The joint exhibition by Ilana Seati and the House on Fire Studio: Reverie Revealed is a provocative show that revels in the freedom of semi-abstract art as the artists take creative liberties with form, colour, texture, shape and line. Ilana Seati, Jiggs Thorne, Shadrack Masuku and Noah Mdluli create and represent altered but identifiable entities, turning the gallery into a fantasy-scape where highly-stylised subject matter exists with independence from visual certainties we have come to expect.

The House on Fire Studio is an inspired atelier, an inventive think tank in Swaziland that is adorned with mosaic, poetry and sculpture. A space that offers continuity of creative development and growth, House on Fire is the brainchild of Jiggs Thorne, an artist, poet and dramatist. The studio includes a gallery that showcases the soapstone and wooden sculpture produced by Jiggs and his artistic partners, Shadrack Masuku and Noah Mdluli. Jiggs guides the process and design and helps with the finish, but it is a collaborative endeavour. “Shadrack and Noah are the amazing hands,” says Jiggs.

Shadrack has worked with Jiggs for twelve years. “It comes from somewhere deep inside of me, some magic place”, says Shadrack who sees his work as a passion and a calling. Noah, working primarily in soapstone, has been a part of the House on Fire team for over ten years, and is one of the consortium’s core artists. His work and vision is evident in the construction of the studio itself as well as the pieces he produces.

Ilana Seati is a contemporary artist who creates potent abstract works that explore concepts of truth and fantasy. In particular, she searches for the ways in which we move across the boundaries of reality and fiction in our lives and how these two concepts can shape our worlds.

The visual language of the show is dreamlike, allowing the viewer to experience an otherworldly space occupied with artworks that hark to another universe entirely. Sometimes horrific, sometimes euphoric, all pieces explore the monsters and enchantments of spheres not completely known to us.