The Edge VII marks the beginning of a deeply personal body of work — both geographically and emotionally. The piece originates from time spent on Robben Island, where Jennifer Newman became aware that she carried a unique and layered story shaped by ancestry, place, and unspoken histories.

Newman’s practice is grounded in geological examination and contemplation. In this work, she reflects on the experiences of her forebears, particularly the decision of both great-grandfathers on her mother’s side to leave Europe and settle in Cape Town in the late 19th century, and later to live on Robben Island in the early 1900s. The island — internationally recognised for Nelson Mandela’s 27-year incarceration — becomes both a physical and symbolic site of endurance, depth, and reconciliation.

The Edge VII considers the cartography and surface of Robben Island, using layers of oil, minerals, pigments, and resin to evoke erosion, pressure, and the slow accumulation of time. Through these strata, Newman explores not only the landscape itself, but the refining forces that shape personal and collective histories.

This work also represents a turning point — a shift from observing inherited narratives to articulating her own voice. The layered surfaces suggest trapped moments in time, exposing precious elements that have remained hidden beneath the surface. Marks resembling unknown languages emerge, hinting at stories partially remembered or yet to be fully understood.

Central to this exploration is the discovery of Newman’s ancestry: her 11th great-grandmother, Krotoa (Eva), an indigenous Khoisan woman from the Cape known as the “Red People.” Krotoa was a highly intelligent and significant historical figure, entering into what is believed to be the first recorded interracial marriage in South Africa. She died at the age of 32 and is buried on Robben Island. This revelation offers a profound sense of belonging and clarity — a lineage that helps explain a lifelong feeling of being “other,” and a search for identity and connection.

The Edge VII is an excavation — of land, memory, and self. It invites the viewer to look beyond the surface, to sense what lies beneath, and to experience the quiet emotional resonance of history made visible through material, texture, and time.