Stephanie Liebetrau is an Eastern Cape artist working predominantly in oils, mixed media, and digital design. Evocative oil paintings fuse South African women with natural elements to create hybrids that diffuse the boundary between the real and the recreated in order to tell a soulful visual story. Her style is ethereal and eclectic, at times colouristic and exotic, with an other-worldly quality. Her imagery is bold and dynamic, with a touch of surrealism to give her subjects authority from what was originally a position of vulnerability. There is a connection to an imagery related to suffering, with frequent references to themes such as resurrection and restoration. She explores themes such as eco-feminism in Africa and the intricate ‘fragile hieroglyphics’ in nature’s design. Her work is often ekphrastically inspired by poetry, scripture and ancient wisdom found in stories and writings.