Tag Archives: namibia

Storms pass

All storms pass… even shit-storms. © Imke Rust

Recently I experienced my very first ‘shit-storm’ on Facebook, after uploading a controversial design which I made in order to raise awareness about the auctioning of a permit to hunt the very endangered black rhino.

I do not want to go into a discussion about the image or reasons or thoughts about it, but rather on something that I have learned in the past years. Things change, always. Bad times pass and so do good times.

You might be scared, angry, upset, frustrated, wronged… whatever… but this too, shall pass. Give it some time, some kindness and some love. And in the end the storm will pass. All storms pass. Always.

And usually they will present you with gift of the most beautiful rainbow afterwards…. 🙂 🙂

I was so grateful that I had learned this. So while the shit-storm was happening, I could calmly sit back, smile, enjoy a good cup of coffee and watch it unfold. I have made my art, I have shared it and I even have explained it. Nothing more for me to do, except believe in who I am.

Many people liked it, and many understood it, so I knew that I was not totally off-track. The ones that did not understand, felt offended and had to argue on and on, I would probably never be able to convince otherwise. And that is not my job, anyway. So, after I made sure that I did answer politely and ensured that there is no real serious miscommunication on my side, I could let it go.

And rather focus on all the lessons, which it had taught me or reminded me of in such a clear way. Just as clear as the rainbow in the picture, which I photographed last year at the Waterberg, after one of the most spectacular storms and rain showers.

And I could use that energy to create something new. Like this wisdom blurb. 😉

Wishing you calmness and confidence to pass through your storms and the most spectecular rainbow at the end of every storm to remind you how strong and beautiful and loved you are!

Shoot me!

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Shoot Me – If You Can

Shoot me!

That is what she whispered to me.
Loud and clear. Looking into my eyes.
Yes, you heard right:
“Shoot me.”

I continued to paint.

Trying to ignore the voice.
Falling more and more in love with her image.
Her gentle presence.
And her calm and confident being.

Silently she kept insisting: “Shoot me.”
Probably noticing my hesitation
she added softly
“If you can…”

I kept wondering what she meant.
“I know it is a lot to ask, but
it is important.”

The request is clear.
She is not begging or whining.
Proudly demanding.
Kindly and wisely guiding me.
She has a plan.

Since finishing the painting part
and waiting for the stretcher frame
I have been asking myself:

Can I?

Could you?

This is a photograph of the kudu cow that has asked me to paint her portrait – read more about it HERE.

You can read about how the painting started in one of my previous blogs: There is a kudu in my studio

To be continued…

How to deal with shit in 2014

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2013 has been a transformative, beautiful and challenging year and I hope that you too can look back with gratitude for its blessings.

Here is to wishing you a
spectacular, happy, loving, healthy and abundant 2014.

Even with the best wishes, each year we will have some challenges to deal with. We have prepared a fun video message for you on
how to best handle life when it gets rough.

(duration: 1:45min – watch it till the end!).

We hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to share it with your friends and family, too. We would also love to hear your comments 🙂

Sending you lots of love and happiness, Imke

There is a kudu in my studio…

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Painting…

I have been quiet. I withdrew from the online world for a while, due to computer fatigue – I just needed to take a break. A break from reading, posting, searching, reacting and mostly from starring at a computer screen.

The decision to take a break was supported by the fact that I am back in Namibia, and realised how much I have missed just being out in nature. For the past few weeks I got so much joy and peace from just tending to my garden, watching all the different wild birds and small animals in it, consciously breathing the fresh air, soaking up the sun, slow down and basically just being.

During this time I also tied the knot with the most special and wonderful friend and partner. We had a beautiful celebration with a handful of selected family and friends in Swakopmund. A special time of love, family and friendship that deserved my undivided attention.

Happiness: Getting married to my love at the Atlantic coast.

But now I am happy to be back online and resume sharing my art and thoughts with you again…

My lovely husband and I have been at the Waterberg Wilderness Lodge for a few days, as he is producing an image video for them. During that time we saw a small herd of young kudus. They did not seem to mind us walking up really close to them.

While my man was filming, I just watched, taking some photographs and being grateful for this special experience. After a while I had the feeling that the one kudu cow wanted me to draw her portrait.

