Don’t Fence Me In

In recent years, while living in the inner city of Port Elizabeth, I began to feel increasingly imprisoned and hemmed in. The need for security and hyper alertness against the rampant crime made me feel like a prisoner in my own home. To escape this feeling, my husband Max and I would jump at every opportunity for a road trip. I began collecting images of fences, wide open spaces and beckoning roads, for an exhibition called ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’

As happens, life changed, and suddenly I found myself living the freedom dream, in Prince Albert. No burglar bars, and surrounded by jawdropping wild nature and endless winding roads. The exhibition remained in my mind, but now as a celebration of freedom rather than a protest against captivity.

Then Covid 19 happened, with all the insanity of lockdown regulations, and ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ has taken on a whole new flavour!