When I first began digging into Werner Bronkhorst’s work, I found myself captivated by the sheer scale of his digital reach, millions of followers watching his every brushstroke. It would have been easy and perhaps expected for him to stay within the safe, viral comfort of his snowscapes. But as I went deeper into our exchange, I realised that Werner’s true art isn’t just what he puts on the canvas but also his willingness to venture into the unknown. To explore that unknown plain, he chose the desert as his new muse.
In the hyper-saturated world of digital creators, Werner Werner is an anomaly. Born in Pretoria and now based in Sydney, Werner was deeply influenced by abstract expressionism, surrealism and pop culture, drawing inspiration from masters like Warhol, De Kooning, Haring and Magritte.
After relocating to Australia in 2020, he briefly pivoted to furniture design. A creative resurgence followed in 2022, sparked by the birth of his daughter, Florence. Using leftover construction materials, he developed the textured painting technique that defines his miniature scenes today.
By late 2024, his audience had grown to over one million followers worldwide. This global reach has been bolstered by sold-out collections, exhibitions in London and New York and high-profile collaborations with 2025 F1 World Champion Lando Norris and the cult golf brand Malbon. As the artist and curator of his work, Werner independently manages every facet of his brand. His collections explore identity, culture and memory, playing with the contrast between the uninhibited freedom of youth and the grounded perspective of adulthood.
This introspection is inspired by his children, Florence and Loki. As Werner explains, “My son and daughter probably have the biggest influence on my journey as an artist. They were the reason I decided to pursue art as a career because it allowed me the flexibility to spend more time with them as they grow up. To this day, they visit the studio weekly to spend time with me while I paint and Florence has already started painting on her own. Kids have a completely different perspective on life. They’re tiny people in a very big world and to them everything is new, abstract and full of colour. I approach each of my artworks with that same desire to explore this wonderfully big world and through painting tiny figures on large, textured brush strokes, I also get the chance to be a kid again.”
There is a profound depth in Werner’s reflections on his children, Florence and Loki. His body of work presents a beautiful contrast: the uninhibited freedom of youth meeting the grounded perspective of adulthood.
The Genesis of CRACK
The central idea for CRACK, an exhibition debuting this month, clicked when Werner felt a need to move away from the snow, water and grassy landscapes of his previous work to explore desert and earthy surfaces. He recalls the process, “Initially, I didn’t think dry and arid environments would offer much to work with, but once I began, the ideas came quickly and instinctively. As I explored how surfaces behave under heat and pressure, cracking, splintering, and shifting, the concept naturally grew into a full body of work.”
A crack represents many things to the artist, a sound, a break, a sign of tension, or a moment of release. It serves as a starting point for exploring places shaped by heat, force, sport and habit.
Werner Bronkhorst’s World Premiere in Dubai
On choosing Dubai as the location for the debut of CRACK, Werner notes: “Dubai felt like the natural place to debut CRACK. The city has incredible energy and an entrepreneurial spirit that challenges the norm. Qualities I strongly relate to and aspire to in my own work. As the collection explores heat, sand and pressure, Dubai’s landscape and environment made it the perfect setting for its first presentation.”
The exhibition takes place at Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, from 16 to 18 January. Werner chose this space for very specific reasons: “Concrete at Alserkal Avenue is a phenomenal space. Its scale, minimalist architecture, and position within Dubai’s art district give the exhibition an institutional feeling, which felt right for a project of this ambition.” The exhibition is organised within four atmospheric rooms and unfolds across clay courts, salt flats, deserts and dreamscapes, each canvas charged with motion, memory and Bronkhorst’s signature sculptural texture
The Works and the Process
Speaking about his work, Werner shares that The Pilgrimage is his most significant and complex work to date. This seven-panel piece presented immense technical challenges, requiring the artist to maintain a consistent “cracked” texture across multiple large surfaces. It depicts a family making their way across an endless series of dunes. The deep red, contrasted with dark burgundy, creates a sense of solemn beauty. Werner describes it as a piece that “signifies my own journey in life but also that of many other men and women.”
Other key works in the collection include Let’s Clay, the first painting in the series, Caravan Life, in which an intense orange desert turns into a cinematic expanse and Ballin’, which reimagines a wooden basketball court with marbled textures.
Social Media Presence
What I took away most from my interview with Werner is his sense of transparency. He views his social media presence as a tool for authenticity.
“I’ve been very lucky over the last few years because I’ve had the opportunity to share my process, my thoughts and of course my artworks. Having such a big audience has allowed me to realise that people are drawn to authenticity and appreciate seeing how my artworks are made. As conscious as I am about my audience, though, I’ve luckily not let that hinder my desire to continually explore new ways of making art that I find beautiful.”
A Sense of Perspective
Through CRACK, Werner intends for viewers to find a new vantage point. “I hope viewers leave with a sense of perspective. I often say that the whole world is a canvas and that we are simply walking on it. I want people to see themselves in these works and recognise that they are small figures within a vast, beautiful, abstract world. If viewers leave with an awareness of the beauty found in everyday moments, then the exhibition has achieved what I hoped for.”
Working on this collection for 11 months has reinforced the importance of taking time to create. As his exhibitions grow in scale, Werner feels encouraged to pursue bigger and more ambitious projects. This exhibition marks the beginning of a new chapter for him and while there is still a long journey ahead, he is excited to continue building on this momentum and seeing where it leads next.
When I reached out to Werner to discuss his debut exhibition in Dubai, I expected a conversation about technique and scale. What I didn’t expect was the clarity with which he talked about reinvention and how instinctively he approaches change. His perspective shifted the way I looked at his new collection. CRACK isn’t just a stylistic departure, it reflects a mindset that’s constantly stretching, testing and rebuilding itself.
