Through these fragile compositions, she examines memory, representation, and the emotional landscapes that shape human connection.
Marsi van de Heuvel's practice explores ideas of identity, belonging, and personal and collective history. Working primarily in painting and detailed fineliner drawings, she approaches mark making and colour in a way that echoes the layering of oil paint, creating luminous and meditative surfaces. Her work often draws on natural and cosmic imagery including landscapes, plants, and seascapes, while also reflecting on family archives and the histories of place in South Africa. Through these fragile compositions, she examines memory, representation, and the emotional landscapes that shape human connection.
Marsi van de Heuvel (b. 1987, Cape Town, South Africa) is a painter based in Cape Town. She graduated with a Fine Art Diploma from the Ruth Prowse School of Art in 2010, where she specialised in painting. Van de Heuvel has presented a number of solo exhibitions including 'Attempts to Think Like a Plant' at Nuweland, Amsterdam (2019), 'Transition' at Smith Gallery, Cape Town (2018), and 'Ceremony' at SMITH, Cape Town (2016). Her work has also been included in group exhibitions and art fairs including the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, the FNB Joburg Art Fair, and AKAA Fair in Paris.