Edited by Clive Kellner with essays by Nicolas Bourriaud Laurent Devèze Katerina Gregos Clive Kellner Anitra Nettleton and a conversation between Kendell Geers and William Kentridge moderated by Okwui Enwezor
Contents
Foreword Okwui Enwezor
10
Kendell Geers (1988 — 2012) Clive Kellner
25
The Perversity of My Birth: The Birth of My Perversity Kendell Geers
84
Kendell Geers: A Proletarian Gnosis Nicolas Bourriaud
94
On the Aesthetic and Political Language of Art: A Conversation between Kendell Geers and William Kentridge Moderated by Okwui Enwezor
108
On the Political in Kendell Geers’ Early Work, 1988 — 2000 Katerina Gregos
120
(With Your) Back to the Wall: The Murals of Kendell Geers Anitra Nettleton
220
Kendell Geers, or the Denial of the Evident Laurent Devèze
229
List of Works in the Exhibition
233
Photo Credits
235
Authors’ Biographies
237
Colophon
5
7
Kendell Geers: 1988 — 2012 adds to the growing corpus of important monographic exhibitions that Haus der Kunst has dedicated to living artists at different stages in their careers. From the mid-career retrospective—as is the case with this exhibition, which examines the work of the South African artist Kendell Geers—to early-career exhibitions to late-career surveys; or the thematic elucidation of particular areas of an artist’s oeuvre, the museum has made analytical devotion to the work of living artists a principle of its commitment to contemporary art and artists. We are therefore proud, that Kendell Geers: 1988 — 2012, the first comprehensive survey of the work of Geers— one of South Africa’s most acclaimed artists—is being presented at Haus der Kunst. As an artist who was born and grew up under the pernicious legacy of apartheid in South Africa, Geers at a very early stage in his career understood that the idea of the artist as an autonomous individual in a troubled society stained by inequality, segregation, racism, and oppression, was difficult to reconcile with the harsh, repressive context of apartheid in which he and several generations of South Africans lived remarkably separate lives. The practice of art, then, offered Geers not only a platform to challenge the specific conditions of the apartheid state; more importantly, art offered him a language with which to establish a position of critical address. It was in the crucible of collective activism as a university student and in solitary isolation as an artist (both instances shaped on the street) in Johannesburg in the mid-1980s that he began to develop his voice. The result, across more than two decades of prolific practice has been a profusion of art that can be quietly reflective and rigorous, but also provocative and incendiary. Brooking no protocols of the proper, Geers—through his ferocious intelligence—has used the occasions of art-making to interrogate power and ideology. In his incisive and passionate art, he has specifically focused on thinking about the profound place of art and the position of the artist in the context of political emergency, social crisis, the psychic toll exerted by the legacy of apartheid, and the spiritual desert created by exile from his country of origin. Geers left South Africa in 2000 and moved to Europe. He lived briefly in Leipzig before finally settling in Brussels, where he currently resides. The two experiences, home and exile, form the backbone of this
retrospective exhibition. Conceived in two chronological parts (1988 — 2000 and 2000 — present), and partitioned between two geographical as well as psychic spaces (South Africa and Europe) the exhibition—organized so sensitively by guest curator Clive Kellner—explores the differing sensibilities, concepts, strategies, formats, and materials used by Geers while living in South Africa; and the shift in attitude and formal language produced by his presence in Europe. Nevertheless, the exhibition does not attempt a synthesis of these two cleaved parts, each with their enigmas and resolutions. Rather, through acts of subtle displacements and positioning, Kellner has engineered an exhibition of sensory, visual, physical, and conceptual thinking. His exhibition—which opens with the open terrain of the historical archive as porous memory and as always incomplete—presents a sequence of overlapping temporal and historical registers through a tour of all periods and genres of Geers’ practice in sculpture, installation, photography, video, and performance. The result is sometimes visually low-key and at other times physically demanding, but still exhilarating. With this exhibition, Haus der Kunst continues the tradition of rigorous analysis of the artist’s oeuvre, placing a critical spotlight on the challenges and pleasures the work of art brings. Making all this possible has required the critical support and cooperation of many lenders, including museums, foundations, and private collections in South Africa, Europe, and Australia. Pierre Lombart, Gordon Schachat, Xavier Huyberechts, Francois Pinault, Museum Africa, Hector Pieterson Museum, Mordant Family Collection and others have kindly extended loans’ work Geers to this project. We thank them enormously. The exhibition would not have been possible without the active participation of Lorenzo Fiaschi and Alice Fontanelli at Galleria Continua, San Gimignano / Beijing / Le Moulin; Liza Essers at Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg / Cape Town; Rodolphe Janssen at Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels and Stephen Friedman and David Hubbard at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. With the galleries’ support we have tracked down works in various collections and filled gaps in information necessary to form a fuller picture of the artist. We also extend to the four galleries our gratitude for their generous funding support to the project.
