The horizon is roughly five kilometers from any point, when viewed at ground level with good visibility and a flat terrain. It is the distance to the line where the sky touches the land or the sea. The distance to where we can see, beyond which things are hidden, or unknown, or imagined.

The origin of the word “horizon” is found in a few Greek words and phrases meaning “bounding circle”, “to divide / separate” and “boundary / landmark”.

On a clear day in a Karoo-like landscape, the horizon could form a circle around you, with a ten-kilometer diameter. A circular boundary that creates an arena, or stage, often of spectacular beauty. There, over the years, many dramatic stories must have played itself out. Some forever forgotten, others still leaving hints of an earlier presence, or current existence – homes, ruins, other man-made structures like dams, kraals, fences and gates, or subtle scars in the veldt of some earlier human activity. All of these are landmarks of some person’s perseverance and hopes, dreams, fears and desires. I am drawn to these stories. I like to imagine all the accumulated memories of a singular place over the years, and the likely longing for what lies beyond that line, where the sky touches the mountains.

After more than forty years of telling South African stories as a filmmaker, I am now creating stories on paper and canvas – time-slices of quiet moments and landmark objects, set in Karoo-like South African landscapes.

Etienne de Villiers

2026 – Cape Town