Changing Perspective | Santie Cronje

Exhibition: 'Metamorphosis' June 2025

Dimensions: 700mm x 350mm

Medium: Acrylic on Board 

“We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin 

This simple sentence perfectly explains the reason and the method in understanding changes. How different my world seemed when everything around me shifted. Was it the impact of Covid, the process of ageing, the experience of moving to a new country, or was it just becoming more comfortable with who I am? Perhaps, it was because happiness finally began to return to my life. Could it truly have taken me over two decades of living in New Zealand to genuinely feel at home in myself? 

There are so many questions to reflect on, and for me, the most effective way to understand them is to paint them. The way I paint is closely tied to how I view the world, who I am, and where I find myself in life. And today, when I look at my paintings, especially 'Changing Perspective', I sincerely feel joy. 

Why do I find myself revisiting and rethinking older works? It is my personal way of physically expressing how much my world has transformed.

Artist Bio

Santie Cronje is an established artist based in the beautiful South Waikato region. As a visual storyteller, her artistic process and personal experiences intertwine in her paintings. She draws inspiration from beautiful landscapes that leave a lasting impression, stories from her travels, or her journey as a young adult moving to New Zealand from South Africa in 1999. Santie has been exhibiting through galleries since 2008 and her paintings have featured in New Zealand art calendars, articles, and books, including ‘New Zealand Gallery’ and more recently, '101 Contemporary Waikato Artists' by Peter Dornauf. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Pretoria in South Africa. Her work is held in private collections both in New Zealand and abroad.