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theCOart prides itself on exhibiting \u201cNational Identity\u201d, works in a range of media,
\nseeking to provoke cross-disciplinary debate on South Africa's multicultural
\nidentity. Although practices, processes and personal philosophies may differ, all the
\nartists have a common goal: to create relevant and technically proficient art.<\/p>\n
EXHIBITING ARTISTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n \uf0b7 ZANELE MUHOLI \uf0b7 ALEXANDER KNOX<\/p>\n CURATERS STATEMENT:<\/strong>One of our deepest needs is for a sense of identity, belonging and human However, many aspects of a person\u2019s identity change throughout his, her or The artists in this exhibition use their work to express, explore, and question ideas OFFICIAL ARTWORK FOR THIS EXHIBITION: Ruhan Huisamen – \u201cShip of Fools\u201d<\/p>\n ARTIST BIO\u2019S: Roger Ballen<\/strong> (b 1950 \u2013 USA-SA) Roger Ballen has lived and worked in Anton Karstel<\/strong> (b.1968 – Pretoria, S.A.) Karstel is a poignant voice in the South This relationship is a truly enticing brutal romanticism.\u00a0The contemporary value of his eternal moment that shifts in interpretation as we embrace our subjective Mia Chaplin<\/strong> (b.1990 – Cape Town, S.A.) is a painter who lives and works in Cape Since completing her BFA at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town in 2011, Brett Murray<\/strong>\u00a0(b. 1961 \u2013 Pretoria, S.A.) is a South African\u00a0artist\u00a0mostly known for Steven Cohen<\/strong> (b. Johannesburg – 1962, S.A.) Cohen lives in Lille, France. He is a Diane Victor<\/strong> (b. 1964 \u2013 Gauteng, S.A.)\u00a0is a contemporary South African artist known William Kentridge<\/strong>(b. 1955 – Johannesburg, S.A.) After studying Political Matthew Hindley<\/strong> (b.1974 – Cape Town.S.A.) graduated from the Michaelis School of coincided with the official launch of the book, The Five Magic Pebbles; Other Norman Catherine<\/strong> (b. 1949 – East London, S.A.). He attended the EL Technical Conrad Botes<\/strong> (b 1969 \u2013 Ladysmith .S.A.)Part of his childhood was spent living Christiaan Diedericks<\/strong> (b 1969 \u2013 Potchefstroom – SA) \u201cIn my work, time and space Bastiaan van Stenis<\/strong> (b.1981 \u2013 Hermanus.S.A.) Bastiaan, of half Dutch, half South the protest of neo-expressionism and the possibility of more in this style that lies Ruhan Janse van Vuuren<\/strong> (b.1981 \u2013 Amerfoort,S.A.) Elizabeth Balcomb<\/strong> (b. 1974 – Midlands.S.A.) Elizabeth Balcomb is a self-taught the Kwazulu-Natal midlands of South Africa. She works in clay and casts limited Ruan Huisamen<\/strong> (b.1991 \u2013 Cape Town.S.A.) Self-taught artist Ruan Huisamen’s Pierre le Riche<\/strong> (b.1986 – Port Elizabeth) is a conceptual artist living and working in Alexander Knox<\/strong> (Cape Town, S.A.) is a portrait and landscape painter based in ABOUT THECOART:<\/strong> <\/p>\n theCOart prides itself on exhibiting \u201cNational Identity\u201d, works in a range of media, seeking to provoke cross-disciplinary debate on South Africa's multicultural identity. Although practices, processes and personal philosophies may differ, all the artists have a common goal: to create relevant and technically proficient art. EXHIBITING ARTISTS: \uf0b7 ZANELE MUHOLI \uf0b7 ROGER BALLEN \uf0b7 ANTON KARSTEL \uf0b7 MIA CHAPLIN […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sense-categoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23642"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23712,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23642\/revisions\/23712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\uf0b7 ROGER BALLEN
\n\uf0b7 ANTON KARSTEL
\n\uf0b7 MIA CHAPLIN
\n\uf0b7 BRETT MURRAY
\n\uf0b7 STEVEN COHEN
\n\uf0b7 DIANE VICTOR
\n\uf0b7 WILLIAM KENTRIDGE
\n\uf0b7 MATTHEW HINDLEY
\n\uf0b7 NORMAN CATHERINE
\n\uf0b7 CONRAD BOTES
\n\uf0b7 CHRISTIAAN DIEDERICKS
\n\uf0b7 BASTIAAN VAN STENIS
\n\uf0b7 RUHAN JANSE VAN VUUREN
\n\uf0b7 ELIZABETH BALCOMB
\n\uf0b7 RUAN HUISAMEN
\n\uf0b7 PIERRE LE RICHE<\/p>\n
\nattachment.\u00a0 Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and
\nconditions that an individual is born with; such as ethnic heritage, sex, or one’s body;
\noften play a role in defining one’s identity.<\/p>\n
\ntheir life. People\u2019s experiences can alter how they see themselves or are
\nperceived by others. Conversely, their identities also influence the decisions
\nthey make: Individuals choose their friends, adopt certain fashions, and align
\nthemselves with political beliefs based on their identities.
