Today’s featured artist for the UJ Arts & Culture’s ‘The Pandemic Project’ is visual artist Devlin Tim. His artwork, entitled Looking Back, draws heavily on the song, Moon River performed by the UJ Choir.
Moon River talks about meeting at crossroads, of moving on and letting go, a moment of introspection that we all go through at some stage in our lives.
Tim visualises this by portraying a city street with the historical weight of society embedded in the walls and windows of buildings and pavements: the moments that remained captured throughout the changing of time.
His builds on his artwork with thin layers of paint, allowing him to overlay some layers while leaving others exposed. He therefore unearths moments of nuances while leaving behind traces of raw outbursts of feeling and movement. The use of layering and scumbling allows Looking Back to evoke a deep sense of complexity within the viewer.
Take a look at Devlin Tim’s ‘Looking Back’ and listen to the UJ Choir singing Moon River – text: Johnny Mercer music: Henry Mancini arranged for choir: Steve Zegree.
About Devlin Tim
Devlin Tim is a contemporary artist who specializes in painting. After leaving school at the National School of Arts, Tim travelled extensively and began building his career and experience as an artist. From painting large-scale artworks at two restaurants in Angola to working as an assistant art teacher, he gathered a variety of skills and experience.
In 2015, he was commissioned by City Parks to design and conceptualize a navigation system at the Johannesburg Zoo, using art and sculpture as signage. An up-and-coming force to be reckoned with, Devlin Tim has gone on to exhibit his work across Johannesburg, including being a finalist in the MTN Young Emerging Artists Programme at UJ Art Gallery two years in a row.
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