7
Foreword
Okwui Enwezor
8
We are especially pleased to have worked with Clive Kellner who, as a curator and longstanding collaborator of Kendell Geers, perhaps like no one else, knows the artist’s work with the depth of insight required to bring the exhibition successfully on stream. Working with Clive has been a singular pleasure. It goes without saying that every work of art and the career of an artist require the particular knowledge and insight that interpreters of that work can bring. Typically the exhibition catalog serves as the historical index in the course of analysis and interpretation. For this Nicolas Bourriaud, Laurent Devèze, Katerina Gregos, and Anitra Nettleton have each contributed essays of depth and clarity. Important thanks go to William Kentridge for his participation and eloquence in a conversation with Geers, which I was only too pleased to moderate. Others have played a crucial role in shaping the publication, not least of which are the artist and curator. We thank Kendell Geers’ wife Cendrine du Welz who assisted and supported the exhibition and catalog production in immeasurable ways, and Anna Schneider, who served as the catalog’s assistant editor and worked in close collaboration with the authors, the curator, the artist, the designer, the publisher, and the copyeditor. We thank as the book’s designer Chris Goennawein for the clear visual programm of the catalog; Katharina Haderer, editor-in-chief of Prestel; and our incomparable copyeditor Monica Rumsey. The members of the Haus der Kunst’s exhibition planning and production team have been indispensable to this project. With their usual professional care they have made the exhibition seem both effortless and engaging. For this, thanks are due to Tina Köhler, head of exhibition production and planning; Anton Köttl, technical director; Cassandre Schmid, registrar; and Sophie Remig, exhibition assistant, who closely tracked every facet of the installation and production. Finally, we are grateful to Kendell Geers for his collaboration on this important exhibition project and thank him for his patient dedication, working with members of the museum’s staff to see through all aspects of its production. It is my hope that this exhibition and the publication that accompanies it will bring further insight into understanding Geers’ work and its relationship to South Africa and the world at large. Okwui Enwezor Director Haus der Kunst
9
Foreword
Out of Africa, 1994
35
South Africa
1988
Counting Out Song (a.k.a. Tyre)
1994
South Africa
64 T.W. Batons (Spiral)
65
South Africa
1994
T.W. Batons (Pentagram)
67
South Africa
1995
Self Portrait
69
South Africa
1999
T.W. (Deployed)
1999
South Africa
72 Suburbia 70
73
South Africa
1999
Suburbia 73
2008
Europe
158 Mutus Liber 50
159
Europe
2005
Twilight of the Idols (Fetish) 3
161
Europe
2005
Fuckface
2007
Europe
180 Manifest
181
Europe
2007
Temene
Europe
187
2008
PostPunkPaganPop
199
Europe
2010
Saint Johns Pendulum
201
Europe
2010
Master Mistress of my Passion VI
List of Works in the Exhibition
All works courtesy the artist; Galleria Continua, San Gimignano / Beijing / Le Moulin; Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg / Cape Town; Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London
Possession 1989 Marker pen on newspaper 10 newspaper sheets each approx. 58 × 38 cm Private Collection
