INTROSPECTION

INTROSPECTION Art of Contemporary Africa

www.themelrosegallery.com

The Melrose Gallery, in association with Sandton City, is pleased to present ‘INTROSPECTION – Art of Contemporary Africa’, a thought provoking group exhibition featuring established and emerging artists from the Continent of Africa.

Definition: Introspection is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one’s mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one’s soul.

In an ambitious undertaking, whilst most art fairs and large exhibitions have been postponed or replaced by online presentations due to the impact of Covid-19, The Melrose Gallery in association with Sandton City, have decided to present this exhibition both physically and online.

The exhibition takes place in a large, 850 sq m, industrial space in Sandton City’s Diamond Walk and will run from 26 November until 30 January 2021. The space provides the perfect backdrop for a comprehensive display of Pan African Contemporary art and the high ceilings allow for monumental sculptures and large scale paintings and photographs.

Whilst every care will be taken to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines, the space is so large that it will allow people to browse and experience the works whilst practicing social distancing. The Pandemic has forced mankind to slow down and to spend time on ‘Introspection’ and the re-evaluation of what is most important to us.

Ronald Muchatuta Blackness III

Mederic Turay, Sunshine and Shadows

Papytsho Mafolo, Elegance (Rose)

Papytsho Mafolo, Ange

Elizabeth Balcomb, The Other

Many artists have been forced into long periods of self-isolation in their studios, which has resulted in powerful artworks impacted by their focus, mood and awakened sense of consciousness and enlightenment. The general public and collectors alike have gone through similar periods of confinement and adjustment and it is expected that this exhibition will bring a welcome respite to what has been a marked reduction in cultural activations.

The title of the exhibition ‘Introspection’ therefore speaks to this extraordinary period, but also to the idea that whilst an artist may be born in Africa, they are part of the global community and whilst their works may often involve a process of internal reflection their presentation and practice often does not confine to a preconceived idea of ‘African-ness’.

Certain artworks that were not created during this period have therefore also found themselves in the exhibition as their works and practice speak to ‘introspection’ and question the idea that all art created by Africans should have a unifying element that immediately identifies them as such.

Participating Artists: The exhibition includes Willie Bester, Gerald Chukwuma, Esther Mahlangu, Wilma Cruise, Pitika Ntuli, Elizabeth Balcomb, Philiswa Lila, Mederic Turay, Papytsho Mafolo, Edozie Anedu, Vusi Khumalo, Clint Strydom, Judy Woodborne, Alexis Peskine, Aza Mansongi, Ronald Muchatuta, Adejoke Tugbiyele, Restone Maambo, Gavin Rain, Ndabuko Ntuli, Denis Mubiru, Regi Bardavid, Christiaan Diedericks, Vusi Beauchamp, Paul Blomkamp, Andre Stead, Mark Chapman, Kevin Brand, Grace Da Costa, Paul du Toit, Louis Chanu, Arno Morland, Carl Roberts, Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Hussein Salim and others.

craig@themelrosegallery.com www.themelrosegallery.com +27 83 777 6644

RK CONTEMPORARY No Holds Barred – summer group exhibition 6 December 2020 – 31 January 2021 Riebeek Kasteel

www.rkcontemporary.com

Judy Woodborne, Penumbra

NO HOLDS BARRED is being held from the 6th of December to the 31st January at RK Contemporary in Riebeek Kasteel and will be exhibiting, salon-style, a number of established artists alongside emerging ones. Judy Woodborne and Hannalie Taute are two of the artists participating this year and encompass the myriad of talent that will be showcased.

Judy Woodborne is a printmaker and painter, whose work is inspired by a combination of creation mythologies of diverse cultures and her interest in natural science and the nature of matter. Her works immerse you into a fantastical world of rich layers and unexpected fusions, drawing you in with a sense of wonder and curiosity.

Judy Woodborne, Dream Catcher

She obtained her B.A.F.A from Michaelis School of Fine Art in 1988; an advanced Diploma in Printmaking awarded with Distinction in 1989 and was awarded her Master of Fine Arts Degree with Distinction from UCT in 1993. She currently runs her own printmaking studio, Intagliostudio teaching classes, workshops and curating exhibitions and projects.

Woodborne considers herself to be “a traditional printmaker, working in an experimental manner” and has been described as a “symbolist” - implying that the creative process she employs comprises many layers.

Part of the beauty of Woodborne’s works lies in her different approaches to traditional

Judy Woodborne, Queen of the Night

mediums. The Queen of the Night is a large format paper construction with hand cut paper, linocuts constructed into a threedimensional paper sculpture. For Dreamcatcher, she used a traditional burin and graver on linoleum to engrave the work and the availability of linoleum enabled her to scale it to a larger format size as opposed to the restrictions of a wood-engraving.

Dream Catcher is inspired by the Three Fates of Mankind, represented as sisters Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos from Greek Mythology. Clotho weaves the thread of life into existence, Lachesis measures the length of each thread of life and Atropos severs the mortal thread thus ending the life existence. Woodborne’s Dream Catcher interprets Lachesis as a youthful woman wearing an extended and fanciful wig resembling threads or waves, her hair symbolic of the thread of life.

Woodborne’s works are striking and powerful and become even more so with insight into the symbolism and meaning behind the images.

Hannalie Taute (b. 1977) started her life’s journey in a small town called Fochville in Gauteng, South Africa. In 2000, she obtained a National Higher Diploma in Fine Art at PE Technicon (now the NNMU). Nine years ago, she started working with rubber and particularly repurposed rubber inner-tubes, and in 2012 she added embroidery to her list of preferred media.

Hannalie Taute, Do Dont, Cotton and acrylic thread and rubber 2020 111 x 90 cm. Opposite Page: Hannalie Taute with size matters.

“Different in their mediums yet similar in their impact: thought-provoking, moving, and powerful.”

Perhaps the central theme of Taute’s work is the repeated exploration of identity and relationships within her “paracosmic fantasy”. As the creator of her own detailed, imaginary world, “art is some sort of interesting area where dysfunction is allowed”.

Taute’s work is in a constant state of evolution, which mirrors many of the ideas behind her art. Her process is methodical and laborious, and the artwork depicts moments in time – capturing instances in which a non-traditional medium (in this instance, rubber) undergoes a violent process of change. She juxtaposes delicate cotton thread with industrial discarded inner tubes by embroidering items that can decay, such as flowers and flesh, with moments of violent disruption. The coarseness of the rubber is counteracted by the delicacy of the thread, but this is subverted, as often the stitching and composition of the rubber inner tubes are delicate, and the thread seems almost rough in its arrangement. The resulting organized chaos resembles our daily lives and external influences. This is perhaps most striking in her more recent work, ranging from figurative and hybrid toy-like creatures to a variety of portraits as well as larger floral arrangements embroidered on rubber.

Pivotal to Taute’s process is her wish for the medium of the piece to interact with the subject manner in a way that forces the viewer to deeply engage and question the artworks. She aims to create a moment of respite from the chaos while simultaneously illustrating it.

Both artists are locally and nationally acclaimed, different in their mediums yet similar in their impact: thought-provoking, moving, and powerful.

www.rkcontemporary.com art@rkcontemporary.com 32 Main Street Riebeek Kasteel.