Held in a cosy hall lit with candles and decorated not only with artwork but also with an impressive display of food (whoever conceived the idea of making chocolate covered strawberries is a genius) the exhibition was a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing affair. The group has been running for four years now under the careful guidance of Liesel Oelofsen who created both a fine art class and an amateur pottery group. ‘I started the whole thing for myself originally,’ said Oelofsen, ‘I studied A level art and architecture before I got pregnant and I missed having time to be creative. Then I realised that I could use this idea as an opportunity for other people in town to express themselves when they’ve never had the chance before’.

For the most part I love art exhibitions, there’s something very calming about being able to wander around a gallery and become absorbed in someone else’s masterpieces, so I wandered around the room happily enough, enjoying the paintings of Namibian landscapes, views around Lüderitz, Bogenfels Archway, the ocean and so on (‘we paint what we know’ said one artist), and the rather eclectic collection of pottery creations. Displayed around the room were an array of beautiful clay pots, both glazed and raw, and I spied candle holders, oil burners, egg cups, wine goblets, plant pots, sculpture and, most impressively, a high heeled shoe! But some of the most fascinating ‘masterpieces’ were a slightly disturbing display of ashtrays with designs ranging from an outstretched tongue (very Rolling Stones-esque) to a skull and crossbones. Just as I was examining a particularly bizarre specimen designed to look like a pair of buttocks I overheard someone behind me say ‘it’s amazing how many talented people there are in Lüderitz’ and realised that this statement aptly described the whole array of weird and wonderful artworks before me. This town continues to surprise me.