"Nikki Rixon: Innersense"
2003-09-25 until 2003-10-30
Push Gallery / Public Eye
Cape Town, , ZA South Africa

Nikki Rixon's collection of 12 black-and-white photographs was produced over the last year and is entitled "Innersense". She has chosen the show's title to evoke an idea of beauty lying within conveyed by the outward medium of visual sense, alluding at the same time to the conventional "innocence" of her subjects. The pictures were taken in diverse locations, contrasting townships and children's homes with more privileged areas, uncovering the commonalties that lie between the subjects regardless of situation, illustrating our interdependence.

Of the work Rixon says, "The message I wish to convey is a wholly positive one - that we share many of the same hopes and aspirations, the same joys‚. From children playing with glittering sunlight in what some would define as squalor, to roaming the colourful streets of the Bo-Kaap, Rixon suggests, we can all appreciate the smile of a child, irrespective of social standing."

Rixon concludes, "Participating in these peoples‚ lives has endowed me with a great sense of warmth and compassion. Spending time playing, laughing and photographing the children, and becoming part of the daily routine of watching soap operas with the moms, has allowed my preconceptions to fall away. It is my intention to express and share the Œinnersense‚ of joy that I experienced whilst visiting these families. If an awareness and feeling of affinity for each other also ensues, then all the better."

All the photographs are for sale with proceeds going to Sara Fox Children's Convalescent Hospital.

The Push Gallery is run by Ariel Cohen, while Public Eye provides some administrational support to his initiative. Founded in 1999, Public Eye is a Section 21 company formed by a collective of Cape Town-based artists and cultural activists to initiate, facilitate and manage arts projects in the public arena with the aim of enriching the cultural life of the city.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for South Africa

Other Important Exhibitions in Cape Town