R E A L I T Y

Llise Dodd, Leon Hugo, Wehrner Lemmer & Lisa Walker

 24 Jul – 25 Aug 2026

What is real? It seems like a simple question, but in a world where artificial intelligence is becoming part of our daily lives, the answer is no longer straightforward. Today, our experiences are increasingly shaped by technology, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the constructed, the observed and the imagined. AI can create images, write stories, and even imitate human thought, raising questions about how we experience the world and what makes something authentic.

REALITY brings together the work of Llise Dodd, Leon Hugo, Wehrner Lemmer, and Lisa Walker, each exploring the idea of reality through their own medium and perspective. Through painting, photography, sculpture, and ceramics, the artists each offer a different way of looking at reality — whether through observation, memory, material, or imagination. Together, their works invite us to consider what remains real in an age where technology increasingly shapes how we see and understand the world.

While technology continues to change how we live and create, this exhibition also reminds us of the qualities that make us human — our emotions, imagination, intuition, and ability to choose. Rather than offering answers, REALITY invites visitors to pause, look closely, and consider how technology shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.

In the end, perhaps reality is not only what we see, but also how we choose to experience it. 

A B O U T   T H E   A R T I S T S

LLISE DODD

We as humans experience a multitude of emotions. To be human also means that we have the ability to make choices. Emotion and choice are part of our reality. Through metaphorical landscapes and symbolism, I worked with a few experiences that often form part of our lives. After I completed my paintings, I asked AI to create paintings with the same concepts. I shared the concept or idea, and the title in a conversational way, but did not share my completed paintings with it. The works on display show my version, versus the AI interpretation of the same concepts. Through this journey, I realized that AI is a wonderful tool, yet it is not about embracing digital tools but using them intelligently. As with anything in life, you need to take responsibility for what you do. AI has made us ask, “What is real?” but perhaps the question is, “what is authentic?”

Llise (1968 – ) grew up in Wittedrift in the Southern Cape. She lives and works as a full-time artist on a farm in the Elands River Valley in the Eastern Cape. Llise holds a BMus. in musicology at Nelson Mandela University. She taught music for two years before enrolling for an art course at the late Susan Barnard’s Knapp Art School in Uitenhage. Landscapes and metaphors are her preferred subject matter. As a keen mountain biker, she enjoys cycling in remote areas for inspiration. She taught art privately to adults for fourteen years and was the co-owner of a pop-up art gallery in partnership with her late artist friend, Tertius van Huyssteen. She has held seven solo exhibitions and has participated in over 100 group exhibitions. Llise has been part of the Spier Arts Trust Creative Block project since 2016 and is a Nando’s Creative Exchange alumni. She is currently working towards a solo exhibition at Oliewenhuis National Art Museum, Bloemfontein.

LEON HUGO

Born in the early 1970s in the Capital of Namibia, Windhoek. Leon went to boarding school in Windhoek where he completed his high school education. He grew up in Okahandja in central Namibia. After finishing his high school education, he left Namibia for South Africa to complete his studies. He attended the Port Elizabeth (MMMU) Art and Design (Textile Design) department in the 1990s. This is where the artist in his photographic career was born.

What began as a hobby transformed into a full-time business in February 2005, When Leon founded Hugo Studio. Photography quickly became an integral part of his daily life, and through dedication, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, he built a reputation as a respected corporate, events, and social media photographer. Over the years Leon has worked with both local and international brands, capturing moments that have introduced him to everyday people, celebrities, and even presidents. His passion for photography has taken him to 17 global destinations, solidifying his expertise and expanding his creative vision.

WEHRNER LEMMER

For the REALITY exhibition, I integrated AI into my practice for the first time – intentionally and in a highly limited capacity. I asked the AI to assist me in selecting colours for my sculptures, a critical and increasingly difficult stage of my process in recent years. What was once an intuitive, yet painstaking decision has grown more complex, as the emotional and perceptual precision required to choose the right palette has become harder to achieve. Working with AI has provided a valuable new lens, helping me identify and refine colour choices with greater clarity and confidence. This restrained collaboration marks the beginning of a dialogue between my hand and the emerging technologies – one that honours the importance of colour in my work while opening new pathways for intuition and discovery.

Born on 1st February 1963. I finished my schooling in Port Elizabeth matriculating in 1981. After finishing my two-year compulsory National Service in 1983, I went on to study Fine Art Sculpture at the then Port Elizabeth Technikon, which is now Nelson Mandela University. I graduated with a National Higher Diploma Fine Arts, Sculpture (cum laude) in 1988. After a brief few years of travelling and living in London I returned to Port Elizabeth and started making steel and wood furniture. As a student I mostly carved in wood, but after working with steel I started experimenting with steel and it has since become my preferred medium for my artwork. Since 1992 to current, I have exhibited in numerous galleries including Johans Borman Fine Arts, Strydom Gallery, Pretoria Arts Association and the Absa gallery. I also owned and ran a coffee shop for 7 years and did my art on a part time basis. Since the Covid pandemic I have returned to work as a full-time sculptor on our small holding in Chelsea, where I live with my wife, Annette and our 3 dogs and 3 cats.

LISA WALKER

Lisa Walker is a ceramic artist based in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), South Africa. She graduated from Nelson Mandela University with a Higher National Diploma in Ceramic Design and has since developed a distinctive body of work inspired by nature, organic forms, texture, pattern, and colour. Working from her home studio, Lisa combines hand-building, wheel throwing, and press moulding techniques to create unique ceramic forms. Her work often explores the relationship between structure and surface, bringing together natural influences with carefully considered shapes and decorative details. Lisa’s ceramics have been exhibited nationally, and her work is held in collections including the William Humphreys Art Gallery and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum.