Words by Flora Macdonald Johnston
“How was the great unveiling of your painting at Wimbledon?” I ask.
“Oh, I didn’t make that, I went to see Doja Cat.”
I’m speaking to 23-year-old South African born Australia-based artist Werner Bronkhorst at his very first international exhibition, within our Hackney Casings Way Space. Werner is currently showing his exhibition ‘Forbidden Grass’, a tongue-in-cheek nod to drugs, sex and rock n roll. “All my collections have a naughty element to them,” he says, “I’m young and people expect me to be like that so I like to play that up.”
Whilst you may not have heard of Werner, you would have certainly seen his paintings on TikTok or Instagram. Swatches of colour in pop greens, blues or dazzling white often featuring incredibly lifelike and detailed miniature sports figures such as skiers, tennis players and footballers, he’s even painted miniature F1 cars around a Silverstone course. Each TikTok Werner uploads receives millions of views, one in particular (a snowy mountain scene with little skiers) which shows Werner painting with his then infant daughter Florence strapped to his chest, has amassed to nearly 15 million.
Werner's life is now what many young artists dream of, he’s travelling the world with his exhibition, with another set to be showcased in New York this coming December, his works sell for thousands (particularly to the US and Asian market), and he has also collaborated with some of the biggest sporting and car brands in the world, from Porsche Australia, Australian Grand Prix and Bentley to, of course, his most recent venture with Wimbledon.
Your Wimbledon painting was different from your previous commissions I state. “This was a challenge for me, yes,” Werner says in agreement, “I was painting every figure as the shots were taken and as they were sent through to me, which was a good challenge because I painted it in our Airbnb as well as in this [gallery] space. I can paint anywhere, I used to do that as a kid, but being used to my studio, it was very different doing it in a different country and in different scenery, but I loved it and this experience. And I mean, it was obviously a massive honour unveiling it at Wimbledon.”
The end result is pure social media porn in its perfection. Look closely and you will see a miniature Carlos Alcaraz holding his Wimbledon trophy and Women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova. But as we already know, Werner did not get to see his painting being revealed to thousands at the event, as he chose to attend Wireless festival with his partner, and business partner, Charli.
“I love Doja Cat, and so does my partner, so we couldn’t miss it” he says with a huge grin. That's pretty rock n roll I respond, but for Werner, a chance to see his favourite artist (he even has a painting named after one of her lyrics) was too good to be missed.
This incredible life of artistic success, travel, exhibitions and ad-hoc concert going wasn’t always Werner’s reality. In fact, re-wind to even four years ago, Werner's life was vastly different. Werner had travelled from his home in South Africa to Australia for his gap year, where soon he met his partner Charli. Together (and due to the fact Werner found it difficult finding full time employment not being native Australian) the couple found odd jobs where they could. “We worked in the hospitality industry. We did cafe jobs. We did restaurant jobs. I worked for a builder. I worked for so many different people,” says Werner. “So then I decided, Oh, well, I might as well just be a maintenance guy.” That particular last venture, he laughs at the memory, was short lived.
The main turning point in Werners life - and universe - was the discovery that Charli was four months pregnant. “The realisation came that we had to be home more...We had to get more stable jobs. And that's why I made the furniture.”
Alongside making furniture Werner started to paint on the off cuts - pieces of wood from a chair, and due to not having a large canvas, miniature figures just made sense. “When [my daughter] was born, that was actually when my first collection was released. The very day that she was born…And people just went wild for it,” he says. Within days of showing these creation videos on TikTok, Werner's following grew by over 30,000 and his videos started getting millions of views.
Werner’s social media charm is part skill, part reality check. His works are not only ultimate screen fodder in their pop-colour perfection, but his videos where he paints with his daughter (and now his second child, a four month baby boy called Loki) strapped to his chest shows the realities of parental life.
“I think that's a special way for me to bond with my own kids,” says Werner on the subject of his kids in the studio, “I love seeing Florence playing with my paint and when she climbs on my canvases or when she draws on my floors. I try and not hinder her from creating. [My kids] are the motivation for me to really want to make a success out of this but it also allows me to see the world in a different way because they are small people living in a big and, what often feels like, an abstract world. It's a world that is so confusing. It's so big and that's what I paint. I paint tiny people on big canvases whether it's greenery or snowy scenes or whether it is a massive city. I paint them and I try to see the world through their point of view. And, yeah, I’m just trying to be the best dad that I can be and show them the world.” If that doesn't tug on the heartstrings, I'm not sure what will…
Werner is a social media star. He represents a new generation of artists who have made themselves through utilising their digital platforms as a tool to expand their network, show their processes, and ultimately, sell their work across the world.
Does social media add pressure, is it always on Werner’s mind? “Social media definitely has its perks and its disadvantages,” he responds, “I'm just super grateful that I have that because it's a superpower when you use it the right way. Obviously there is the pressure to always be posting and to always post something new and I do feel that but I think It's a healthy balance because for me, it's a motivation and a reason to create…For me, it's a big motivation, but it's also the fact that especially seeing everyone in person and seeing how much they appreciate the pieces and how much they appreciate seeing it In person.
What about negative comments? “That really does motivate me too,” he says, “and even though there are some people who have nasty comments, I just love making artworks, and I love the fact that people reminisce on memories too when they see them. When I did my skiing collection, there were so many people who would tell me of, like, deep stories of how they used to ski with their child and their child sadly passed away, or how they used to love skiing with their mother. It was a beautiful but unexpected thing.”
Plenty of other artists would like to recreate the success of Werner but how? He has some savvy advice. “Pick an artist who you like and pick an artist who you like how they do things. And copy them. With CJ Hendry, she's my absolute epitome of what an artist should be. She showcases her work, not through galleries, but through public shows that she organises herself. She has immersive exhibitions where, whether it is a pool, and whether it is having a playground with artworks displayed all around the playground. She's the reason why we do things the way we do.”
Werner might be young, but he is already planning the next 23 years of his career, and has no plans on staying stagnant when it comes to his artworks, or how he wishes to grow as an artist. Whilst known for his paintings, Werner also created a collection of drawings using charcoal of vintage cars earlier this year, and wants to continue experimenting with multiple mediums moving forward. “I’m only 23! Let’s see what the next 23 years bring,” he says with a wink.
What is your dream I ask? “I would love to start making furniture again under my own brand,” he says instantly. And as I walk away from our meeting within his beautifully curated grassy space, I have no doubt in my mind that his goal will become reality.