Composite Project

Created during her studies at the CAP Institute for Contemporary Art under Elfriede Dreyer, this body of work explores themes of regeneration, resilience, and quiet transformation. Through imagery of mushrooms emerging from decaying wood and organic matter, the series reflects on life forming from what appears to be lifeless.

The works consider cycles of decay and renewal, revealing beauty in overlooked processes and subtle change. Through layered surfaces and natural forms, the project becomes a meditation on growth, persistence, and the unseen energy within nature.

Regeneration & Renewal

This series draws inspiration from the quiet processes of nature — where decomposition gives way to new life, and stillness becomes movement. Mushrooms emerging from fallen timber become symbols of resilience, transformation, and continuity.

Through texture, layered mark-making, and organic composition, each piece reflects the delicate balance between fragility and strength. The works invite a slower way of seeing, encouraging attention to the small, persistent forces that shape the natural world.

The project was exhibited at The Viewing Room Art Gallery, Brooklyn, Pretoria, as part of Tracey Thoolen’s continued exploration of material process and contemporary visual language.

Other Projects

Dialogue of Senses

This body of work formed part of Dialogue of Senses, an exhibition celebrating Women’s Month at the Viewing Room in Brooklyn, Pretoria. Centred on the concept that rocks and fossils

Conceptual art project

Developed as part of Tracey Thoolen’s BA in Visual Arts at UNISA, this body of work explores the relationship between form, memory, and transformation. The series moves through a progression

Digital workshop

This collection forms part of Tracey Thoolen’s engagement with digital processes during her time at the CAP Institute for Contemporary Art. The works explore how traditional mark-making can translate into

The Journey

The Journey is an evolving body of work centred on process, transformation, and the unfolding of form. Through studies, chemigrams, drawings, and sculptural explorations, the series follows how ideas shift,