\nThe era of Apartheid in South Africa came to an end with the first free elections in
\n1994. Since then, visual art has played an instrumental role in the process of societal
\nchange: the quest for a new national identity is vividly reflected in the diversity of
\ncontemporary South African art.<\/p>\n
\nabout identity.\u00a0 Therefore, it is not simply what we see, but a way of seeing. We see
\nit with our eyes but interpret it with our mind and ascribe values to Identity for
\nintangible spiritual reasons. Identity is important in art for expressing a meaningful
\nunderstanding of who we are. If you’ve not been honest with who you are, your work
\nwill not carry the impact that it needs to cause any level of response in your viewers.<\/p>\n
\nZanele Muholi<\/strong> (b. 1972 Durban, S.A). A photographer and self-proclaimed visual
\nactivist, Zanele Muholi explores Black queer identity in contemporary South Africa.
\nMuholi first rose to prominence with their series \u201cFaces and Phases,\u201d for which they
\nshot hundreds of sensitive portraits of women, many from South Africa, and
\nchallenged the country\u2019s accepted rhetoric that homosexuality is un-African. The
\nDurban-born, Johannesburg-based artist has enjoyed solo exhibitions at\u00a0Tate
\nModern\u00a0in London,\u00a0 Fotografiska \u00a0in Stockholm, the\u00a0Brooklyn Museum, and
\nthe\u00a0 Stedelijk Museum \u00a0in Amsterdam, among other institutions. Muholi represented
\nSouth Africa at the 2013 Venice Biennale and showed as part of the international
\nexhibition in 2019. Muholi also delved into self-portraiture with their \u201cSomnyama
\nNgonyama\u201d (\u201cHail the Dark Lioness\u201d) series, which explores themes of racism,
\nsexuality, and the politics of possessing a Black body.<\/p>\n
\nJohannesburg, South Africa, for the past three decades. His black and white
\nphotography has shifted from an early focus on
\ndocumentary and photojournalism\u2014such as the 1994 series Platteland: Images
\nFrom Rural South Africa, which depicted the poor and socially outcast\u2014to staged,
\npainterly compositions of private, surreal worlds, many without human subjects. In
\nthe 2009 series ”Boarding House, animals, wall drawings, and objects like furniture
\nand electric wire (a reappearing visual) combine to yield ambiguous and discomfiting
\nimages, recalling artists such as\u00a0Diane Arbus.<\/p>\n
\nAfrican fine art landscape.\u00a0\u00a0His unique style, and the manner in which he portrays
\nhistorical events showcases his profound insight and the mastery of his art. His
\nworks, imbued with subtle colour and purposefully placed marks, move the viewer on
\na threefold level \u2013 they are aesthetically lingering, emotively resounding and
\nintellectually stimulating.\u00a0\u00a0His style has the effect of a certain \u2018hinting towards\u2019 \u2013 the
\nmultiple layers of his works (whether they be his paintings, installations or
\nphotography) invite the viewer to immerse themselves in what it is that they are
\nseeing.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, the viewer challenges their understanding of what it is that they
\nare seeing.\u00a0\u00a0Small details evoke desire, respect and interest \u2013 his works are objects
\nof beauty and are truly awe-inspiring.\u00a0\u00a0But the movement of the works is captured in
\nthe vibration of the subject matter.\u00a0\u00a0Karstel reminds us that everything that we see or
\nseem is underpinned by history.\u00a0\u00a0We can only exist in a space because we have
\nacknowledged the process of becoming the being.\u00a0\u00a0He acknowledges the moments
\nthat define us, the history that shapes us and the emotional (and visual) resonance
\nof the relationship between the two.<\/p>\n