Excuse me… what?! I was confused. It can’t be… but I suddenly got a very specific impression about some parts of the painting, like the size and the composition and her insistence in the matter.

I was reluctant. I have often said I do not see the point in painting wildlife just for the sake of it. Isn’t it just too banal to paint a picture of a kudu? But she insisted, letting me know that there is a purpose. ‘Just trust me, I will guide you through it, once you get started…’ she seemed to say. And she did. (Or who or whatever placed those thoughts into my heart.)

What you see here is the almost finished work in my studio. I got some further specific directions while I was painting. Or was it just my creative mind? Anyway, hopefully I can soon follow up on them and let you know about the final work.

For now there is a kudu in my studio, watching me, with her kind and gentle eyes.

A kudu in my studio – to be continued…

Are You Walking in Circles?

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I am suspicious of video art…

Usually I either do not understand it, or it is boring or I just do not feel like watching for what feels like a lifetime to ‘get’ it. And yet, I have been lured into making my own video art. At least I hope that my video art is short and easy to understand. And if you do not understand it, at least it will have been so short, that you hopefully will not feel like you have wasted half your day on it.

And so, today I would like to introduce to you one of the works of my last exhibition, Walking in Circles. The work is conceptualised to be running continuously without any stops. So much for me disliking long videos… 😉 Don’t worry, in reality it is only an 18 second clip, looped and presented to you here in a bite-size piece of 3 minutes (or shorter if you press the stop button 😉 ). After you have watched the video, please feel free to read on, as I share my thoughts behind the work below.

A Meditation On Life and Change

This is a meditative work, where seemingly nothing changes, no matter how long you keep watching. When watching a video, we somehow expect that something new will happen, that there is a story to be told, a new action introduced or at least a beginning and an end. This video is moving along, but nothing changes. I could have been walking for 10 minutes or 24 hours, but you will not know. And there is no end, unless you leave the room or press the Stop button.

This could have a calming effect. Just like the cycles of nature, or day and night following each other without fail. So if you have a lot of turbulence in your life, this video could bring calm to it. It provides repetitive, calming stability and presence. Step for step, circle for circle you can let yourself be drawn into the moment and know that the important things will always remain constant. The cycles of nature will turn. The sun will rise again. You can rest, slow down and trust the process.

This could also have a very different effect on you. You might feel stuck in a rut. You might yearn for a change. But the video does not provide that, no matter how long you stare and wait. In this case, watching the video could be a meditation, leading you to the understanding, that if you want something to change, YOU need to change. Unless the person walking in the circles actually makes the conscious decision to step out of that ring into the next, everything will stay the same.

Are you willing to step outside of the circle? And change the course of history?

Consciously stepping out of the circle… © Imke Rust

About the work:
‘Walking in Circles’ by Imke Rust
 18 seconds, looped indefinitely,  projected against a wall. or on a vertically placed screen.
 Performance /  HD Video piece
 Concept & Performance: Imke Rust ©
 Video: Steffen Holzkamp
 April 2012
 Location: grounds of the Salt Company (PTY) Ltd, Namib Desert.

Film production almost completed

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An Inifinte Scream – The Documentary: Trailer

How did you make this? Where do you get all your ideas? Why are you working with salt? And what is a Tokoloshe Trap?

Did you ever wonder about these things when you see my art? Well, this time you are lucky and soon you will get some answers.

Documenting SubRosa IRust (c)

We have made a documentary film about my latest land art project ‘…and I sensed and infinite scream passing through the Namib’. It gives you a great behind-the-scene glimpse into the project and an insight how I work and think.

You can join me in the exciting journey from the making of the artworks, the thoughts behind them, the challenges along the way and finally the exhibition. It is a personal portrait as much as a film about the art and its role in society.

Until we can finally publicly release the film, you can already view the trailer and check out the film’s webpage. It will give you a taste of what to expect in the full documentary once it is released. Do not forget to sign up for the blog to find out when and where it will be screened. (I will also keep you updated here.)

A great thank you, to filmmaker and my partner Steffen Holzkamp for the excellent work and the super-cool film. I am really looking forward to sharing the full film with everybody soon.

