WHATIFTHEWORLD is proud to present a selection of new works by emerging South African artists: Mia Chaplin (b. 1990; South Africa) and Pierre Vermeulen (b. 1992; South Africa). With both artists’ practices deeply rooted in the traditional art of oil painting, this presentation highlights the unique engagements of such artists who embrace unconventionality to re-imagine centuries-old art forms.

Through sensual impasto compositions and romantic textured brush strokes, Mia Chaplin’s painterly figure studies and still-lifes draw inspiration from the age of Impressionism, providing impressions of the female experience from a contemporary feminist lens. Often spotted in Chaplin’s works are floating limbs and torsos fractured across the canvas, evoking themes of voyeurism and intimacy, as seen in many historical paintings. What makes her work particularly evocative is the fascinating tension created between her attention to form and direct references to the odalisques of exotic Romanticism and the Italian Renaissance’s Venuses in pudica pose; the former representing a form of effortless masculinity and the latter, an unattainable hyper-femininity.

On the other hand, Pierre Vermeulen’s gilded paintings reflect on the spiritual qualities of ritual and meditation in artistic practice. A combination of sweat, hair, ex-voto casts, gold leaf, and silver leaf, Vermeulen masterfully challenges conventional approaches to painting while drawing attention to ancient philosophical concepts of chaos and order. His works, defined by the interplay of imitation gold leaf and the reactive nature of sweat, showcase a distinctive technique that blurs the line between painting and alchemy. Vermeulen incorporates human hair, intricately woven into orchids as symbols of desire and fertility. This unique process results in oxidized imprints on the gold leaf’s surface, adding depth and a sense of transformation to his work.

By bringing together the distinctive practices of Mia Chaplin and Pierre Vermeulen, this presentation underscores how contemporary artists push the limits of tradition to forge new visual languages. Chaplin’s evocative, textured paintings offer a fresh perspective on historical representations of femininity, while Vermeulen’s alchemic processes challenge conventional notions of materiality and transformation. Together, their works invite viewers into a world where personal narratives, cultural references, and artistic experimentation converge—expanding our understanding of painting as both a medium and a means of inquiry.

Selected works available for viewing at Booth 5A-22.

For artwork inquiries, please contact Eleonora Marforio at eleonora@whatiftheworld.com.