The Art of Listening: Pierre Louis Geldenhuys & the Weeping Vine

In a world that often feels too loud to hear itself think, there is a profound power in the act of stopping to listen. This February, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair returns with a theme that feels more urgent than ever: LISTEN.

Among the most captivating voices at this year’s fair is South African-born multidisciplinary artist Pierre Louis Geldenhuys, who returns home after fifteen years in Spain to unveil his latest series, “The Planet is Screaming, Listen to Mother Earth.”

The Architecture of a Fold

Geldenhuys’ work is a masterclass in precision and patience. Drawing inspiration from the mathematical discipline of Islamic tessellation found in the Arab architecture of Spain, he has developed a singular visual language.

Using a single, uncut, unsewn piece of raw silk, Geldenhuys manipulates the fabric through folding alone. These intricate geometric sequences are then encased in light boxes, creating an “x-ray” luminosity that reveals a landscape of shadows, depth, and fractures. But it is the addition of freely falling threads—gestures of softness and unpredictability—that truly brings the work to life, creating a dialogue between rigid order and organic breath.

The Metaphor of the Weeping Vine

At the heart of this series is a deeply moving ecological reflection. Geldenhuys uses the life cycle of the vine as a metaphor for our relationship with the planet.

In viticulture, when a vine is pruned, it “weeps.” It is a moment that reveals both a wound and a capacity for renewal. To prune a vine correctly, one must first listen to its structure—the history in its scars and the flow of its sap.

Geldenhuys draws a direct line between the weeping vine and the fractures of our modern world:

• The melting ice caps
• Scorched landscapes
• The quiet signals of ecological imbalance

An Invitation, Not an Accusation

What makes “The Planet is Screaming, Listen to Mother Earth” so resonant is that it chooses contemplation over accusation. It doesn’t shout; it whispers. It asks a simple, transformative question:

What might change if humanity embraced a culture of listening before acting? What if care and restraint replaced expansion and extraction?

Across the folds of silk, hundreds of meters of thread trace paths that look like rivers, roots, and fault lines—a textile terrain that is simultaneously fragile and resilient. It is a mirror of the very ecosystems we are trying to save: alive, responsive, and shaped by the pressures we impose upon them.

Where to Experience It

If you are in Cape Town this month, this is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the intersection of art, geometry, and environmental consciousness. Pierre Louis Geldenhuys offers us a quiet manifesto: an invitation to observe more closely and to consider that regeneration begins with attention.

• Where: Investec Cape Town Art Fair
• When: 19–22 February 2026