with expressive features, set outdoors with trees in the background.

Uprooted I & II

Date: 2012

Medium: Bronze

Dimentions: 200 x 200 x 150cm

Image taken by the artist

Two large bronze sculptures of children in contemplative poses, displayed outdoors under a tree with people and children in the background.
Two metal sculptures of hands, positioned as if in a face-off, mounted on white pedestals outdoors with trees, buildings, and people in the background.
People observing colorful portrait paintings in an art gallery with white walls and brown carpeted floors.

New Arrivals

In early 2008, Jacques van der Merwe migrated to Australia with his family, leaving South Africa in response to rising crime and diminishing opportunities. While the move proved worthwhile, he was struck by the profound complexity of both the physical and emotional processes of migration. Through ongoing conversations with others, Van der Merwe came to recognise immigration as a transformative, life-altering experience shared by all who undertake it.

This recognition forms the basis of New Arrivals, an exhibition comprising fifteen large oil-on-canvas portraits. Each portrait is accompanied by the recorded voice of the sitter, recounting their personal experience of arriving in Australia as either a refugee or an immigrant. Together, image and voice create a layered narrative, illuminating both the diversity and the shared challenges of resettlement.

Van der Merwe’s work highlights the striking parallels between refugees and immigrants: while both groups often struggle to adapt to Australian society, they also consistently affirm Australia as a place of safety and opportunity. By foregrounding these voices, the exhibition seeks to give visibility to the complexity of migration and to acknowledge its central place in shaping contemporary Australian identity.

A watercolor painting of a woman with blue eyes, long brown hair, and light makeup, wearing a blue top.
A colorful, expressive painting of a woman with dark skin, curly hair, and wearing earrings, surrounded by small figures of children and butterflies.
Painting of a person's face with dark skin, short hair, and a serious expression, wearing an orange shirt.
A painted portrait of an elderly woman with dark hair, a white flower in her hair, and a bright yellow clothing item.
Bronze sculpture of a young girl with short, wavy hair, looking with an expression of surprise or concern, against a plain white background.

Woman and Hyena

Date: 2014

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: 110 x 64 x 84cm

Edition: 7

Image taken by the artist.

Bronze sculpture of a nude woman running with a dog following behind, mounted on a rock-like base.
Bronze sculpture of a nude woman with a short haircut, one hand on her hip, standing on rocky base beside a small animal statue.
Bronze sculpture of a sitting rat on a rocky base.
Sculpture of a woman with a textured, abstract style, shown in profile against a black background.

Woman with pig heads

Date: 2015

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: 74 x 43 x 24cm

Edition: 7

Image Steven Vawdrey

Sculpture of a barefoot woman holding two animals, one in each hand, with a black background and a wooden base.
Bronze sculpture of a woman holding cloth or flowers in each hand, standing on a wooden base, viewed from the back against a dark background.
Bronze sculpture of a slender woman with short hair, standing on a wooden base, holding a large cloth or bag in her right hand, against a dark background.