Artist at Osner Gallery, Hout Bay
Martin Osner
A South African artist who uses a camera as part of his process. Martin Osner paints, makes Photo Alchemy and creates fine art photographs in his studio in Hout Bay, and his work hangs beside his daughter's at Osner Gallery.
His story
From a borrowed camera to a gallery of his own
Martin Osner was born in Johannesburg in 1963. On a winter's day in 1984 a friend handed him a Pentax Super A, and the moment he started taking pictures he knew he had found his work.
He spent years as a commercial photographer, and in 1993 founded the National College of Photography in Pretoria. The turning point came when a lecturer he respected said you would always know Martin's work because it would be flawless. He took it as a warning, handed his commercial clients to his assistant and went headlong into fine art.
His work has since been shown in London and Montreal, and in 2010 he opened his first gallery in Cape Town. In 2018 he opened the gallery in Hout Bay with his daughter, Samantha Lee Osner.
In his own words
“If you ask me who I am today, I will tell you I am an artist who uses a camera as part of my process, from time to time. For many years I was a photographer trapped in a painter's body. That is no longer the case.”
Martin Osner
For the record
Martin Osner at a glance
- Born2 October 1963, Johannesburg
- BasedHout Bay, Cape Town
- Works inPaint, mixed media, Photo Alchemy, fine art photography
- RecognitionBest contemporary international artist, 2008 and 2009, Arteque, Masters of Today
- Awards28 Fujifilm Southern Africa Photographic Awards, five of them gold
- ExhibitedJohannesburg, London, Montreal and Cape Town
- TeachingSince 1993, and every week today
More about Martin Osner
Martin Osner, in full
His full story, his own words on the work, the podcast, the timeline year by year and every collection are on his own website.