My inspiration, as an artist is from a variety of truly, original local heroes that tell exciting visual stories of contrast and contradiction found in the environment around me. Cape Town is known for it’s bright colour and even brighter characters. Black & white are the colours I choose as they have given this land its unique diverse history. Storytelling is a predominant thread throughout my contemporary graphic work.

This series of pencil on paper drawings is titled – Cape Town Stories. These highly detailed and complex graphic works are of a sensitive nature. Juxtaposed, closely observed scenes of life in Cape Town. These works are controversial and provocative, often poignant, a little intriguing and quite emotive. Each drawing tells it’s own tale.

Claus-Steffen Braun (1960 – ) Born in Frankfurt, Germany
Living and working in Cape Town since March 2013

Education:
Certificate of Visual Communication, HfG University of Art and Design Offenbach, Germany – Lithograph apprenticeship, Kaiserslautern, Germany – A-level Charterhouse-School, Godalming Surrey, England – Secondary School Certificate, Georg Kerschensteiner School Obertshausen, Germany

Work experience Advertising:
Prior to my being a graphic fine artist I was in the advertising world. I starting off as a Junior Art Director and was soon promoted to Executive Creative Director for numerous renowned international advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, Publicis, Grey and FCB. It was here that my natural flair for conceptual branding, design, craftsmanship and my distinct passion for storytelling was developed. My formative years were spent in this industry of widely networked Advertising agencies from Germany, London, Ukraine to Dubai.

Awards:
Here is a list of advertising awards behind my name apart from being a co-founder of the ADC Ukraine, I was shortlisted for awards at Cannes, and have been awarded both a Effie Award and Red Apple Grand Prix, including the Gold awards from the Golden Drum, ADC*UA, Idea Awards and the Kiev Festival. Silver awards I won from the Golden Hammer and the New York Festival and was also awarded Bronze at the Epica Awards and the Art Directors Club in Germany.

Fine Art Exhibitions:
Coming up after Lock Down: Gallery One11 Loop Street Cape Town
Dec-Jan 2020 Group Exhibition, ManzArt, Franshoek
Januar 2019 solo Exhibition, Craft and Graft, Gardens Cape Town
Feb 2018 Group Exhibition, Art It Is Gallery Woodstock, Cape Town
May 2017 Group Exhibition Identity Art It Is Gallery, Woodstock, Cape Town
April 2016 OMC Gallery in Los Angeles, USA
December 2015 Group Exhibition Rossouw Modern Art Gallery Hermanus, South Africa
Feb 2014 Group Exhibition, Lovel Gallery Woodstock, Cape Town

What’s the Panda got to do with it Pencil on paper 102x149cm.
I am living in a crazy world. There is to much going on. Gangster, violence, corruption, waterbombing, homeless, division, hunger, mugging, poverty, killing, rape, waste, intervention, hate, crimes, racism, pollution, Corona, addiction, disparity, grossing, fires, crashes, locust? To much trouble to deal with but guess what I rather look the other way. I like the cude panda videos aren’t they sweet? I follow, twitter, share, invite, blog, comment, add, unfriend, repost…

Into the Wild Pencil on paper 63x90cm.
A visit to the zoo, museum or game reserve helps all generations to understand the importance of taking care of our natural environment which can have a significant impact on the lives and welfare of all wild animals. This is especially crucial in the habitat of the Big5 that “contribute” to the country’s economy, on the one hand, while being threatened into extinction by poachers and a rapidly urbanizing world. Only in close proximity to these magnificent animals can one develop an understanding that evolves from the early colonial discovery of new species to satisfy people’s curiosity into the serious conservation of organisations attempting to preserve them today. The fact that these places attract millions of visitors annually might indicate the continued concern and interest in wild animals and their well being. Or are they just places for us to escape the concrete jungle?

The Coronauten Pencil on paper 102x149cm.
The strong, brave band of heroes, Jason and the Argonauts from Greek mythology were in the search of the Golden Fleece. Modern astronauts or space sailors are those who have been launched into orbit and the beyond on a spacecraft, in the search of new worlds. Coronauts on the other hand have not as yet been defined. All we see is that they are young, good looking, stylish, sexy and totally self absorbed. The wearing of an old fashioned deep sea helmet which enclosures the head with one supply of air was used for a dive. This word “dive” in everyday parlance is described as a “drinking den” or “a disreputable place of resort according to the Oxford English Dictionary. One can question whether these Coronauts know where they are or where they are going or whether they know what they are doing. We live these days in an instant, technological, crazy world, not knowing where we are going but still heading in that direction.

Nguni Head Gun Man Pencil on paper 102x149cm.
Young boys so often like to be cowboys, same thing here at the Cape. Unfortunately due to social environment their sense of outdoor adventure, as they grow older, can often turn to more sinister gangsterism crime, theft and murder. The Nguni cattle head is a symbol of pride in African tribal culture, their wealth and status, whereas the cowboy today has now becomes a symbol of aggression and violence.
This work has been based on my previous drawing The Nguni Head Man. As society changes, so it does in Cape Town… Gang Town? Are things not getting more out of hand? The fist of my centre character holds a gun now, as guns eventually will be fired. I rather keep my positive story. The stronger right arm holds that gun arm under control, because people always have a choice. Are we cowboys or crooks. Cape Town or Gang Town.