\nwork is finely balanced by the critical understanding thereof.\u00a0\u00a0Art is a mirror, and
\nKarstel is the finely polished glass that shows us the innermost parts of ourselves
\nwithout judgement.\u00a0He leaves that to the viewer.\u00a0His place in the creation of a
\nsocially shared memory is truly invaluable.\u00a0Karstel\u2019s style is classically rooted in the
\nintense atmospheres of historical masterpieces, but has a fresh current of relevance
\ntoday.\u00a0\u00a0From his portraits to his abstract works, the viewer is invited to get lost in an<\/p>\n
\nunderstanding of reality.<\/p>\n
\nTown. Working in oil on canvas and paper, her highly expressive works are
\ncharacterised by their rich impasto surfaces and visible brushstrokes. Chaplin\u2019s most
\nrecent works emphasize a muted colour palette of pink fleshy tones and golden
\nhighlights. Consisting of still lifes, figure studies and landscapes, her work seems to
\nmeditate on the familiar. Her loose, erratic style of painting \u2013 synonymous with that
\nof the impressionists \u2013 is intuitive, heightening the emotionality of her pieces. They
\ncommunicate a sense of estrangement; reflecting a detachment between the self
\nand her surroundings. Her works sway between voyeurism and intimate interaction,
\nwhile remaining consistently self-referential.<\/p>\n
\nChaplin has hosted four solo exhibitions,\u00a0Mouth\u00a0(2018),\u00a0Under a Boiling River\u00a0(2017)
\nand\u00a0Binding Forms\u00a0(2016), with WHATIFTHEWORLD and most
\nrecently,\u00a0Underbelly\u00a0(2019), with No Man\u2019s Art Gallery in Amsterdam. She has
\nfurthermore extended her painting practice into printmaking, hosting a mini-exhibition
\nof monotypes from the series,\u00a0The Making of a Sharp Blade\u00a0(2017), in collaboration
\nwith Warren Editions, Cape Town. Chaplin has completed artist residency
\nprogrammes at Cit\u00e9 Internationale Des Artes in the Marais district, Paris (2018),
\nNirox Arts Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa (2016) and at OBRAS
\nFoundation in Alentejo, Portugal (2015).<\/p>\n
\nhis steel and mixed media wall sculptures. Murray has a master’s degree in fine art
\nfrom the\u00a0Michaelis School of Fine Art, 1989. Referred to by critic Brenda Atkinson as
\n"the dark prince of South African pop (art), Murray is one of the country’ most
\npopular artists, often using easily recognisable media images with the addition of a
\nsubversive and bitterly funny twist. Murray’s work addresses the wars of the cultures,
\nthe clash between\u00a0Afrocentrism\u00a0and\u00a0Eurocentrism, the old and the new South
\nAfrica. “With my work I hope to critically entertain. Through satirical and tragic
\nreflections on South Africa, I hope to shift people’s perspectives and change people’s
\nminds, indulgent, arrogant and pretentious as this might sound," he says. More
\nrecently, his work has explored his own personal experiences and identity. Murray
\nwas also the founder of the sculpture department at\u00a0Stellenbosch University.<\/p>\n
\nvisual and performance artist, staging interventions in the public realm as well as in
\ngallery and theatre spaces.He has performed extensively on the festival circuit, at
\nsuch prestigious venues and events as the National Opera of Bordeaux; Festival
\nd’Automne, Centre Pompidou, Paris; the ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance
\nFestival; the National Arts Festival in Makhanda; Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Rond-Point, Paris;
\nMontpellier Danse; Festival d’Avignon; Munich Opera Festival, Bavarian State Opera;
\nFestival Escena Contempor\u00e1nea, Madrid; Bozar in Brussels; Oktoberdans, Bergen,
\nNorway; and Canadian Stage, Toronto.
