Hendrik Gericke is a South African fine artist, illustrator, concept artist and photographer who operates under the alias The Flying Dutchman.
Career:
Hendrik began his pursuit of art as chosen profession at the age of fourteen.
Following a few years of traveling after school and completing a diploma
in animation he took the first steps in his career as professional artist.
His first published illustrations appeared in Issue 01 of the now-defunct Something Wicked magazine, a sci-fi and horror anthology. His artwork was
featured in every single issue, including two cover paintings.
Making his gallery debut in October 2007 at Off the Wall Gallery in Paarl
with a group show entitled On Paper he followed it with a flurry of group
shows and the following year he had his debut solo exhibition entitled Recollection
at Salon 91 Contemporary Gallery in Cape Town.
While travelling around New Zealand in 2009, he exhibited with the Flagstaff
Gallery in Devonport, Auckland and continues to be represented by them.
Towards the end of 2009, Hendrik participated in the Zeit of Drawing exhibition
at the Climate Gallery in New York and was subsequently offered representation
with them, which lasted until the gallery's demise in late 2010.
His career has taken a number of turns in recent years, most particularly
in the direction of the film industry. He provided opening credit illustrations
for the Hein DeVos-directed short film Thanks Dad as well as storyboards
and concept art for the Universal Studios production Safe House.
He has also works as a visual director, photographer and writer.
Media:
For the bulk of his career, Hendrik has been drawing exclusively with pens,
which has lead to a very distinct visual style. In 2007, he began expanding
his range of expertise, firstly getting to grips with oil paint, which has
featured in the bulk of his exhibitions and this was followed by developing
proficiency in the use of traditional dipping pens and ink for his debut
solo exhibition. Following that, he has become an accomplished photographer,
digital artist (digital painting in particular) and 3D modeler
Statement of Intent
The art I produce is primarily to reflect my views of the world to the
audience, albeit in a manner that is often not a direct reflection of
that world, but somewhat more interpretive. I wish to stimulate the same
curiosity in others through my art as I experience through the world I
see around me.
In violent reaction the apparent lack of internal quality-control that seems
to be so prevalent in the various communities of contemporary arts, I set
myself very high standards, ensuring my workmanship is of a level that the
public deserves, rather than presenting them with an inferior product and
then berating them when they (rightly) question its legitimacy. I have thus
spent more than a decade drawing, refining my understanding of line, weight
and the intricacies of tone and lighting before even approaching colour.
More recently I have embraced the medium of oil paint to the full and also
began employing both ink and water-based paints, though the media I predominantly
work with are pen and oil.
My work ethic is one of both frenetic productivity and constant changes
in direction, which has allowed me to effectively avoid falling prey to
routine or producing formulaic works, as any appearance of complacency is
nipped in the bud by altering the media, subject matter or choice of input.
This ingrained method of forging ahead via constant activity has also prevented
me from becoming very reflective or sentimental about work I have completed,
further assisting my forward momentum.
Above all I hope to tell a story to the audience, although the scene presented
may not be familiar, it should be convincing nonetheless, aiding the suspension
of disbelief and thus allow them to embrace the work and accompanying subtext
rather than question the pedigree of the artist and the legitimacy of his
motivations. Michelangelo once claimed to merely liberate the form trapped
within the marble block, yet of late I have rather felt that the contemporary
art world tends to present the block of marble and then tell the audience
to trust them, the statue is in there, can they not see it? I find this
easy exit both insulting and patronising to the general public, who deserve
to be treated respectfully and presented with work they can both appreciate
and contemplate. It is, after all, for them that the work is created, not
for our own gratification.
Thus my art is neither for the highbrow elite nor the ravenously trendy
(I make sure of that), but rather for those who presume to know nothing
of art to maybe discover some narrative elements they can identify with,
recalling the quote: ‘my art is for anybody, but it is not for everybody’.
And my art is definitely not for everybody.
Exhibitions and work projects as a professional fine artist
Solo showing of work at Sound&Motion Studios, Cape Town
Oct 2011
Cover artwork, Something Wicked Magazine
Oct 2011
Album artwork, Cold Hand Chemisty
Oct 2011
Album artwork, Taleswapper
Oct 2011
Radisson Kruger Park Environmental Impact Study
3D Model Build for Dimension Software Engineering
April/May 2011
Children's book illustrations for South African Education curriculum update
April/May 2011
The Imaginarium Easter Show
Keenwä, Cape Town
April 2011
Bridging the Gap exhibition.
Art Karoo, Oudtshoorn
March/April 2011
Poster Illustration for TBWA agency.
Client: Klein Karoo National Arts Festival.
March 2011
Storyboards for Ogilvy Cape Town advertising pitch. Product: Stimirol.
March 2011
Conceptual art and storyboards on Universal Studios production: Safe House
Moonlighting Films.
March 2011
'Woman' Exhibition
Art Karoo, Oudtshoorn
August 2010
Plate Exhibition group show
Misael Space, Milan.
June 2010
Commencement of representation by Sparx Media artist management
June 2010
Semi Permanent 2010
Work selected for inclusion in annual Semi-Permanent book.
Commencement of representation by Climate/Gallery, Queens, New York
March 2010
The Zeit of Drawing exhibition
Climate/Gallery, Queens, New York
Dec 2009
40 Postcard Paintings produced for, delivered to and hung at Salon 91 Contemporary
Dec 2009
Production art & opening credit illustrations for Thanks Dad,
a short film production directed by Hein De Vos produced by MIA Films and
Kill Your Darlings Productions
Oct-Dec 2009
Visual concept development with screenwriter Gert Basson for Country of
the Blind, a feature film (in development).
September 2009-Present
‘Reflections’ Exhibition of work at Cultivaria Festival with
Off the Wall gallery, Paarl.
September 2009
Exhibition featuring work done during travels around New Zealand. Work shown
alongside that of NZ artist Rudolf Boelee.
Flagstaff Gallery in Devonport, Auckland.
April-May 2009
Group Exhibition
Lindy van Niekerk Gallery, Cape Town
March 2009
Exhibition of solo work
Trumpetree, Stellenbosch
February 2009
‘Recollection’ Solo Exhibition
Salon 91 Gallery, Kloof Street, Cape Town
December 2008-January 2009
‘Inevitability’ animated short for Inge Beckmann stage performance.
Screened at Klein Libertas Theatre
October 2008
Salon91 Inaugural Group Exhibition
Salon 91 Gallery, Kloof Street, Cape Town
August 2008
‘Postcard Show Vol2’ exhibition at Off the Wall Contemporary
gallery in Paarl/Somerset West
June 2008-August 2008
Visual Director (3D simulation) for
Dimension Software Engineering
January 2008-Present
‘Postcard Show’ exhibition at Off the Wall Contemporary gallery
in Paarl
December 2007-January 2008
‘Akkerjol’ magazine cover and interior art for The G-Studio,
Somerset West
November 2007
‘Energy and Motion’ exhibition at the 3RD I Gallery, Cape Town
November-December 2007
‘On Paper’ exhibition at Off the Wall Contemporary gallery in
Paarl
October 2007
Illustrator and Cover Artist
Something Wicked Magazine
2006-2010
Animator, “Beyond Freedom”
Directed by Eric Oldrin
2006
