#rowanstut1

[shamrynimprobabledreamer]

Homework task for Rowan’s Tut

Simphiwe Ndzube

Simphiwe’s exhibition at Stevenson gallery, entitled UNCHARTED LANDS AND TRACKLESS SEA, is open from 24 January - 13 March 2019.  

Simphiwe works with installation, sculpture and painting - also using mediums such as spray paint, acrylic and collage. Through use of these mediums, Ndzube states that for this exhibition he  “attempted to create the genesis of a cosmology that finds itself in the “uncharted lands and trackless seas”. 

Ndzube draws inspiration from many different writers and artists’, one of them being Hieronymus Bosch ( whose work I am personally inspire by). Like Bosch he has created his own narratives and universe in which his art lives in. He calls his universe “ Echoes of the First Stories”. According to Stevenson the characters, entities and archetypes within his works span dream, allegories and myth. For me, these characters touch on the uncanny and are unsettling. Perhaps its due to their masked like faces ( in the paintings), their hidden faces ( in the sculpture works) , their distorted hunched bodies and the use of gloves/rubber feet. However, I think it was due to these factors that caught my attention and I found myself Interested in this exhibition the most out of the three.  I enjoyed the fact that Simphiwe’s work explores real modern issues whilst adding in magical elements - his figures hold weight and refer to socio- political issues, ultimately transcending boundaries through his artworks.  

Nolan Oswald Dennis

Nolan’s exhibition at Goodman Gallery, entitled "Options" is open from Jan 24th – Mar 9th. According to Goodman, Nolan’s work consists of a new series of drawings, diagrams and systems, the exhibition presents work synonymous with its title. 

Nolan uses mapping as a central theme in his works - he uses mapping and contours to explore the human environment,terrain and history. Nolan also uses words or prepositions to express spatial or temporal relations. He addresses the notion of post-colonial throughout the exhibition - we see this in many references for instance the mention of Steve Biko, Winne Mandela, the titles on the stack of books and so forth.  According to Dennis, he envisions his work "not as a catalyst for the future or reflection on the past, but as a shadow or diagram of the longness of now (or as the late keorapetse kgosistile describes it - the pastpresentfuture).”

I really enjoyed this exhibition as it required ( well, for me personally) looking and reading more than once in order to really engage with the works. ‘Options’  is conceptually weighted and made me think about broader issues which I believe is important. 

[lealca]

HOMEWORK FOR ROWANS TUT

When I first walked into Blanc, to see show by young Kimberly born artist Bronwyn Katz I felt the heat hit me through the huge glass wall and felt all my energy sucked out of me all at once, still I found myself drawn to the noises all the way at the back of the gallery the noises pulled me through the gallery past a collection of sea cacti looking forms, (made from steel wool), as well as a number of wall hanging pieces made from wire and string.

Once in the noise room I began to interrogate the work, I was confused until reading the description as well as a brief section of the handout. The shows title consisted of various, clicks from the Khoi San language, each sound had a sculpture made from steel and corrugated iron the works appeared abstract but had some sort of connection to their titles.

I left blanc gallery still rather confused and only really better understood the show on further reflection and reading on the show.

After leasing blanc confused we headed to Stevenson, when we walked into Stevenson I was immediately startled by the very creepy but familiar dystopian figures. The scenery was familiar with mountains and land in bright garish colours. I wondered weather the world depicted in the paintings was a depiction of pre-colonial or neo-colonial Africa.

Both shows are about identity and positionally reflecting on time and space as well as power and race as well as land. Although Simphiwe Ndzube’s I felt was easier to connect with I think both ultimately are impactful.