\nCohen participated in the 11th Havana Biennale (2012), and the first Aichi Triennale in
\nJapan (2010). Recent group exhibitions include Plus que parfaits (”More than perfect”), Op\u00e9ra de Bordeaux, France (2020); IncarNations: African Art as Philosophy,
\nBOZAR Centre for Arts (2019);\u00a0Lignes de vies \u2013 une exposition de l\u00e9gendes, Mus\u00e9e
\nd’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (2019); the EVA International, Irish Biennial of
\nContemporary Art (2018);\u00a0Disguise: Masks and Global African Art,\u00a0Seattle Art
\nMuseum and Brooklyn Art Museum, USA (2015-16); Chercher le gar\u00e7on, Mus\u00e9e d’Art
\nContemporain du Val-de-Marne, France (2015);\u00a0Josephine Baker and Le Corbusier in
\nRio \u2013 A Transatlantic Affair,\u00a0Museu de Arte do Rio (2014);\u00a0Black Milk: Holocaust in
\nContemporary Art,\u00a0Museum for Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark (2014);\u00a0My
\nJoburg,\u00a0La Maison Rouge, Paris, and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
\n(2013);\u00a0Revolution vs Revolution,\u00a0Beirut Art Centre, Lebanon (2012);\u00a0No Fashion,
\nPlease: Photography between Gender and Lifestyle,\u00a0Vienna Kunsthalle (2011);\u00a0Dada
\nSouth?,\u00a0South African National Gallery, Cape Town (2009-10); and\u00a0Under Pain of
\nDeath,\u00a0Austrian Cultural Forum, New York (2008).<\/p>\n
\nfor her drawings and prints that explore social injustice, war, and corruption. Made
\nusing charcoal and candle smoke, her portraits of missing children are among
\nVictor\u2019s most esteemed works. \u201cThe portraits are made with the deposits of carbon
\nfrom candle smoke on white paper. They are exceedingly fragile and can be easily
\ndamaged, disintegrating with physical contact as the carbon soot is dislodged from
\nthe paper,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was interested in the extremely fragile nature of these
\nhuman lives and of all human life, attempting to translate this fragility into portraits
\nmade from a medium as impermanent as smoke itself.\u201d Born in 1964 in Witbank,
\nSouth Africa, she went on to receive her BFA from the University of Witwatersrand in
\nJohannesburg in 1986. Inspired by the chaotic scene of Goya\u00a0and\u00a0Hieronymus
\nBosch, Victor\u2019s practice aims at expressing her pessimism towards human society.
\nThe artist resides in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her works are included in the
\ncollections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Baltimore Museum of Art,
\nthe Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, and the Minneapolis Institute
\nof Arts, among others.<\/p>\n
\nScience at Wits in the late 1970s and the art of mime in Paris in the early 1980s,
\nWilliam Kentridge continually combines these interests in his art. His phenomenal
\ndrawing skills were sharpened while studying at the Johannesburg Art Foundation
\nand, in the numerous stop-frame video animations of the 1990s and the large-scale
\ninstallations of the early twenty-first century, he dramatically renders the effects of
\ncolonialism on the oppressed. Regularly mounting major exhibitions and dramatic
\nproductions, locally and internationally, he is the recipient of numerous local and
\ninternational awards and is the true embodiment of Contemporary African Art.<\/p>\n
\nFine Art, Cape Town, in 2002, where he was awarded the\u00a0Michaelis Prize.As one of
\nthe countries, most recognized younger painters, Hindley\u2019s intense, poetic and
\ndelving artworks have featured in various critical and seminal South African
\nexhibitions. Recent solo presentations have included\u00a0An Everlasting Once\u00a0at
\nBrundyn + Gonsalves, Cape Town (2011) and\u00a0Twilight of the Idols\u00a0at Biksady,
\nBudapest (2013).\u00a0 Hindley\u2019s exhibition of drawings at David Krut Cape Town<\/p>\n
\nStories. His new solo painting presentation\u00a0Resurrection (Der Brennende Wald\u00a0) was
\nheld at Everard Read Cape Town gallery, also in Cape Town in October 2015.
