Art in Context Experts Team

Art in Context aims to provide the most accurate and helpful information, therefore our writer’s team consists of educated and passionate art experts. Each team member brings in their own expertise and point of view to make our content unique. If you would like to learn more about the philosophy behind the website artincontext.org, you can visit our about page. Would you like to join our team? Get in touch with us.

Contemporary Art and Art History

Isabella Meyer | Head of Content, Editor, Art Writer

Isabella studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature & Language and Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, she took Art History as an additional subject and absolutely loved it. Her focal points of interest in art history encompass profiling specific artists and art movements, as it is these areas where she is able to really dig deep into the rich narrative of the art world. Additionally, she particularly enjoys exploring the different artistic styles of the 20^th century, as well as the important impact that female artists have had on the development of art history. Isabella has been working at artincontext.com since the relaunch in 2020 and enriches our website with her expertise and passion. She is the head of content, as well as an editor and art writer. She ensures the quality of the written part.

Full Biography | All Posts by Isabella Meyer

Jordan Anthony | Content Editor, Art Writer, Photographer

Jordan Anthony is a film photographer, curator, and arts writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Jordan schooled in Durban and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. During her studies, she explored additional electives in archaeology and psychology, while focusing on themes such as healing, identity, dreams, and intuitive creation in her Contemporary art practice. She has since worked and collaborated with various professionals in the local art industry. Jordan’s interests include subjects and themes related to philosophy, memory, and esotericism. Her personal photography archive traces her exploration of film through abstract manipulations of color, portraiture, candid photography, and urban landscapes. Her favorite art movements include Surrealism and Fluxus, as well as art produced by ancient civilizations.

Full Biography | All Posts by Jordan Anthony

Alicia du Plessis | Author and Art History Expert

Alicia du Plessis is a multidisciplinary writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Art History and Classical Civilization, as well as two Honors, namely, in Art History and Education and Development, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Alicia’s specialised areas of interest in Art History include the process of writing about Art History and how to analyze paintings. Some of her favorite art movements include Impressionism and German Expressionism. She is yet to complete her Masters in Art History (she would like to do this abroad in Europe) having given it some time to first develop more professional experience with the interest to one day lecture it too. Alicia has specialized in painting analysis for artincontext.org.

Full Biography | All Posts by Alicia du Plessis

Chrisél Attewell | Multidisciplinary Visual Artist, Art Writer

Chrisél Attewell (b. 1994) is a multidisciplinary artist from South Africa. Her work is research-driven and experimental. Inspired by current socio-ecological concerns, Attewell’s work explores the nuances in people’s connection to the Earth, to other species, and to each other. She works with various mediums, including installation, sculpture, photography, and painting, and prefers natural materials, such as hemp canvas, oil paint, glass, clay, and stone. She received her BAFA (Fine Arts, Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria in 2016 and is currently pursuing her MA in Visual Arts at the University of Johannesburg. Her work has been represented locally and internationally in numerous exhibitions, residencies, and art fairs.

Full Biography | All Posts by Chrisél Attewell

Nicolene Burger | Multimedia-Artist, Creative Consultant, Art Writer

Nicolene Burger, a South African multimedia artist and creative consultant, specializes in oil painting and performance art. She obtained her BA in Visual Arts from Stellenbosch University in 2017. Nicolene’s artistic journey encompasses exhibitions in South Korea, participation in the 2019 ICA Live Art Workshop, and solo exhibitions. She is currently working towards a practice-based master’s degree in theater and performance. Nicolene’s primary focus is on promoting sustainable creative practices and providing coaching sessions for fellow artists, highlighting the profound communicative power of art for healing and connection. Nicolene writes our blog posts on art history with an emphasis on renowned artists and contemporary art. She also writes in the field of art industry. Her extensive artistic background and her studies in Fine and Studio Arts contribute to her expertise in the field.

Full Biography | All Posts by Nicolene Burger

Jaycene-Fay Ravenscroft | Art Gallery Assistant, Art Author

Jaycene-Fay Ravenscroft is a writer, poet, and creative living in South Africa with over 6 years of experience working in a contemporary art gallery. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Art History and Ancient History at the University of South Africa, with additional subjects in Archaeology and Anthropology. With a passion for learning, Jaycene-Fay is very much inspired by symbology and the connection between everything in this world. Trained to analyze and ‘critique’ art, she is passionate about exploring the meaning behind each artwork she encounters and understanding how it connects to the artist’s cultural, historical, and social background. Writing is Jaycene-Fay’s way of having a finger in every pie: to research, share knowledge, and express herself creatively.

Full Biography | All Posts by Jaycene-Fay Ravenscroft

Emma Littleton | Academic and Content Writer

Emma completed her Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies at the University of Stellenbosch. She majored in French, Political Science, and History. She graduated cum laude with a Postgraduate Diploma in Intercultural Communication. While exploring career options Emma interned at a nonprofit organization as a social media manager and content creator. This confirmed what she had always known deep down, that writing was her true passion. Growing up, Emma was exposed to the world of art at an early age thanks to her artist father. Primitivism, Art Nouveau, and Surrealism are some of her favorite art movements. By joining the Art in Context team, she has set foot on a career path that has allowed her to explore all of her interests in a creative and dynamic way.

Full Biography | All Posts by Emma Littleton

Armin Kific | Social and Political Researcher, Art Writer

Armin Kific is a social and political researcher and writer based in Pretoria, South Africa. He completed a degree in Political Science with majors in History and Philosophy in 2020 and has since completed an Honours in Anthropology and History. He is also currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Pretoria. Armin’s knowledge of the arts spans various mediums, and he is always looking for ways to marry art with social science. In 2021, he produced a short documentary film about the often-forgotten South African soul star Mpharanyana, integrating history, music, photography, and film. Armin is well-versed in art history, especially in the fields of political artwork and ancient artifacts. He is also trained in biographical writing. By writing for ArtInContext, Armin continues to cultivate his artistic creativities and unite perspectives between art and society.

