Reflecting on the year’s collections
Over the past year, Motif & Muse has continued to explore what it means to create, connect, and collect with intention.
In March, two distinct collections, Shadows & Light and Rooms of Wonder, were unveiled at our official launch event, marking the first time guests could experience the artworks in person. Each piece invited contemplation and conversation, encouraging guests to pause, reflect, and connect over shared inspiration.
True to the Motif & Muse philosophy, every artwork was exhibited anonymously, allowing the artwork to stand apart from prestige and title. Known and emerging artists shared the same platform, their works speaking for themselves, without external noise influencing that moment of interpretation.
Together, these collections reveal the many ways artists interpret beauty, mystery, and meaning, reminding us of the vastness and wonder of human creativity.
Take a moment to read through the concepts that inspired each collection, and the stories of the talented artists whose works form part of the Motif & Muse experience.
COLLECTION // SHADOW & LIGHT
Shadow and light couldn’t be more opposite, yet one can’t exist without the other. Together, they shape the seen and the unseen, evoke emotion, and create depth and intrigue.
The artists who contributed to the Shadows & Light collection were tasked to to explore this dichotomy and how it shapes perception. Each artist interpreted the theme differently, providing a rich tapestry of pieces that resonate uniquely with every art lover.
From mysterious pieces that spark contemplation and introspection to gentle landscapes and portraits, this collection inspires the viewer to let the eye wander to the stories hidden in the shadows.
Maria de Vos
Maria de Vos is a South African fine artist with an incredible ability to capture reality with charcoal on paper. Her meticulous attention to detail brings a striking sense of realism to her work, drawing viewers in with depth, precision, and quiet intensity.
For the Shadows & Light collection, Maria created three exquisite pieces: Prelude, Interlude, and Coda.
Each artwork captures a fleeting moment, steeped in emotion and mystery. Through her charcoal, Maria translates the invisible into something tangible - offering a visual language for feeling, memory, and introspection. The enigmatic quality of her work invites pause, asking the viewer to look closer, reflect deeper, and uncover their own meaning.
Santjie Viljoen
Nature is her muse. And Santjie Viljoen sees it as her duty to capture transient moments in nature - when golden light spills across a landscape, illuminating the ordinary with quiet beauty.
Her journey as an artist began when she was just six years old, after her father gave her a camera ahead of a four-year family adventure circumnavigating the globe by sailboat. It was during this adventure that Santjie learned to seek out the small, often unnoticed moments, those tiny glimmers of wonder that reflect the intricate beauty of the world.
Today, she brings that same sensitivity to her canvas, painting with a vibrant palette and skilled hand. Her works in Collection 2 - Essential Nature, Synonymous, and You Are The Light - reveal a fine eye that is attentive to nature’s nuances. While You Are The Light, a self-portrait, may diverge from her usual landscapes, it carries the same softness and depth. A quiet testament to how she sees the world.
She understands how light and shadow move together - how they shape a mountain at dusk or bathe a face in the golden glow of late afternoon. To Santjie, these are not just moments. They are the quiet miracles that remind us to pause, look deeper, and truly see.
COLLECTION // ROOMS OF WONDER
The Rooms of Wonder collection was curated to spark curiosity and awe, drawing on the Wunderkammer tradition that emerged during the Renaissance and Baroque periods of the 16th to 18th centuries.
Wunderkammer means “wonder chamber” or “rooms of wonder”, and was a room or cabinet that displayed rare or unusual objects from wealthy collectors, scholars, and royalty. This tradition paved the way for modern museums and reflects the innate human desire to make sense of the world.
Each artwork that forms part of this collection is a “wonder room” of its own. A space that holds both intrigue and beauty, inviting you to experience the age-old joy of discovery.
Kallie Whiteman
For Kallie, art is joy - and her Collection 3 pieces, Magic, Finding My Soul, Shades of Green, and Blackbird, are vivid reflections of the happiness she feels when creating.
Each artwork is a journey of discovery. As she plays with colour, form, and emotion, Kallie sees every canvas as an invitation to learn - both about her subject and herself.
Kallie only became an artist later in life. In the midst of an incredibly difficult season, a friend invited her to an art class. That invitation changed everything. Art became her escape - a way to find light and colour during a time when darkness felt overwhelming.
Now, the joy in her work is almost tangible. Each piece holds discovery and the quiet triumph of rediscovering wonder.
Tiana Goosen
A doctor, recent graduate of the Florence Academy of Fine Arts with a Master’s in Studio Art, art school owner, and part-time art teacher - Tiana Goosen’s credentials are as layered as her work.
Her artistic pursuit is rooted in capturing reality. It’s a skill she refined during her studies abroad - mastering the techniques that give life to illusion. Though a painting may only consist of canvas and paint, what excites Tiana is the artist’s power to make it feel real, to make it resonate.
In Collection 3, Tiana’s featured works - Holy Reverence, The Birth of Eve, and Knitted Together - are inspired by classical Italian sculptures, each piece echoing the influence of the masters she studied.
Her work reminds us that while art may be grounded in history, it continues to offer space for modern connection, introspection, and truth.