A fter a successful business career, Linda switched her attention firstly to a degree in psychology and then seven years ago, to a long-time passion with jewellery. Born in South Africa, she relocated from Sydney to the beautiful Huon Valley in Tasmania’s south in 2005.
Thinking of herself as a conceiver of wearable sculpture rather than a jeweller,Linda enlisted the help of a private tutor to teach her the technical skills which would allow her to follow her own, sometimes unorthodox, approach to design. Her work is bold, visually striking and deceptively simple. Her desire is to create elegantly informal sculptural forms that do not conform to the dictates of the market place or current fashion.
Linda’s unconventional style has gained recognition. She has presented solo exhibitions, curated and participated in group shows. Linda has had work acquired for the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection and won the overall Tasmanian 2010 Design Award. She has been a finalist in Several prestigous local awards including the National Contemporary Jewellery Award, the Contemporary Wearables and the Hobart Art Prize.
Photographs © Peter Whyte & aliasX
Shop for Linda van Niekerk’s Work See the current ‘Wood you Wear?’ Exhibition