Full Biography | All Posts by Armin Kific

Architecture, Literature and Poetry

Justin van Huyssteen | Novelist, Academic and Educator

Justin van Huyssteen is a freelance writer, novelist, and academic originally from Cape Town, South Africa. At present, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and literary theory and an honor’s degree in literary theory. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in literary theory with a focus on animal studies, critical theory, and semiotics within literature. As a novelist and freelancer, he often writes under the pen name L.C. Lupus. Justin’s preferred literary movements include modern and postmodern literature with literary fiction and genre fiction like sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and horror being of particular interest. His academia extends to his interest in prose and narratology. He enjoys analyzing a variety of mediums through a literary lens, such as graphic novels, film, and video games. Justin is working for artincontext.org as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture, literature and poetry.

Full Biography | All Posts by Justin van Huyssteen

Painting, Drawing, and Design

Charlene Lewis | Content Creator and Creativity Writer

In 2005, Charlene completed her wellness degrees in therapeutic aromatherapy and reflexology at the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She spent several years working for a company that offered corporate wellness programs before eventually establishing her own therapy practice. In 2015, a digital marketing friend invited her to join their company as a content creator, and it was in this role that she discovered her passion for writing. Since entering the world of content creation, Charlene has gained extensive experience writing about a diverse range of topics, including beauty, health, wellness, travel, crafting, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and now works as a freelance writer. Given her creative nature and her involvement in various arts and crafts, contributing her knowledge and experience in different creative topics at Art in Context is an ideal fit for her.

Full Biography | All Posts by Charlene Lewis

Matthew Matthysen | Drawing and Painting Artist, Art Writer

Matthew Matthysen is a multidisciplinary artist. He completed his fine art degree, majoring in History of Art and Contemporary Drawing Practice at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. The emphasis of Matthew’s practice was a research-based approach to the philosophical effects on the human experience of the macro and micro-universe. Through various mediums, such as written and practical components, Matthew explores various ideas located within the conjoined space between science and philosophy. Matthew has had various exhibitions before and throughout his year of studies and continues to do so. He has commissioned and sold various works to galleries and collectors. He currently sells work to an online gallery (Artgazette) and continues to make work for the public and private sectors. Matt is mainly working for artincontext.org and is responsible for the drawing tutorials.

Full Biography | All Posts by Matthew Matthysen

Photography and Videography

Duncan van der Merwe | Video Editor, Videographer, Writer

Duncan completed his diploma in Film and TV production at CityVarsity in 2018. After graduation, he continued to delve into the world of filmmaking and developed a strong interest in writing. Since completing his studies, he has worked as a freelance videographer, filming a diverse range of content including music videos, fashion shoots, short films, advertisements, and weddings. Along the way, he has received several awards from film festivals, both locally and internationally. Despite his success in filmmaking, Duncan still finds peace and clarity in writing articles during his breaks between filming projects. Duncan has worked as a content writer and video editor for artincontext.org since 2020. He writes blog posts in the fields of photography and videography and edits videos for our Art in Context YouTube channel. He has extensive knowledge of videography and photography due to his videography/film studies and extensive experience cutting and editing videos, as well as his professional work as a filmmaker.

Full Biography | All Posts by Duncan van der Merwe

Former Team Members

Thembeka Heidi Sincuba | Artist, Art Writer

Heidi Sincuba was the Head of Painting at Rhodes University from 2017 to 2020 and part of the first Artist Run Practice and Theory course at Konstfack in Stockholm, 2021. They completed their BFA at Artez Arnhem in the Netherlands, MFA at Goldsmiths University of London, and are currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cape Town. Heidi Sincuba’s own practice explores fugitivity through painting, drawing, text, textiles, performance, and installation. This praxis is founded on a conceptual intersection of biomythographic experimentation, existential automatism, and African ancestral knowledge systems. These methodologies of multiplicity result in a fluid and speculative aesthetic, continually manifesting and metamorphosing its material conditions.

Instagram | Website

Demi Bucklow | Illustrator, Fine Artist, Art Writer

Demi Bucklow is an independent artist and photographer living in Cape Town, South Africa. Since graduating from the University of Cape Town in 2018 from Michaelis School of Fine Art with a degree specializing in fine art photography, she currently works as a freelance artist, content creator and writer. Demi’s particular interests explore a range of multimedia illustration, collage art, photography and videography, darkroom processing and stop-motion animation. Her work is an exploration of nature and its phenomenon – somewhere between art and space. Artistic practice presents the ability to communicate a vision. It is through techniques of pointillism and realism that form, and substance are explored as a metaphor for matter; super-imposing a thousand marks and points until an image is formed before our eyes. From illustrations to surrealist landscapes, Demi translates corporeality – mixing the obtuse and vacuous with the astute and expressive which leads to a mixture of irrevocable pondering over what is and what could be.

Linkedin | Instagram

Kylie Deyzel | Interior Designer

Kylie Deyzel is an interior designer and sustainability enthusiast from Cape Town, South Africa. She has a passion for writing and educating others on various interior design topics. Her favorite interior design topics include interior design theory, interior design history, and most of all: sustainable interior design. She received her B-tech degree in interior design from the University of Johannesburg in 2018 and has worked at various interior design firms since and had a few of her own freelance interior design clients under her company name binnekant.