Bonsai Showcase by Boland Bonsai Kai

In celebration of its 33rd birthday, Boland Bonsai Kai will showcase some of its best from Thursday, 27 to Sunday, 30 November. The trees will be displayed adjacent to the Johannesburg Station Panels by JH Pierneef. Displaying bonsai trees next to these historic paintings creates an exciting interaction between two completely different, yet intrinsically related art forms.

Bonsai – an art form which originated in Japan many centuries ago – is an artistically designed tree in a pot. It is an art form that makes use of living instead of inert material. Other than a painting that is complete when it is signed and framed, a sculpture that is complete when it is placed on its pedestal or a musical composition that is complete when the composer draws the final bar line, a bonsai tree is a living artwork that is never complete. As long as the tree lives, it needs to be designed over and over again, occasioned perhaps by a branch that dies, a bird that breaks a twig or any other kind of natural or human intervention.

The well-known bonsai artist John Naka describes it thus: “Bonsai is an art involving scientific study and philosophy. It is a living tree, styled artistically to represent nature’s beauty in a small container.”

South Africa is famous for its African styles of bonsai, because local artists wish to do more than merely imitate the classical Oriental models. African bonsai styles are being developed in response to our own visual environment and our local climatic conditions, while exploiting the many indigenous tree species that have the potential for making excellent bonsai subjects.

Two of the best-known styles practised in our country are the baobab and the Pierneef styles. In bonsai terminology it is unusual to name a bonsai design after a person, such as Pierneef, or a tree such as the baobab. Nevertheless, these terms and the styles they designate have become accepted throughout the bonsai world as capturing the South African landscape in a unique way and expressing an essentially South African aesthetic. The forthcoming exhibition will create the opportunity to view some of these African-style bonsai trees against the backdrop of Pierneef’s famous paintings of South African trees.

More about Boland Bonsai Kai
The Boland Bonsai Kai was started 33 years ago by a group of inexperienced enthusiasts. However, they learnt the skills of bonsai very quickly and soon attracted wider attention. Since then, many club members have gone on to win awards and have become recognised on the national stage.

This exciting collaboration between the Rupert Museum and Boland Bonsai Kai promises to be of great interest to a wide and diverse audience. The show will include demonstrations, workshops, guided tours, and a sales table.