“Between Trees” is Hannelie Coetzee’s portrayal of a wild boar grown out of the site’s own material. Logs are carefully stacked into a snout and peering eyes. Viewed from the back, sprawling branches and sticks seem to stop the sow in violent momentum, stuck between the trees.

Coetzee began with the stories that surround the animal. It has come to symbolize the wild, dangerous, and unpredictable in the Swedish forest. But, in reality, there are few incidents reported of people being injured by a wild boar. Behind her unpolished exterior, the Old Sow Between Trees parallels other, perhaps equally exaggerated, fears of the threatening and unknown.

This is not a minor piece of art, rather it is an imposing one. It stands 23 ft. high, 16 ft. wide, and 33 ft. deep.

Hannelie Coetzee (born 1971) is a Johannesburg-based contemporary African artist. Her practice attracts existing and new audiences that appreciate art while contributing to environmental awareness. She uses art to participate in life, solve problems, connect people, and ignite dialogues.

Hannelie Coetzee assembling her art.

Hannelie Coetzee, Contemporary African Artist.
Phone: +27 (0)828101835. Website: www.hanneliecoetzee.com.