Artist James de Villiers Gets In Contact

My good friend James de Villiers (www.111.co.za) got in contact today via email. James and I have worked together quite a lot on shows and installations when I was in living in Johannesburg, South Africa. He's recently had a show at the Godart Gallery in Joburg. Left is Enigma Variation 2.
Below is a review of the exhibition from the Financial Mail:
'The French term Nature Morte is a particularly apt description of De Villiers' still lifes: skulls, rotting fruit - especially pomegranates and pears - and bread, dead fish and chipped bowls are reminiscent of 17th-century Dutch vanity paintings, reminding us that death is the inevitable end for all things. He applies religious symbols to a post-Christian world, while the mostly black backgrounds accentuate the sombre mood. A rare blue sky turns out actually to be a painting within a painting. But don't be put off: he paints well. While the impact en masse may be depressing, individually the pictures are intriguing, even inspiring, and thought-provoking.'