‘Stone Heart’ (2022) is a mixed media, relief sculpture created for the exhibition “You’ve Been Served!” curated by Gordon Froud. The exhibition opened at ArtBox Gallery, Monument Park, Pretoria, June- July 2022, and then travelled to the Hermanus Art Festival in September 2002.

In keeping with his own artistic practice, the curator set a playful brief for artists participating in the group show: we were tasked with making an artwork on a plate, that could be hung on a wall, that responded to a song by the rockstar Meatloaf, who passed away earlier that year. Although a small work, the opportunity to participate in this exhibition gave me a much-needed push to create artworks again, after a decade of PhD study and writing projects.

I chose the song “Stone Heart” by Stoney & Meatloaf, released 1971, on the album Stoney & Meatloaf. I created an anatomical heart out of tissue paper, that appeared light weight but was rock-hard. I placed the heart on a meat platter, with steel handled magnifying glasses attached to it. The meat platter was a reference to Meatloaf, as well as appeared surgical: to visually emulate the scrutiny of matters of the heart, that art and music enable.