Quinton Lehnert

Artist Statement:

I am a passionate and dedicated emerging Queer artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, specializing in digital and charcoal drawings, oil and acrylic painting, photography and print making. I have always used my creativity to escape to a place where my thoughts and imagination can roam free and make sense of the world around me. Most of my art focuses on my experience as homosexual young man, the challenges or obstacles I experience, and my critical reflections on society. I have always believed that art is a form of communication, and I can only speak my truth. I am in love with the process of creating something aesthetically pleasing and layering it with deeper conceptual meaning, including inclusive representations of Queer bodies, empathic projections in intimate spaces and affective triggers aimed at evoking contemplation or emotional responses from my audience

Bio:

Quinton was born in 1996, in Johannesburg. From a young age his parents supported his creative talents and sent him for drawing lessons, which sparked his love for art. Quinton graduated from Hoërskool Dr. Malan in 2014 with distinction in visual arts. Thereafter he moved to Bloemfontein and completed his BA in Fine Art, minoring in Psychology at The University of the Free State in 2020. He specialized in printmaking, digital and charcoal drawing.
 
Quinton returned to Gauteng in 2021 and has since focused on building his repertoire, creating works of art and completing painting, illustration and drawing commissions. He further developed his digital art skills with various online courses on Udemy, took sculpting and painting workshops, and co-taught Visual Art and Design at Dreamz Art and Glass Studio. He recently completed his teaching qualification at World Tesol Academy. Quinton recently formed a photography collective with Beate Jordaan, which runs a bi-weekly photography competition. Quinton and Beate also collaborated on an artwork, which was part of an Open Call group exhibition at Jan Rupert Art Center in Graaff-Reinet in 2021.

Instagram: @Quinton_Lehnert_Art/