FOR THE LOVE OF IT
MARIO SOARES x DONALD MAKOLA
INTAGLIO - For the love of it Intaglio is a technical term in printmaking where the Artist engraves a design on a surface, etching is one of many techniques belonging to this family. Etching is the process of using strong acid to cut into the unprotected parts of the metal plate to create the Artwork. Donald Makola and Mario Soares have since their student years used the method of etching to translate their concepts into Artworks. The methodology has required them to continuously engrave designs and protect their plate at different time frames building and layering the depth of their images. “Intaglio – For The Love Of It” grows from the affection affirmation of how etching has become embedded in how these Artists translate their concepts into Artworks. What is it about this chosen technique that secures their dedication, time and love for it? Featured in the exhibition are two young etchers, Hlelo and Shumani. In direct conversation of both generations, the technique becomes the main devotion among the four Artists.
DONALD MAKOLA BIOGRAPHY
D
onald Mmankweng Makola was born in December 1985 in Limpopo Province. He grew up in rural Limpopo and moved to Johannesburg to continue his studies and complete his matric in 2005. Through his interest in art he joined the Craft Council SETA Learnership in 2007, thereafter he moved to the Artist Proof Studio in 2009.
STATEMENT The subject of my work is family. In this body of work I am specifically looking at my father’s family and the presence of the father figure as head of the family. My father was a good, caring and loving father. He was responsible and worried about the future of his children. He was very strict and wanted us to become better people in life. He worked hard to assist us in any way that he could. In my images I use objects and tools as metaphors to describe the hard work and encouragement he provided us. Most of the objects and tools I chose are used in the home – specifically the yard. I often place the subject on gravel road or pavements. The gravel represents the rural area and the pavements are the urban environment. I specialise in intaglio techniques. I like the variation of textures and tones you can get with intaglio etching. I also think that it provokes the idea of memory. My images are inspired by Gerard Sekoto, particularly the image titled; ‘Proud Father’. My work is a tribute to my parents. I hope that it is inspirational to other fathers out there to be loving and responsible. I aim not to forget how I was raised and the love that I grew up in.
Donald Makola - His Strength - Etching - 47.4x55.5cm - 2018 - R3 795.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 10
Donald Makola - Her Strength - Etching - 47.4x55.5cm - 2018 - R3 795.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 10
Donald Makola 1st Supper Etching and Embossing 48x56cm 2018 R2 850.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola 2nd Supper Etching and Embossing 48x56cm 2018 R2 850.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola 3rd Supper Etching and Embossing 48x56cm 2018 R2 850.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola Last Supper Etching and Embossing 48x56cm 2018 R2 850.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola 50%.50% Independence Etching 100x71cm 2018 R6 960.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola Atleast there is still a light 2 Etching 100x71cm 2018 R6 960.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Donald Makola Stand together as one Etching 100x71cm 2018 R6 960.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
MARIO SOARES BIOGRAPHY
M
ario Soares left Mozambique for South Africa in 2008. He worked as an artist/embroiderer for Boitumelo in Hillbrow before coming to Artist Proof Studio in 2010. Soares graduated in 2013 and proceeded to develop his skills in etching (an area not well explored during his studies). He works primarily in etching on steel plate and uses the metaphor of the roads to describe the process of growing up, travelling and migration. Faceless and apparently identity-less subjects give voice to the ways in which immigrants try to make themselves invisible in their new home country, fearful of entrenched xenophobia. In 2014, he became an intern at APS at the Pro-Shop. He has been part of numerous group shows and Art Fairs both in Johannesburg and in Cape Town. More recently, he had a two man show at APS with Sizwe Khoza featuring his etchings. In 2017 he had a solo show at G2 Gallery on Jan Smuts, Johannesburg.
STATEMENT Since I was a child in Mozambique I knew that I wanted to be an artist. Growing up, I have experienced art through joining other groups of artists. My work at that time wasn’t of a good standard. When I moved to South Africa almost 10 years ago now, my work has developed and gone through many changes and transitions. My work today is largely about the life and perspective of people in Mozambique and South Africa. Since graduating from Artist Proof Studio, I have produced over 60 etchings on steel plates and each time I explore new aspects of intaglio techniques. This is a constant and intense process of discovery and experimentation. In this body of work I have challenged the scale and depth of the images through printing on a large scale and joining plates to make up landscapes and cityscapes that engulf the viewer. In these works perspective and depth are explored and emphasized through the use of colour.
Mario Soares Mercado 38mm Etching 77x50.5cm 2018 R5 380.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares Noord (Johannesburg) Etching 77x50.5cm 2018 R5 380.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares O Menino no mercado(The boy at the market) Etching 77x50cm 2018 R5 380.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares Sundown Etching 77x50.1cm 2018 R5 380.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares - After Robots - Etching - 48x57cm - 2018 - R3 165.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 10
Mario Soares - Em casa (at home) - Etching- 47.5x49.5cm - 2018 - R3 165.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 10
Mario Soares Going Faraway II Etching 47.5x37cm 2018 R2 690.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares Going very faraway Etching 47.5x37cm 2018 R2690.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 10
Mario Soares - Hillbrow (Johannesburg) - Etching - 47.5x57.5cm - 2018 - R3 165.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 10
METHEMBE HLOLOWENKOSI MOLIFE BIOGRAPHY
M
ethembe Hlolowenkosi Molife was born in 1995, in Bulawayo Zimbabwe. In 2008 he moved to South Africa to complete his schooling. After completing his matric at Masina High School, he moved to Johannesburg in search of art institutions. He enrolled at the Artist Proof Studio in 2015 to study printmaking. He specialises in the print mediums of linocut and etching.
STATEMENT I explore the theme of migration of the people of Africa in my work. I have migrated from one African country to another, in search of political and economic stability. The portraits of the people in my work are all immigrants living in Johannesburg. They are people from different African countries who have encountered the same situations as I have. Their portraits break up into pieces and shapes scattered and disrupting the image, similar to the scattered people of the African content. The pieces of shapes resemble pieces of a puzzle or a map. I attempt to make the pieces fit together in my works, to make a solid and stable space and place. The fragments are symbolic of the Diasporas of the people of Africa. We are all trying to adapt, fit in and blend into our new environment.
Methembe Hlelo Molefe - Expectations - Etching - 50x71cm - 2018 - R1 520.00 Incl.VAT - Edition of 7
Methembe Hlelo Molefe Thoughts Etching 50x71cm 2018 R1 520.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 7
SIDOGI SHUMANI BIOGRAPHY
S
humani was born in the Limpopo Province in Venda. He worked as an apprentice woodcarver from 2009 to 2014. In 2015, he came to live in Johannesburg and enrolled at the Artist Proof Studio to study printmaking. He has exhibited his prints at the Turbine Art Fair in a project called Pierneef Interpreted alongside an original collection of Pierneef artworks. Shumani has assisted in the APS Gallery and worked at the William Kentridge Studio assisting on a set for an opera production. He is currently completing his third year and is specialising in the print medium of etching and relief printing.
STATEMENT We are accustomed to seeing portraits of mothers with child but it is very rare to see a father and son portrait. My work deals with the loss of my son. The imagery in my prints has sacrificial and religious connotations. I have included personal objects that represent the bond between me and my son - the rope that binds us together and the necklace. In my later portraits, the facial features of my son and I disappear as I move on into the world as a man who once had a son.
Shumani Sidogi Unforgettable Tears II Etching 50x35.5cm 2018 R1 520.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 7
Shumani Sidogi Unforgettable Tears III Etching 50x35.5cm 2018 R1 520.00 Incl.VAT Edition of 7