In The Topography of Skin, he continues his intimate investigation into the fragility of the human body. Henk Serfontein’s eye is that of the microscopic; his artworks unveil the topography of skin in minute detail as he captures how light falls on the subtle folds of the skin or the vestige of a wound long-healed emerging from shadow. The work is submerged in the poetry of light and shadow but his vision is acute and goes beyond the surface of the skin. It zooms in on the underlying chaos in the seemingly photo realistic drawing. Every mark and every erasure acts as compassionate investigation. Pairs of weightless arms and hands have become a recurring motive in his recent work. The limbs caress, contort and extend and become sculptural and larger than life, despite their intimacy. The postures suggest an extension of the psychological self... they suggest a self-awareness. The hand is hypersensitive. We are our hands. The hand is an instrument of love and compassion, of violence and anger, of protection and rejection. It gives, it takes, it comforts but also fights back. An artist’s creativity flows from his hands.