Fragments of Silence: A Monochrome Rebellion Against Trauma
With gold infused grief and monochrome honesty, one South African artist unveils a portrait series that refuses to look away.
In the stillness of black and white, something sacred is speaking.
“I Am In This World, But I Am Not From This World” is
the latest abstract expressive artwork series from the South African
interdisciplinary artist, Augustus J.N.M. Caelthorne (Caelthorne Art), whose
work merges memory, emotion, and social reckoning. Each portrait is a vessel —
heavy with untold stories, yet feathered with defiance. Through the visceral
intimacy of charcoal, pencil, ink and metallic gold, Caelthorne invites
viewers into a realm where pain becomes presence, and presence becomes art.
Every original in the collection is A3 in size,
mounted with a block and custom deep-set frame, and accompanied by a
short but searing narrative of a real-life experience — rejection, domestic
violence, betrayal, depression, and recovery. These are not imagined forms:
they are personal, lived-through events, translated with honesty and restraint
into monochromatic figuration.
There is no excess here. Every smudge and shadow is
intentional.
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| Titled: "I Forgot I Had a Name" The first artwork by Caelthorne, for his new series: "I am in this world, but I am not from this world" |
What sets the work apart is its revival of traditional tools — charcoal, pencil, and pen — as a contemporary language of resistance. Rather than oil-soaked color palettes or over-polished commerciality, Caelthorne is determined to lead his new series with mixed-media and opts for the quiet violence of black ink, the whisper of graphite, and the stately impact of charcoal. The artworks feel almost haunted, yet they glimmer — quite literally — with the symbolic use of gold. Not decorative, but devotional. Gold appears like memory: scarce, tender, and impossibly bright in the dark.
Caelthorne adds that “I was taught to paint pain away,
however I wanted to draw it still. To keep it. To honor it. Every line, shadow,
expression is tied to the narrative of the respective artworks. Someone once
said that being an Artist is more than just a title - it's an act of courage.
It's daring to show what we keep hidden. I don't want to hide anything anymore.
It's time to heal, through healing others with my own childhood and teenage
experiences”
Collectors and buyers alike, can acquire the original,
alternatively limited edition prints (only 25 prints are available) in A3
size through to A0 size, each one signed and issued with a certificate of
authenticity and its originating story. Proceeds support the ongoing work of The
Lady Isabel Foundation, which supports charitable organizations, with their
continuous fight against women and child abuse, domestic abuse, mental health
and advocacy across South Africa.
"In our fragility and vulnerability, lies our strength, it's a pity that it took me personally almost 23 years to realize that" admits Caelthorne. As a result, this body of work resists silence. It resists shame. And it speaks to us — gently, firmly — in a language that can only be described as almost ethereal.
For press enquiries: caelthornepress@outlook.com
For The Lady Isabel Foundation: theladyisabelfoundation@outlook.com
For a commission, or interest in one of my artworks: caelthorneart@outlook.com
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