CANVAS: ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S ART

Mariska Bolleurs

@mariska.bolleurss

Canadian painter Joseph Plaskett believed that “art is a celebration of life.” The 2023 Canvas echoed this sentiment beautifully by transforming the Amphitheatre into its own art gallery on 23 and 24 February.

Canvas is a visual art project hosted alongside many events by the Student Campus Council (SCC) wherein liaising hostels have twelve hours – from 18:00 to 06:00 the next morning – to create a two by two meter artwork according to the given theme. This year Canvas was back in full swing after having to scale down due to previous years’ Covid-restrictions. 

Marius van Rooyen, SCC Arts and Culture Officer, described Canvas as a place for people who are focused on visual art to showcase their talents. The theme for this year was “one man’s trash…” leaving almost all creativity to the artists. “We interpreted the theme as ‘one man’s trash is another child’s dream’. The theme had great potential for creative freedom!” 

Martine Hattingh, co-Vice Chairperson of Dinki’s Canvas Team told us, “Canvas gives us the opportunity to keep a piece of ourselves on campus. No matter how small your input, when you look at the final product you know you were part of creating it.” This was also the first year private students – students who are not part of a campus residence – could join in with an arts team of their own. 

The evening wasn’t just aimed at the artists blotting fast-paced brush strokes but also at the spectators, supporters and non-participants milling about. As per the Canvas tradition, sofas were scattered throughout the Amphitheatre with students playing charades, cards and computer games creating an uplifting social environment for the artists at work. The event also sported a line-up of Arts Societies who showed some of the latest talent the NWU Potchefstroom Campus have to offer – from The Serenaders, to The Disfunctional Beat Dance Crew and more. One of the highlights of the evening was Die Piesangskille, a local duo, who had the entire Amphitheatre singing along to popular songs. 

“The evening was a huge success,” van Rooyen added, “with the shows and performances it wasn’t just about painting, but was an evening that everyone could enjoy. We were amazed at the amount of people who showed up.”

When the clock struck midnight, one-by-one the different residences began to sing their residence song, creating an atmosphere of support and unity to haul the artists and supporters through the second half of the event. 

“For me the highlight of Canvas 2023 – although a bit cliché – was the last hour when the sun started to come up and everyone was finishing their paintings and you looked up to see everything come together,” Marius van Rooyen said proudly.

After weeks of preparation and a long twelve hour shift, the painted murals can be seen at the top of the Amphitheatre stairs for an entire year before they are painted over for the next Canvas event.