Santjie Viljoen

Born in Pretoria in 1979, Santjie is an emerging painter whose work explores the purity and transformative power of light. Her paintings reveal the subtle colour shifts and textures of illumination, reflecting her belief in our deep interconnectedness with the natural world.

Growing up near the ocean, she developed a lifelong reverence for nature and its ever-changing light. She studied at the Jack Meyer School of Art in Paarl and later

completed a degree in photography, where her sensitivity to light deepened. In 2022, she returned to painting, resuming her artistic journey.

Her work has been exhibited in group shows including Shadow and Light at Erinvale Golf Club, Walk of Art in Constantia Village, and Tales from the Shore at Stillbaai Gallery. She received an Honourable Mention at the International Photography Awards for her series Temporality. She is currently based in Paarl, preparing new work that continues her exploration of light.