\nIn addition, he has presented at the world renowned Eli and Edythe Broad Museum,
\nMichigan (2012) and the Kochi Muziris Biennale, India (2012). In 2014, he worked on
\na series of paintings inspired by the mythological African tales of South African writer
\nDon Mattera, for a book published by Rhodeworks, in Berlin, Germany. In 2015, his
\nartwork will be part of the\u00a0\u00a0imago mundi, Benetton Collection at the Venice Biennale,
\nand his major public sculpture\u00a0Speak Naturally and Continuously\u00a0will undergo
\nconservation, in order to have the delicate physical computing piece in permanent
\nrunning order. The artwork is installed above the entrance of the South African
\nNational Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa.<\/p>\n
\nCollege Art School from 1967-1968 where he completed an art matric. Other than
\nthese 2 years at the Tech, he is for the most part self-taught.
\nCatherine\u2019s art imbibes a dystopian vision of the socio-political landscape that
\ninforms his psyche. History, horror, crime, conflict, psychoses, politics, pathologies
\nserve as stimuli for his creative output that vacillates between the macabre and the
\ncomic, between a gasp and a giggle. He conveys his cynical vision through a
\njuxtaposition of dark and light sensibilities veering between an internal hallucinatory
\nrealm and literal commentary on the material world. There are no easy classifications
\nfor the genre of his work suffice to say that he rebels against any dogma or rigid
\ndefinition.<\/p>\n
\nin a Department of Water Affairs prefab house on the edge of the Theewaterskloof
\nDam. His father was a teacher at the local school. Listening to Botes tell stories of
\nthe characters that peopled his childhood world one can see how he has been able
\nto develop his eye for targeting the soft underbelly of Afrikaanerdom and by
\nextension South African culture.
\nWith his monoprints, silkscreens, lithographs and other work on paper, Conrad Botes
\nindisputably proves his status as torchbearer of the Post-Pop movement in South
\nAfrica. With his icons of atavistic males and females, including the ”tortured soul”; and
\nthe femme fatale, the artist mocks conventional notions of individualism and
\n”humanism”, ranging from romantic love to self-flagellation. Botes has been portrayed
\nin critical literature as the ”posthuman”; artist par excellence (Ashraf Jamal, 2004).
\nBotes uses Post-Pop’s preference for ”sugary infantilism” to reflect on contemporary
\nsociety. In such a society, religion is irreverent, violence is desirable, sadism
\ninstitutionalised, and the individual triumphant in their existential crisis. Botes’s work
\nachieves an interesting fusion of the pastoral with contemporary realities and
\naesthetics: flowers are often wounds in his works and birds are harbingers of doom.
\nDetached hands refer to creativity.<\/p>\n
\nappear to dissolve, and an air of conflict erupts. This is often a direct result of a
\npersonal aim to calm and disturb at the same time – drawing parallels between the
\ntwo extremes of utopia and dystopia\u201d.Christiaan Diedericks is a multi-award winning
\nvisual artist who is considered by many to be one of the finest print makers to have
\nemanated from South Africa. Christiaan has completed over 50 international
\nresidencies and has participated in more than 30 international Biennales.
\nHe has developed a strong and loyal global collector\u2019s base who resonate with his
\nartwork and his voice which speaks against social, political and economic injustice.
\nHis works grace numerous important museum, corporate and private collections
\nincluding MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art in New York), Ampersand Foundation,
\nCit\u00e9 Internationale des Arts (Paris, France) and the Museum of Contemporary Art
\n(Auvergne, France). Christiaan graduated Fine Arts Cum Laude at the North West
\nUniversity and obtained his Masters in Fine Art from the University of Pretoria.<\/p>\n
\nAfrican descent, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. Bastiaan is primarily a self
\ntaught artist but at a young age he received private art tutoring and Guidance. After
\nhis schooling in 2000, Bastiaan then began to fully dedicate himself to painting and
\ncommenced exhibiting his work, an endeavour that he continues to this day. In his
\nown words, \u201cWhat drives me is the process, the creating, and the creation itself is
\njust another stop on the way. His paintings are expressed using a diverse range of
\ntools and mediums including paint, cloth, encaustic wax, hair, glues and collage. His
\nother projects include taxidermy and sculpture.
