Chris van Niekerk is a South African artist who makes insects from all kinds of tiny botanical finds he makes in the fynbos around his home in Franschhoek. Although the insects look lifelike, Chris van Niekerk himself does not call them insects but rather objects or works of art. He builds the insects from leaves, grasses, stalks to even as small as the vein of leaves. No unnatural materials are used to make the Chris van Niekerk works of art; to dye butterflies' wings, for example, Chris van Niekerk uses natural dyes from flowers and plants
Chris van Niekerk
About the creator
Insect art by Chris van Niekerk at Oogenlust
Hundreds of botanical parts in Chris van Niekerk's art
A butterfly's wing from dried magnolia leaf, a furry bee's body from grass seeds and fly legs from quinoa stalks. These are some of the hundreds of parts Chris van Niekerk uses to create his insects. His studio in Franschhoek, South Africa, is bulging with bottles of leaves, seeds and other indefinable tiny finds from the fine forest that he uses to create his extraordinary works. Although trained as a Horticulturist, Chris uses botanical books only as inspiration and the insects he creates are not replicas but a self-composed 'piece of beauty'.
Unique art by Chris van Niekerk
Pieces of beauty by Chris van Niekerk
The 'Pieces of Beauty', as Chris van Niekerk calls his insect artworks, are now so sought-after that you end up on a long waiting list if you want to buy one of Chris van Niekerk's artworks. All the more special that Oogenlust has a nice selection of insect artworks in its collection! Within that collection, you will find 'whole' insects, but also the 'half' insects, where Chris van Niekerk has constructed half an insect and the other half consists of the South African insect artist's drawing that clearly shows how detailed he works.
It is actually superfluous to say that each of Chris van Niekerk's works of art is unique, but in these times when everything seems to become more and more ephemeral, we want to emphasise it anyway: what makes Chris van Niekerk's work most special is the incredible amount of attention and time he devotes to it. With monk-like patience, each insect artwork is drawn, prepared, composed and put together. Unprecedented in this day and age and of a timeless splendour.
Discover our brands
