ismail farouk and the parking gallery

^{JHB626GP, on the parking gallery roof. Photo by Christo Doherty}

JHB626GP, Ismail Farouk’s solo exhibition of a video produced for the Venice architectural biennale and photographs shot of a burning house in Ellis Park, was an amazing testament to the urbane provocations alive and well in downtown johannesburg.  Between a great SAarts article by Rat Western and Matthew Krouse’s interview in the M&G, a lot has already been said recently about this entertainer / artist – I highly recommend both of these pieces, and won’t repeat their content here. I will say that his evocative and emotive images resounded with a plea to look again and work at our country, while his stylistic video (I could admittedly have done without the Mendoza track in the sound, but rumour has it that the British producers insisted, believing it to be more ‘authentically’ South African) portrayed a sympathetic but vibrant rhythm to our city.

I am biased, without doubt, but I also think this show concretizes Simon Gush as one of SA’s rising gallerist stars. His experience as an exhibition hanger, dabbling with curatorship, and artistic sensibilities – as well as an innate fearlessness around risks and complex set-ups – helped to create the perfect spaces for Farouk’s cityworks.

Best show I’ve been to in a long while. Congratulations to Ismail, Simon, Rat and Max. (And to Lindsay Bremner, for a great opening speech – a textured and inviting mediation in under 5 minutes, as an opening text should be…. And that was the most unpretentious use of Deleuze I’ve ever heard…. She and Farouk are the leftmost peops in the pic below. Oh, and many thanks to Christo Doherty for the use of his beautiful photos.)

^{Lindsay Bremner and Ismail Farouk, left, in front of the latter’s images at his solo exhibition.
Parking Gallery, Johannesburg. Photo by Christo Doherty}