\nvan Stenis\u2019 art is captivatingly unique.\u00a0His style commands the viewer\u2019s attention,
\nand his subject matter absorbs their interest.\u00a0The figures that are presented both
\nexplode from, and dissolve into, the creamy peach oranges, mint greens and Naples
\nyellows that have become a central part of his style.The serenity of these
\nbackgrounds contrasts the figures and scenarios that\u00a0 are depicted upon them.\u00a0 van
\nStenis\u2019 art, inspired by the surroundings that he exists within, is saturated with layers
\nof mixed media.\u00a0 The use of alternative mediums in the works themselves, takes the
\nidea that we are a conglomeration of the influences that define us further.\u00a0 The
\nmasterful manner in which he weaves his mediums together becomes significant,
\nand it represents the stitching together of the self in a dreamlike portrayal of reality.
\nThe worlds that van Stenis creates develop with time \u2013 small details move to the fore
\nin the viewer\u2019s appreciation of the work.
\nThe childlike brutality of the works evoke a deeply personal understanding of the
\nworks for the viewer.\u00a0 They become a personal narrative of growing up and surviving
\nas an individual in the complexities of social codes, expectations and definitions of
\nbeing.\u00a0 van Stenis challenges this as he depicts seemingly mundane moments with a
\nfeelings of simultaneously imploding and exploding \u2013 we become what we gather
\nand experience.\u00a0 We carry memories like marks that define us.\u00a0 We collect emotions
\nand they shape our form.\u00a0 Our permanence is found with the smears that share
\nchosen identities.\u00a0 We embrace the classicism of artistry, the modernity of texture,<\/p>\n
\nbeyond definition.<\/p>\n
\nJanse van Vuuren\u2019s work is visually arresting and it leaves the viewer with an
\nemotive response that permeates through them.\u00a0His technically apt figures become
\nthe canvasses that he plays upon \u2013 he adds mundane objects and marks, he takes
\nelements away.\u00a0\u00a0These culminate in works that are imbued with nuanced symbolism
\nand meaning.\u00a0He adds layers of meaning, and the figures become shrouded in
\nthem.\u00a0\u00a0These elements, which vary between the mundane and the more significant,
\nthus become entwined in the figure\u2019s purpose and interpretation.\u00a0\u00a0There is an
\nelement of experimentation that heightens the work, and Janse van Vuuren pushes
\nhis art beyond the expected to create the unexpected. From the cluttered bases that
\nground the figures to the objects carried that become their glorious burden, the artist
\ndemonstrates the idea of acceptance.\u00a0\u00a0It is the notion that the self can only truly be
\ndefined when every part that shapes our becoming is accepted.
\nThe works reverberate with a tongue in cheek playfulness that lends itself to black
\nhumour.\u00a0\u00a0The figures essentially become playthings that shift with the social
\nscenarios and emotive landscapes that they exist within.\u00a0\u00a0He experiments constantly,
\nand explores alternative ways of being and becoming as a result.\u00a0This playful
\napproach to the more serious ideas that he explores (the individual in society, the
\nimpact of the past and present on being and the scattered moments that ground us
\nand become our burdens) is inspired by his children.\u00a0\u00a0He is intrigued by their honesty
\nthat exists without filters, and the voices that are seen in their stories and art as a
\nresult of this.\u00a0\u00a0This honesty can be interpreted as the closest that we can come to
\ntruth.<\/p>\n
\nSouth African artist known for her haunting figurative sculptures. Balcomb\u00a0 grew up
\non the banks of the Umgeni River in the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa.
\nIntensely drawn to animals and the natural world, she studied Nature Conservation
\nand spent much of her youth communing with wild creatures, some of them human.
\nAfter graduating she worked at various nature reserves in South Africa and Zambia,
\nfocussing on environmental education, before becoming a full-time artist in 2010. Her
\nemergance as an artist was during a period when\u00a0she lived for over a decade in an
\nisolated log cabin with her partner and son.\u00a0Much of Balcomb\u2019s work is a re-
\ninterpretation of classical sculpture\u00a0using the language of the Renaissance to explore
\nand expose elements of human nature. Her narrative incorporates aspects of dying
\nand rebirth and matters of identity and personal value. She views the artist's path as
\nan existential conundrum, constantly questioning the meaning of her work in relation
\nto her own value as a human being and that of the natural world.