Click HERE to view the trailer (1:36min)

Making of the Salt Circles © Imke Rust

Making the barbed wire stems for the roses © Imke Rust

Exhibition to end gender based violence

Exhibition opening: 27 June @18h00, National Art Gallery of Namibia

BangBang

BangBang (Acrylic on hardboard, box-framed, 40 x 35cm by Imke Rust)

“BangBang” is a colourful, lighthearted and quirky artwork, open to interpretation. To me it speaks about the dance of love and relationships and their shadow sides, such as the often invisible power-struggles and emotional violence happening within relationships or stigmatization directed against gay people.

The dance of love (or any relationship) needs awareness, mutual respect and sensitivity. If we do not have that, the world seems upside down and we are spinning helplessly in a cycle of unconsciousness, leading to hurt and pain (or in the worst case violence).

Lets dance with each other in the beautiful consciousness that in each of us is a divine soul that needs to be acknowledged and nurtured.

The work is for sale. If you like it, why not come over to the National Art Gallery and buy it? 🙂

I am happy to announce that my artwork has been selected for the exhibition UNITE to End Gender Based Violence. It will be on show, amongst several other great artworks by Namibian artists, at the National Art Gallery of Namibia from the 28th of June till the 2nd of August 2013.

Don’t miss the opening, which takes place on the 27th of June 2013 at 18h00. Namibia’s First Lady, Madam Penehupifo Pohamba will be the keynote speaker. Unfortunately gender based violence is on the increase in our society and a pressing and disturbing problem which needs to be addressed. I hope that this exhibition can play an active role in making us aware that this issue concerns each of us and help us to find solutions.

If you are in Windhoek please come and see the exhibition and show your support for this important matter.

Unite to End Gender Based Violence Exhibition Poster

Finally the rain has come to Namibia

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Just a brief update, on two of my previous posts. Let me start of with a quote, which is very central to my understanding of what this is about:

Gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe. (N.D. Walsh)

Some time ago I posted two stories about ‘calling the rain’ in Namibia, “Waiting for rain” and “Secret ingredients for making rain“. Namibia has been really dry and many people were/are afraid that this will be a year of a disastrous drought…. (you can read more of my thoughts about this at ‘Where are the clouds?‘).

Now, finally the rain has come to Namibia!!! Whoohoo…!!!

Besides being really happy about this news, I had to smile to myself, as it just proved to me, that the sending out positive intentions with the rainmakers is really working.

We just have to be patient and keep on believing. Even if it takes a bit longer. Trusting that everything is the way it should be and it is good. Just wait without fear, knowing that everything that is is a blessing. Our prayers will be heard, our needs will be taken care of! So count your blessings (really do) and praise each one of them.

Over the past few months I have made several different ‘rainmakers’ to remind myself to keep on believing in the rain and that it will come, no matter how bleak the forecast looked or how many people exclaimed their fear and worries. Each time I make one, I consciously imagine the rain falling and saying thank you to the universe that it has always provided me with everything I needed.

It does not need to be an elaborate artwork, Sometimes I even think the easier they come and the more fun they are, the better. It makes it easier to feel joy and gratitude in my heart. And I think that helps to focus the energy and my desire for rain and not on getting a ‘perfect’ piece of art out there.

Here are some of my rainmakers:

‘Seeing the Clouds’ – a digital artwork of superimposing a raining cloud onto a satellite view of southern Africa/Namibia by Imke Rust ©

'Cloud with the Flower of Life' - digitally manipulated photograph by Imke Rust ©

After the first good rains we all hope and pray that it will keep on raining, till we have enough to overcome the next dry season.

Inspiration to others and their contribution

Some friends have liked my rainmaker idea so much, that they have decided to make their own rainmakers and that surely played a big role and contributed to making it rain 😉 . Here is an photo from a rainmaker, which my brother’s girlfriend Amanda has made:

Amanda’s Rainmaker ©
What she wrote about it: it has alot saying and meaning to it. If you look close.
A. Clouds bonding. B. Protection for Our Solar System, The Sun C. At Full Moon there is Poaching, so I created the Stars and Moon, with a Cross that Protect the Wild Animals, there is an Oryx. D. Grass should Grow very High. E. Flowers for the Bees. F. Enough grass for the Cattle. G. Enough Water from the Clouds, going Left to Right. And it has worked somehow.

