Ingrid Uys was born in 1985 in Ermelo, Mpumalanga. Growing up in small towns like Middleburg, Clarens and Harrismith, she spent most of her childhood days horseback riding, drawing and daydreaming for hours outside under big trees. Her exposure to different places and people nurtured a curiosity in the world around her, and producing drawings and paintings has since been a way to collect those moments and memories. After years of art classes in different studios in different towns, Ingrid Uys completed her BA Fine Art Degree in 2007 at the University of Pretoria, specializing in oil painting.
Ingrid had her first solo exhibition in 2016 at Halifax Art Gallery in Johannesburg, the opening speaker being her erstwhile university lecturer, Diane Victor. She has been part of numerous group exhibitions since at various spaces. She has participated in BirdLife South Africa, hosted by, Mark Read from Everard Read in 2016. Over the last 3 consecutive years, Ingrid has enjoyed successful shows at the RMB Turbine Art Fair with the White River Gallery.Her themes explore contrasts of permanence vs impermanence through her favoured subject of birds in flight. As her childhood was characterized by a host of moves to many small towns, the concept of movement migration and flight plays a strong role in her work – her birds in flight paying homage to the value of a few seconds. Ingrid’s work is currently part of numerous notable local and international collections, private and corporate.
The White River Gallery has hosted two solo exhibitions for Ingrid entitled, “This Fleeting Forever” and “Wings” in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
“I find most of my inspiration in nature, the beauty and mysteries of Creation, finding ways to translate meaning and purpose through my work. I am fascinated by the delicate relationship we have with each other and nature. A major theme in my work is the fragility of time, a recurring and almost consistent concept I am developing. The birds in flight resemble a moment captured, it refers to the significance of time, the value of a few precious seconds. This idea has also given birth to my peephole series, focusing on different perspectives and different lenses. Wearing glasses/contact lenses myself, I find the vision we have, the way we see and interpret the world around us, captivating.” -Ingrid Uys