BOYS WITH TOYS Pencil on paper 102x149cm.
When kids play act themes of good and evil, they’re actually learn to bridge the gap between basic impulses and their emotions; for them play fighting generates important social behavioural experiences that supports them when they later practice control, competitiveness and leadership. Men obviously have a greater tendency to be drawn to mechanical objects such as machines or war toys. How these toys might help to manage natural aggressive tendencies when feeling powerful I do not know.

Table Mountain’s Tablecloth Pencil on Paper 63 x 90cm
During the summer months, Table Mountain is best admired in all its magnificence against the blue backdrop of clear Cape skies. Ironically, it’s these cloudless days that create the mountain’s legendary white tablecloth suddenly casting over the “table”. The ancient San saw the tablecloth as if God is smothering the mountain blaze with a massive white “animal skin”. Or is it the tablecloth the mother city prepares the table with to welcome all visitors? We surely should be thankful for all these maids keeping it fresh and clean.

Automotive Art, Porsche 911SC Outlaw RSR Pencil on paper 102 x 149cm
Does a car need to be original? For a museum a must. For investment cars probably. For petrol-heads – anything is possible. I personally love to not take things like cast-iron. To even question a vintage and original 911 when it can be more unique or radical. My appreciation is a mixture of respect, style and purpose. This 911 is proudly done in Cape Town. Not by Magnus Walker but the same passion, definitely the same sound. I staged this beautiful car in Camps Bay like a fashion statement. What it is. The car, the beach, the girls. Exactly what you need to have in your man cave. The real car or the drawing.

Automotive Art, 1975 BMW R60/6 Custom Pencil on paper 102 x 149cm
Living in Cape Town is cool. Like a motorcycle is cool. Telling the world, I live my life large. I laugh at fear. I am adventurous. But while Capetonians enjoy as Vesparados, the Best of Europe gathers at Glemseck 101. Furious Custom Bikes, Rockabilly, 1/8 mile sprint races. German tradition meats Deus Ex Machina. Imagine this at Cape Town. Situated in Killarney Raceway just in front of the table Mountain. I see it coming.

Hunting Ground Pencil on Paper 63 x 90cm
The open air Milnerton flea market on weekends with its breathtaking backdrop of Table Mountain is a veritable treasure hunt where one can delve into the past and find antiques or just chance upon some quirky disused objects. One wonders what former lives these objects had. Who used them? Who bought them or admired them? … and who finally threw them out! Quite some time ago, this very same ground was the natural habitat for teaming wildlife. It has since been cleared by hunters hunting them to near extinction while being replaced by human overcrowding. The dusty remains of neglected stuffed animal trophies are to be found here, completely overlooked in our busy modern lives.

Long Street – Fight Club Pencil on Paper 102x149cm
Long Street is a major thoroughfare through Cape Town. By day, it’s bustling with pedestrians all browsing the stalls and shops seeking the wide variety of things Cape Town is known for. After the sun sets behind the mountain, the activity even intensifies when underworld nightlife of pubs and clubs comes alive in a very different form. It brings to mind the parallels found in Fight Club the movie with its staged aggression as opposed to the reality of local township gang fights. They encourage violence amongst its new members, as a rite of passage, with a hollow promise of a better life here on our streets.

Bay Watch Babe Pencil on Paper 63 x 90cm
Inspired by the looks and image of the new Bay Watch movie, I hope that the viewer would look beyond the obvious. Not only is this beautiful local black woman worthy of a second glance, but she invites one to ask numerous questions. Why is she not searching the ocean? Her back is to the sea as she heads inland where she faces further more serious challenges and must stand her own ground as a woman. Is the fashionable Italian brand logo with two snakes supporting her fragile ego, or is it there to strengthen her attitude and afford her respectability in society?

NGUNI HEAD Pencil on Paper 102 x 149cm.
I call this character wearing a Nguni Head, Africa as he symbolises the typical black South African youth for me. The Nguni cattle are no ordinary breed they represent the pride of African tribal life, symbolic of wealth, status and manhood. So he is therefore no “Joe Public” face. The seated confrontational figure is set in a Gugulethu township scene near Cape Town from where he might well have originated. His clenched left fist projects threateningly forward into the viewer’s space, symbolic of anger and frustration held by many. This hand is contrasted by the constraining other hand as if to control or hold it back in some way.

Cape Vesparados Pencil on Paper 102 x 149cm.
The Cape Town version of the scary ‘Hells Angels’ seen in Milnerton on the way back from Killarney Race Track. Vespa instead of Harley. Here hard-core leather rocker meets the Cape surfer fashion style. These three heroic riders confront a strong South-easterly wind that forms the renowned “Tablecloth” over the mountain.

