For this ‘box’, I didn’t hold back. In fact, I eventually joined two separate sculptures together – land and water – united in glorious abundance. A pair of parrot’s wings and Adam’s encircling ribcage enclose a kind of Boswell Wilkie Eden. I always wanted to join the circus as a boy; I loved the pageantry and the movement, the feathers and drama. And, of course, the spotlight: the apex of spectacle… of unveiling.

What will your spotlight find in The Gift That Keeps On Giving? There’s a Plecostomus fish; a remembered sliver of youth and a representation of sexual energy. There is a flock of ten birds, which evoke ideas of creation… of love and trust and connection. And there is a snake: a dialectical species that, for me, is all about transformation. The creative process itself is transformational – for both the artist and the one who views the art – at the level of DNA.

The family jewels glitter like stars here, too. Figurines from a cuckoo clock, my oupa’s tie pin, my ouma’s ruby brooch. At the centre is a heart locket, a gift that I received when I started my hairdressing career. Now it finds a repurposed home here – a regifting – a marker of gratitude and satisfaction. ‘I have enough.’

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Photography: Russel Smith / Text: Jonathan Bain