What does it mean to truly come home—to a place, to a sense of self, to a life rebuilt from fragments? For internationally acclaimed figurative painter Antoine de Villiers, the answer unfolds in her very first solo exhibition The Art of Healing on view May 1 at the Photopoint Gallery. It presents not in words, but in brushstrokes layered with memory, vulnerability, and quiet power—a reckoning, a love letter, and a return.

This deeply personal retrospective gathers six years of work created while living in Richmond Hill, Georgia—a town she once left, only to rediscover as the first place she’s ever truly felt at peace. More than a collection of paintings, The Art of Healing is a visual journal of transformation, of how stillness, community, and creativity helped Antoine reclaim identity, flourish with resilience, and gain a sense of belonging.

Born in South Africa to a family of privilege and musical discipline, Antoine grew up in an environment that seemed ideal from the outside. But behind the polished façade lay a childhood marked by emotional chaos, mental illness, and abuse. At sixteen, after a desperate suicide attempt, Antoine’s world shifted. Her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her father—later diagnosed with bipolar disorder—stood before a judge holding the papers for her involuntary commitment. It was the unraveling of a false narrative, and the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of truth and healing.

Since leaving her homeland in 1999, Antoine vowed to move “always forward, never back,” living across Namibia, Europe, India, and the U.S. In 2011, she arrived in Richmond Hill seeking peace and proximity to nature. But after years of continuous searching, it wasn’t until 2019 with her husband and two sons—this time, unexpectedly, to stay. The soft Georgia light, the scent of pines, the kindness of neighbors—it all felt like belonging. “For the first time in my life,” she recalls, “I truly felt at home.”

That sense of rootedness opened the door to deeper healing. Working in her home studio, through her signature emotional figurative style, Antoine explores humanity, often featuring nude subjects not for sensuality, but for their symbolic rawness and honesty. “Vulnerability,” she says, “is not weakness—it’s what connects us all.”

Through therapy in Savannah, Antoine was diagnosed with complex PTSD, a moment that brought both clarity and determination to ensure history wouldn’t repeat itself.  Her art became both an expression and a form of catharsis, providing a sense of true self-care. Now, The Art of Healing invites viewers to witness not only her technical mastery, but also her transformation—proof that creativity, community, and courage can mend even the deepest wounds.

The exhibition runs May 1–July 18 but officially opens on May 8 from 6–8 p.m. with an engaging and immersive artist talk for women—a chance to engage with Antoine and embrace the stories behind the canvas.

In a world of digital noise and surface-level interactions, this retrospective reminds us why standing before open, expressive, authentic art matters. It brings us to a state of awareness, and asks us to notice, to look closer—not only at de Villiers’ highly charged emotional work, technique, and application, but also deeper within ourselves.

The Photopoint Gallery is located inside Elmgren’s Garden Center, 30 Cherokee Street, Richmond Hill, GA. Learn more about The Art of Healing at photopointgallery.com.