Cobra Drive Pencil on Paper 63 x 90cm.
A supposed young South African “Black Diamond” finally drives his expensive Cobra Sports car through Cape Town… Behind him are the up-market Camps Bay villas, while reflected in the car is the shack-chic of a poverty stricken Khayelitsha township near Cape Town. The car could be fake or the driver might well be a wealthy business executive …anything is possible in South Africa, where different rich cultures collide or interact.

NGUNI HEAD BOY Pencil on Paper 63 x 90cm.
The human figure with the Nguni head is a repeated image throughout my work. Here it appears on a young boy. He is with his parents, who project a hopeful future for their child. A better future than what they had previously had. A South African future that lies somewhere between a simple yet satisfying rural life (in the Eastern Cape) on the one hand and a more affluent life in a thriving city which often starts out in a not too promising shack in a crowded township. (Let us see how he will grow.)

Lion Skull Pencil on Paper 63 x 90 cm.
A crouching young male figure holds a lion’s scull as if contemplating its life as opposed to his own. This symbolic gesture borrowed from Shakespeare’s Hamlet illustrates the typical ambitious, young South African who contemplates his own future. To be born here in Woodstock a suburb of Cape Town were his constant presence fills the sidewalks that recently underwent dramatic transformation from a once violent drug gang no-go area into a vibrant, busy and trendy business district.

Slave Girls Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
The Sea Point swimming pool is great for swimming, but it also has had a reputation as a hot spot for drugs and prostitution. The girls are not necessarily for sale. The guy is not necessarily their best friend either. They have more likely been forced into this through dire circumstances. It has been many years since the abolishment of slavery yet the business of sexual slavery and human trafficking still persists.

Wild Dogs Pencil on Paper 63×90 cm.
Wild dogs are certainly not made for dog walking I know. Them being close to become extinct one might not be able to encounter these fascinating animals much longer. This is most likely not the case for this young urban South African couple and surely not in Muizenberg. The wild dogs population drastic decline in numbers is another manmade disaster. Unlike other species, they will not be able to adapt to live a life at the end of a leash.

Slow Riding Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
A young boy only knows about lions from what he has seen on television and the internet, even though they live in game parks and nature reserves so near by. How can lions survive in this fast diminishing wild, when nature is measured in mega bites.
We can only truly conserve what we love; and only love and respect that which we have experienced and acknowledged first hand.

Spear Fishing Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
This is not only the simple seaside observation of a deep sea diver in full gear. It is the hunter competing with seagulls as to who might hunt down the first catch. Or is it the nature lover pointing his spear at empty poached abalone shells on the beach? Or is it the hero figure that seems to rise like a phoenix from the sea, bourne aloft by the kelp. Which ever way, It is lives every day battle to survive.

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
The Cape peninsula is surrounded by two oceans that are not always so tranquil. The age old name Cape of Storms was not given lightly, to one of the most notoriously dangerous coastlines in the world. Today one’s arrival is a lot safer, but should you want to stay, you need to earn your keep.

Dog Seals Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
The evolution of dogs and the seals is relatively close and in this case bound by their symbiotic friendly relationship. The dog belongs to a local from the Hout Bay harbour community. He lives off the tips tourists give him for his dog’s performance with the seal. The standing man holds a fish in his mouth and the seal jumps to catch it. One day it unfortunately was his nose instead. Can the seal and the dog still be friends?

Cool Runnings Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
Jogging on the Green Point promenade is very popular today. For some it is more for the exercise and fitness, for some it is just to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Anyhow, life has become quite a race either running away or towards something or other… chasing after a new job …the better car… that latest fashion… none of which quite does it. Better make sure you don’t miss the free beauty you are surrounded by.

FULL MOON Pencil on Paper 63x90cm.
I still remember from my school days in England the iconic Pink Floyd flying pig above Battersea Power Station. It reminded me that something so far fetched could turn out to be a good omen. These flying penguins, I was hoping, might do the trick in this new life in Cape Town. So far, So good!

The Rhino Orphanage Charity Project Clara and Ntombi,
Painted Resin Sculpted Figurines each 20cm high.

The Rhino Orphanage is a non-profit centre that cares for orphaned and injured baby rhino. Their aim is to release them back into the wild, once they are strong enough. The centre is a specialized place for rearing baby rhinos that have been orphaned by the illegal poaching that feeds the international trade in animal horn.

These cute figurines were created to raise funds, awareness and to inspire future young generations to care for nature. The revenue collected is shared with the Rhino Orphanage. They can be purchased at Himmelblau Boutique B&B or please call for more details.

Nguni Head Cushion Colour drawing printed on Linen 55×60 cm.
Images from my Cape Town Story Narratives like the Nguni Head Drawing are transferred into rich, colourful high quality linen printed by ArtLab in the Old Biscuit Mill Cape Town.

An exhibition of many of these works is on permanent display at Himmelblau Boutique Bed& Breakfast 35 Breda Street, Oranjezicht, Cape Town. Please phone for an appointment to view.