south african art | implicit art

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01 August 2006 by nathaniel

promised land: ralph borland @ blank projects in cape town

His blurb:

‘Promised land’ is a body of work that plays on some of the ‘faultlines’ running through contemporary South Africa – disparities in wealth, contests of ownership over symbols and cultural objects, the threat to stability offered by the dispossessed, new struggles with their conflicted relationship to the old Struggle. Was it land that was promised; is this the land that was promised? The exhibition combines sampled and manipulated mass-produced objects with fictional artefacts to produce a wry commentary on South Africa now.

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30 July 2006 by nathaniel

ismail farouk and the parking gallery

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

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25 July 2006 by nathaniel

the Upgrade! Johannesburg and the Wits Digital Soiree present: Catherine Henegan

shooting gallery

the Upgrade! Johannesburg and the Wits Digital Soiree present: Catherine Henegan
Dada goes digital – Media Art in a Theatrical Space

Amsterdam-based multi-disciplinary artist, Catherine Henegan, is the director of The Shooting Gallery, the controversial performance/media art work currently showing at The Market Theatre. Aided by a computer and a projection screen, Catherine is also a performer in the work, editing live content from the Internet into the performance by Aryan Kaganof and against the sound design by James Webb. In this way she tracks in real time the way media constructs and reconstructs news and fiction. She will talk about her approach to the design and direction of this challenging multimedia production.

Images available at:
http://www.the-shootinggallery.com
http://kaganof.com/kagablog/category/the-shooting-gallery/

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23 July 2006 by nathaniel

galleries abound

Hit up Diane Victor’s great opening of 2-D works at Goodman (a little monochromatic, but it is Diane – and the fleshly and performative smoke drawings are my fave), Angus Taylor’s sculpture exhibition at U of J (the large-scale and abstract concrete works are the best), and an amusing and (as always) quality (and surprisingly affordable) Jan Neethling and Robert Hodgins @ Art on Paper. All worth seeing…. Pix up on flickr.

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17 July 2006 by nathaniel

Victor ious

^{diane victor @ fried contemporary}

Made it to the Roles/Robes opening at Fried in P-town a few nights ago, and it was a strong show – I can’t believe that place has been around for an entire year now, and it is really going strong (huge turn out, for a starving audience of Cont-Art lovers up thar). Check out my flickr for pix of works by Wilma Cruise, Carinne Zaayman and Diane Victor. Diane’s works (detail pictured) really stole the show – extremely rich and textured, not to mention fragile, drawings she produced using the smoke from lit candles. Not only did these blow me away, but according to her, these were a rush job, and her Goodman exhibition (opening this Saturday) puts these works to shame. Maybe see you there….

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14 July 2006 by nathaniel

V/A (various art)

Been doing filler (mostly my own stuff) for the past while on the blog, whilst on residence in Brazil, and not getting out much since going gaga over my daughter. Hit the gallery strip two days ago, tho, and as usual was pleased by the works at Warren Siebrits – with the exception of the young, up-and-coming Colbert Mashile, the works were a bit steep in price, but that’s what you pay for in the Siebrits space, I gather; he does the work of finding great work. Colbert is also, obviously, a guy to watch. Not that impressed with Cecil Skotnes @ Goodman, but it is what it is – emotive paintings and prints, from an old master… Just not my vibe. The Krut group show of works is really worth seeing, and the pieces are really affordable for those who want to start collecting going-places (or already there) artists (I actually bought a Slemon piece for myself). Note that this is not a self-plug – my prints on show are not for sale….

Also currently on in Gauteng:
Dorothee Kreutzfeldt @ Outlet, and (oh shit, nathaniel just realized he deleted the shows he had intended on blogging from his inbox), and some other stuff at some other galleries, I am sure. Maybe look at m&g or art.co.za or Artthrob listings or something. I’m tired.

Oh yeh, and my opening at Parking Gallery went live last night (up for three days by appointment). Here’s a great photo by Christo Doherty (followed by a few others on my crap phone). Doherty says, "the image of woody allen came out rather like a francis bacon portrait – i quite liked that. he was also an artist challenged by the problems of communication and the corporal body…."

^{vincent @ parking gallery, a photo by Christo Doherty}

^{simon gush (parking gallery curator) and clive kellner (johannesburg art museum curator). the latter says the former is a great gallerist, and that i could quote him on that. after he said i should not blog about him spilling coca-cola everywhere, that is….}

^{rat western and her bright nose in my terrible photos say, "it’s nice to see your crap"}

PS – my daughter has a new site, if interested
PPS – about to post my first guest blog at Art Heat