Books and Art

Hermanus bookshops play host to authors

Several publishers and authors have been hosted by Hermanus bookshops for launches, talks, readings and signings in the last few weeks. First up was bookmark’s launch of Irna van Zyl’s crime thriller Death Cup (translated from the Afrikaans Gifbeker), which was held at Source in Hemel-en-Aarde Village on 24 May.

Sylvia Vollenhoven reads a passage from her book The Keeper of the Kumm, at The Book Collector during FynArts.

Wildlife conservationist and author Richard Peirce signing copies of his latest book, Cuddle Me Kill Me, at the recent launch at The Book Cottage.

Sculpture on the Cliffs explained

This year the theme of the exhibition is ‘The Human Figure’, an enduring subject in the world of art. The works of this year’s ten participating artists display a wide diversity of material, technique, function, belief and purpose in a way that is sensitive to both site and context.

As has happened in previous years, these works have elicited equally diverse responses and comments on social media. Negative sentiments that have been expressed include labelling some of the works as “trash”, “rubbish” or “awful”, and calling for them to be removed.

Local artist and curator Jaco Sieberhagen considers it a pity that some residents are unable to appreciate the significance of these artworks and suggested to The Village NEWS that we enlighten our readers with a little information regarding these sculptures. It is our hope that, instead of succumbing to a knee-jerk reaction, our readers may be enlightened – and even inspired – by the stories and motivations behind these works.

Ruhan Janse van Vuuren

1. #thethirdseason

#thethirdseason symbolises a transitional phase, an autumn so to speak. The sculpture forms the landscape of the work itself, and will continuously change as a result of the actions of artist Bastian van Stenis, who will add his brushwork over time by using the sculpture as a canvas. The work is a transitional piece that is positioned on the border between fine art and street art. In street art the artists aim to reclaim the spaces of their identity, and the perceived vandalism of the work redefines the notion of ownership and value. As the process of #thethirdseason continues to evolve over the coming months, the meaning will become redefined according to an individual’s experience thereof.

#thethirdseason

Marco Cianfanelli

2. Cerebral Aspect (series)

Marco Cianfanelli’s previous explorations of the human brain as form, find new dimension in a series of digitally altered brain-like objects. The faceted forms of the objects are geometric distillations of the brain’s vast, organic topography and, in their dramatic simplification, act to acknowledge the limits of our knowledge.

Cerebral Aspect

Haidee Nel

3. Meerlin

In the story of Haidee’s work The Mermaid is the next logical narrative after The infantry Girl series, which raised the question: How do we protect our children? How can children protect themselves? “In a sense we all carry some hurt or disappointment from our childhood within ourselves,” says the artist. “The question is how we deal with this pain and how do we prevent it from solidifying in us and being passed on to our children and their children? How can we effectively handle the pain without internalising it, resulting in eventual abusive expression?”

Meerlin

Lwandiso Njara

4. Catholic Altar Boy's Toys IV

Growing-up in a traditional Xhosa household, Lwandiso Njara’s Catholic schooling by nuns from India and Switzerland exposed him to different ideologies and technologies. His work is centred around the contrast of Xhosa ancestral rituals and his Catholic education. In his pieces he tries to combine the influences of these lifestyles in a questioning way that moves beyond binary opposites that imply the one is superior to the other. “I take the necessary from each and use them to construct a new identity that is multiple in its reading,” says the artist.

Catholic Altar Boy's Toys IV