Gallery Newsletter April 2013

A catalogue of Jan Neethling's life-work is currently in production. The extract below is from an essay written by Prof Jan Coetzee (University of the Free State) which will be included in the publication.

A Greek goddess up to no Good is one of the twenty one works currently on exhibition. In this title the artist reveals the exhibition’s main motif: a playful look at a new world on the southern tip of a continent, caught between being new and being ancient. The works depict new-old human concerns of Beauty, the Body, and Lust — including Lust for Power. And what better way to capture these than to refer to the old world of Greek gods and goddesses. In this exhibition Beauty, the Body, and Lust—as reflected in art, music, poetry and dance—are seen as reaching back to Apollo and his twin Artemis, both handsome, radiant, and desirable—but also hunters and endowed with powers to send plagues upon mortals.

Here the artist, playing with the etymology of words, begins to link Apollo to Politika (from the stem Polis), which leads him to Politicians. And in the artist’s play, Artemis is linked to art. So we have images of nudes and beauty, of art and performers, and of politicians and druglords—the suits—who trade in Lust and Lust for Power and who rain plagues like brutality, extortion, graft and violence upon our world.

Barbara Wildenboer’s 7th solo exhibition, Disjecta Membra opened on 11 April at Amelia Johnson Contemporary in Hong Kong. The exhibition will be on view until 11 May. Images of the installation will soon be available on our website. In the meantime please browse our Facebook page for images.

Encounters at the Edge
David Lurie’s photographic exhibition Encounters at the Edge opens on Wednesday 17 April at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Professor Achille Mbembe will give the opening address.

This exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of Constitution Hill. The following individuals need a special mention, Curator Ann Van Wyk (Constitution Hill), Exhibitions and Archives Coordinator Gaisang Sathekge (Constitution Hill), Professor Edgar Pieterse (University of Cape Town) for the books and particularly Professor Mbembe for accepting the invitation as opening speaker.

Roger Ballen/Die Antwoord - i fink u freeky
After a successful run in Cape Town last year, we are proud to announce that Roger Ballen's exhibition, Roger Ballen/Die Antwoord - i fink u freeky will now open at Mouche Gallery in Beverly Hills, California on Friday 26 April. The opening is by invitation only and should you want to attend, please Contact the gallery for attendance procedure. Roger Ballen will be present at the opening.

Themba Shibase's, much talked about solo exhibition which was on view in Cape Town during March, will now travel to Durban. The exhibition will go on view at The Centre for Critical Research on Race & Identity, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban. Read Shibase's artist statement and view the exhibition images online.

Diana Hyslop, Brent Meistre, Brendhan Dickerson, Carla Erasmus, Jan Neethling, Themba Shibase and Robert Plotz are included in this group exhibition which is on view at the Botanical Garden Gallery in Potchefstroom. This exhibition is presented in association with the North-West University Gallery. The exhibition concludes on 6 May. Images on request.

A few days ago I visited Marna Hattingh’s studio in Woodstock, Cape Town Hattingh is currently producing new work for two international group exhibitions opening this May. She is also preparing for a solo exhibition opening in Cape Town this August. Hattingh is busy; her work day starts at 5am. She has produced a new range of multiples for the group exhibitions, she has opted for a new circular format for her paintings and she is experimenting with alternative substrates as a preferred painting surface.

Over the years I have discovered that studio visits never confirm what one knows about a particular artist, it is more about discovering what one does not know. I noticed a work hanging on the wall as I walked in. Without mentioning the painting, we started our meeting. Hattingh shared her ideas, discussed progress and explained her processes.

Once we concluded our meeting I asked about the painting. It turns out that the work was on exhibition once, in Cape Town, in 2008. She uncovered the painting recently when she moved into her current studio. Not knowing what to really do with it, she hung it on the wall. Since then the painting has become a talking point – everyone who sees the painting, likes it and comments on it. Hattingh tells me she really liked the painting when she made it back in 2008. But as it did not receive any attention on the exhibition she banished it to a corner where it has been gathering dust. Over the past few years her style has changed, her works have become more dense and layered. The characters which inhabit her painting world have changed.

And the point of this story? I discovered that Hattingh very rarely paints with oils; this was a once-off, especially made for this exhibition. I have been working with Hattingh since 2010; an image of this work is not included in her image data base. Up until a few days ago, it only existed as a forgotten painting on her studio wall. And therein lies the value of a studio visit. Heidi Erdmann

powered by

http://b.seis.purlsmail.com//home/r.asp?SID=1568&G=2

forward

This mailing system may only be used for sending permission based email.

If you did not give permission to receive emails from this sender, please notify us.

by photogallery@mweb.co.za | Print / PDF version | Read our .
The Photographers Gallery za - 63 Shortmarket street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa