Corné Eksteen (born 1973) is a South African contemporary figurative painter known for his distinctive “vibrational” portraits and landscapes that explore the intersections of identity, technology and the psychological complexities of the 21st century. Born in Zastron in South Africa’s Free State and currently based in Ladybrand, Eksteen has worked as a full-time artist since 1996. He holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa. Prior to dedicating himself entirely to painting, he worked in creative fields including menswear design, interior decoration and digital design — experiences that continue to inform the structured, layered visual language of his work.

Eksteen’s paintings investigate questions of identity, perception and the shifting nature of the contemporary self. His work is often associated with what has been described as “disrupted realism,” combining traditional figurative portraiture with elements of abstraction, optical rhythm and pattern-based visual systems. Rather than presenting a stable likeness, his works suggest a constantly shifting psychological landscape in which identity appears fragmented, fluid and in motion.

Central to Eksteen’s practice is a highly distinctive technical process. Each work begins with a series of sessions with the sitter, followed by photographic documentation that forms the basis for the composition. The images are digitally and conceptually deconstructed into narrow mirrored segments, which Eksteen then translates into carefully painted strips that form sinusoidal wave patterns across the surface of the canvas. The resulting images appear to vibrate between figuration and abstraction, as if the subject were being viewed through layers of digital interference or shifting perception.

Through this technique, Eksteen balances precision with expressive freedom, exploring contrasts between transparency and opacity, structure and movement, control and emotional intensity. His works invite viewers to reconsider how identity is constructed and perceived in an era shaped by technology, digital mediation and constant self-reflection.

Eksteen’s work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions and has gained international visibility through exhibitions organised by The Travelling Art Gallery in European cities including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Palma de Mallorca and Kitzbühel.

In Cape Town, he is represented by The Artists Gallery, where his work featured alongside Claude Chandler in the successful dual exhibition Lexicon.