\nTherianthropes\u00a0are a recurring theme in her work.Balcomb lives and works
\nbetween her 2 homes\/studios in Durban and in the mist belt forest of Byrne Valley in<\/p>\n
\neditions into bronze.<\/p>\n
\ncharcoal portraits show a mastering of the human form. His portraits are rendered
\nisolated and largely decontextualized within time and space through their mostly dark
\nbackgrounds. The lack of any ornaments, embellishments or even environments
\ncreating intensely intimate presences.\u00a0Huisamen was born in 1991 in Cape Town.
\nHe has never received any formal education or training in the traditional techniques
\nof painting and drawing. Most of his earlier works were created using graphite pencil,
\nbut he has since converted to charcoal based works. After returning from a three
\nmonth apprenticeship under Louis Jansen van Vuuren in 2012 he began working full
\ntime as an artist and has been nominated for the Absa L’Atelier, Sasol New
\nSignatures, SPI National Portrait and Sanlam Vuleka awards.
\nHuisamen does not simply reproduce a photograph with mechanical exactness.
\nHalfway through, he discards the phtograph and relies on his own intuition, giving
\nmore prominence to certain aspects of the drawing, while de-emphasizing others. He
\ncreates his works by starting with the traditional grid-form, dividing large drawings
\ninto smaller workable grids. "Each individual piece reacts to one another, combining
\nto create the illusion of depth and the three-dimensionality of form," states
\nHuisamen.
\nIn today’ depreciation of traditional skills of painting and drawing, Huisamen’s
\ndexterous drawings combine a realistic observation of the human body, both
\nphysical and emotional, and dramatic use of lighting and tonality to create works that
\ncapture a different, deeper and more profoundly realized experience in relation to the
\nsubject.
\n"I feel what’s missing is more slow art, whose adroitness and meticulous attention to
\ndetail engenders contemplation. Art that isn’t merely sensational, doesn’t present an
\nobviously transient message and isn’t falsely iconic. Succinctly put art that is
\naxiomatically opposed to our evanescent experiences of mass media, says
\nHuisamen.<\/p>\n
\nCape Town, South Africa. He primarily works in sculpture and installation, and does
\nnot specialise in any particular medium or art-making skill. He has gained recognition
\nfor his dynamic use of string and textile work.
\nHe has participated in many projects and exhibitions in South Africa and abroad, and
\nhas worked with the likes of Power Play, Trenery, Cartier and Daimler. He has
\nrecently showed adaptations of his Rainbow Room installation in the United States of
\nAmerica and the People’s Republic of China; both being part of traveling exhibitions.
\nLe Riche holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Cape Town’s
\nMichaelis School of Fine Art.<\/p>\n
\nCape Town, South Africa. He graduated from Ruth Prowse School of Art in 2015 and
\nhe was a top 40 finalist in the Sanlam Portrait Award in 2017 and 2019. His portraits
\nare in the style of Imaginative Realism and mostly depict people living in a post-
\napocalyptic future (except for commissions). Each portrait is painted from
\nphotographic references using multiple layers. He recently started hosting a portrait
\npainting workshop at Ruth Prowse School of Art as well as an online workshop.<\/p>\n
\ntheCOart\u00a0is an\u00a0Art Gallery\u00a0and\u00a0Consultancy established\u00a0in June 2013.\u00a0The gallery
\nshowcases and promote contemporary work by both emerging and
\nestablished\u00a0South African artists.
\n\u200b
\nWith the ever-changing digital world, we have evolved to a 24\/7 borderless online
\nplatform without any geographical restrictions. Currently we work in collaboration
\nwith South African, Spanish, English and French galleries, studios and artist-
\nresidencies.
\n\u200b
\nOur mission is to provide a platform and\u00a0network for artists to develop and gain
\ngreater\u00a0international\u00a0reach. We\u00a0focus on domestic and international exposure of
\nartists and assist galleries, private collectors and corporates with curatorial
\nservices.
\n\u200b
\nThe gallery prides itself on exhibiting works in a range of media, seeking to provoke
\ncross-disciplinary debate.\u00a0Although practices, processes and personal philosophies
\nmay differ, all the artists have a common goal: to create relevant\u00a0and technically
\nproficient art.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.espronceda.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/245486400_2033143110178155_2256621713608683593_n.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"