Artefunto Contemporary Art Gallery

About this gallery

Artefunto Contemporary Art Gallery is unlike any gallery you have visited before. Artist Werner Brand has pioneered a breathtaking art form: large-format wooden plates — ranging from 67cm to 1.25 metres in diameter — each built up with 14 meticulous layers of lacquer and then hand-painted in extraordinary detail. The technique draws from a 1,000-year-old tradition of manipulating wood and bamboo, but the results are entirely Werner's own. Inlays of eggshell, mother-of-pearl, coins, stone and paper are embedded into each piece during the layering process, creating artworks with remarkable texture and depth that shift subtly in different light. Werner's style fuses African and Western artistic influences into compositions that are both technically astonishing and emotionally resonant. Located in Clarens at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, Artefunto is a gallery that stops visitors in their tracks. If you have never seen Werner Brand's work in person, nothing can quite prepare you for the experience. Open Thursday to Monday — closed Tuesday and Wednesday.