How cool is that?
It feels great that my ideas and work keeps on inspiring others, and they come up with their own unique and beautiful artworks or rituals.

Thank you, dear universe, for all your blessings and sending rain our way! By the way, I am still eagerly awaiting spring/summer over here in Berlin… 😉 – but I am sure you have already made a plan for that too! 🙂

Happy Easter Bunny!

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May this happy Easter bunny jump straight over the rainbow and into your heart!

Happy Easter Bunny (Ink & watercolour on A4 watercolour paper + digital text added) by Imke Rust ©

I do not really celebrate Easter and have always found it quite odd how the Christian story of Jesus’ death and resurrection was combined with colourful eggs, chocolate and cute bunnies… But I guess as long as it has meaning and importance to somebody, it is cool, and it is good to have rituals and reasons to celebrate.

Possibly my inquiring mind too often asks ‘Why?” and is not easily satisfied with the ‘normal’ answers if they do not make sense to me. And I am puzzled by how many people never even ask this question, or are just too easily satisfied with the often superficial answers or reasoning.

Actually I do like rituals and the whole original idea behind them. So I thought to share with you an Easter ritual which I found quite cool:

Collecting Easter water in silence…

A few years back I had the privilege to celebrate Easter with some friends in Germany who had a very special ritual. We had to get up some time before sunrise (a real challenge especially in the cold weather) and go to the forest to find a natural spring. All this time nobody was allowed to talk or say anything – which made me be very aware of everything we did and contemplate the energy of the spoken word. Somehow it felt really sacred, and I think that it focused the attention strongly on the intention, instead of dispersing it with too much ‘mindless chatter’. I do believe that words are a strong creative force and whatever we say has an impact on our reality.

At sunrise everybody collected some fresh water in glasses which we brought along and took some of the water to sprinkle over us and wash our hands. The water which was collected is called Easter water and will be kept in the house for the whole year as a kind of protection and blessing – it is supposed to stay pure and fresh for the whole year. Only once the water has been collected and the sun has risen, everybody stands in a circle, hold each others’ hands, say grace and blessings and wishing each other a ‘Happy Easter’. Somehow I really liked that.

Happy Bunnies

For today I decided to share with you my ‘Happy Easter Bunny’ to bring you a smile and some happiness. And to remind us all, of how grateful we can be. This bunny is the weirdest looking creature, rather ugly in a way and surely not able to hop along in a graceful manner with those legs – but still, it seems to be so happy and full of lightness, radiating warmth and love and not caring a single bit about the outside circumstances. I wish that he may pop up in your minds and hearts whenever you feel down, lonely or insecure and remind you look for the beauty and blessings in even the darkest moments.*

So, wishing you all a very happy Easter bunny and enjoy the weekend and celebrations – remember, there always is something to celebrate 🙂

* For everybody who wonders how I work or come up with the images:

The birth of the Easter Bunny

Often I just put my pen to paper and start drawing whatever comes to my mind – in this case I saw an image of an owl and started to draw the eyes. Then I am guided by the drawing and somehow it tells me what to do next. I do not consciously think about it, but just follow what feels right. Being very rational, it is often really difficult to let this happen, because my mind tries to tell me stuff, like: ‘you drew owl eyes, so this must become a bird’ or ‘this is really ugly, you can’t do that’, ‘this is not the kind of legs a bunny has…’. I try to ignore the critical voice of my mind and just follow my heart and eye and am often really surprised by the outcome and the insights I get from the process and the final image. It is as if a kind of dialog happens between me and the creature that I create. If you are interested to read even more about my art making process, you might want to look at one of my earlier posts “…and sometimes they tell me their names“, which is still very popular and insightful.

Calling the Sun

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After a brief appearance in Berlin the sun and warmth have disappeared again, making way for cold winter temperatures and a thick layer of snow.

So this is my official call for the sun to return. And my goldfish once again helped me with the task, by reminding the universe of the shape, colour and fun the sun can bring.

And since my family and friends back in Namibia are still desperately waiting for the rain, I thought I just send over a some clouds which I have collected some time ago (knowing that they might be in demand soon 😉 ). And I have asked them to take along all the clouds from Berlin and other rainy friends which they encounter along their way. Common clouds – the party is happening down in Namibia, so get yourselves over there in a hurry!