Baggage, A Metaphoric Mnemonic 

Michael Chitter

Working with a combination of natural materials such as clay, charcoal and shellac, and combining these with synthetic substances, painter Michael Chitter creates richly layered, textured canvases. Throughout his extensive career Chitter has delved deeply into both his own family history and the history of land displacement in South Africa, to create landscapes that evoke a strong emotional response from the viewer. 

Landscape is a symbolic medium I use to work through experiences of the then and now. Landscapes enrich my experience and appreciation for nature. The association of landscape and ownership of land, and delayed trauma of removal from one’s land, however, trigger sadness, regret and anger.