“I love new work. It’s oxygen. But it’s equally important to experience life outside of what’s contemporary, beyond the news itself, because when we go back in time, through literature or via any art, we are granted the power of double vision. Simultaneously we see that the past isn’t the present, dressed as costume drama, the past is different. The past is emphatically not now.” -Jeanette Winterson.

“Art opens our imagination. Being able to imagine what it is like to be someone else – including, someone we would never want to know in real life – brings awareness of what is beyond our experience. There isn’t time to experience very much in this life – and much of what we experience just gets lost or, as the poet TS Eliot puts it: ‘We had the experience but missed the meaning’. Could be the poster for social media. Art is there to focus the attention.” Jeanette Winterson

P.S the two quotes by Jeanette Winterson comes from her new book: One Aladdin, Two Lamps. – If you are looking for something to read during the holidays, I highly recommend this book. Because we all know that “Stories are there to change ‘what is’ into ‘what if’….;-)

Also if you find yourself in Cape Town during the festive season, feel free to visit Berman Contemporary at the V&A Waterfront, Silo District Shop 5A2 to view “Mother.Monster.Stitch. until 22 February 2026.