Counting Out Song (a.k.a. Tyre) 1988 Spray-paint on tyre 115 × 108 × 108 cm (x 2) Edition 5 + 2 AP Collection the artist
Bloody Hell, Version 2 1990 C-print 102 × 62 cm Edition 10 + 2 AP Collection the artist
Death Certificate 1988 Situation (death certificate) 21 × 29 cm Private Collection
Hanging Piece 1993 Bricks, rope Dimensions variable
Suitcase 1988 Xerox on suitcase, tape 64 × 31.5 × 15 cm Edition 5 + 2 AP Collection the artist Title Withheld (June Seventy Six) 1988 Situation 10.3 × 10.2 cm Edition 10 + 2 AP Collection the artist After Liberty 2 1989 Rectified postcard Edition 5 + 2 AP 10 × 15 cm Private Collection After Liberty 3 1989 Rectified postcard 15 × 10.5 cm Edition 5 + 2 AP Private Collection
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1993 Performance/Photograph 101.8 × 72.1 cm Edition 10 + 2 AP Collection the artist T.W. (Exported) 1993 Razor wire fence (Situation) Edition 3 + 2 AP Dimensions variable gordonschachtcollection, South Africa T.W. (Flatwrap) 1993 Found object (Flat Wrap / Razormesh) Edition 5 + 2 AP 57 × 57 × 57 cm Collection the artist Title Withheld (Vitrine) 1993 Situation/Performance, Vitrine, brick, debris Edition 5 + 2 AP Collection the artist
Untitled (1976), 1976 — 1993 Found object (1976 autopsy register) 43 × 33 × 7 cm Museum Africa, Johannesburg Untitled (ANC, AVF, AWB, CP, DP, IFP, NP, PAC, SACP) 1993 — 1994 Performance (9 political party membership cards) Collection the artist Corner Piece 1994 Situation (Security signs and tape) 200 × 200 × 200 cm Collection the artist Cultural Weapons (28 March 1994) 1994 Weapons used in Shell House Massacre 28 March, 1994 104.5 × 19 × 8.5 cm Private Collection Out of Africa 1994 Latex Mandela mask and camouflage jacket Dimensions variable Collection the artist T.W. Batons (Circle) 1994 24 police batons 170 × 170 cm Edition 3 + 2 AP Collection the artist T.W. Batons (Spiral) 1994 27 police batons 195 × 195 cm Edition 3 + 2 AP
229
Brick 1988 Xerox on brick, tape 10 × 22 × 17 cm Edition 5 + 2 AP Private Collection
List of Works in the Exhibition
By Any Means Necessary 1995 Situation Dimensions variable Collection the artist Self Portrait 1995 Found object (original destroyed on TWA Flight 800) 5.5 × 11.6 cm Edition 12 + 2 AP gordonschachtcollection, South Africa
230
48 hrs 1997 — 1999 Situation (wallpaper) Dimensions variable Series of 7 unique panels Françoise Pinault Foundation My Traitor’s Heart 1998 Scaffolding, 12 TVs, 12 DVD Players Dimensions variable Edition 3 + 2 AP CIAC, Colección Isabel y Agustín Coppel, Mexico Plato’s Cave 1999 C-print 102 × 70.5 cm Edition 10 + 2 AP Collection the artist Suburbia 1999 — 2001 80 C-prints Edition 5 + 2 AP 30.5 × 40.5 cm each Collection the artist
TerroRealismus 2003 Brick, cement, glass, neon, aluminium 300 × 800 × 800 cm Edition 3 + 2 AP Collection the artist Fuckface 2005 Spray paint on human skull 22 × 14 × 15 cm Mordant Family Collection, Australia BE/LIE/VE 2006 Mural Dimensions variable Edition 3 + 2 AP Post Pop Fuck 22 2006 Wall painting Dimensions variable Edition 3 + 2 AP Cadavre Exquis 2007 Spray paint on resin cast from Nike de Samothrace, Louvre 320 × 170 × 200 cm Fuckface (Kendell Geers) 2007 C-print 150 × 111 cm gordonschachtcollection, South Africa Manifest 2007 Neon 300 × 270 cm Edition 3 + 2 AP Yvon Lambert, Paris
Typhonic Beast 1 2007 Spray paint on hippopotamus skull 77 × 55 × 34 cm Yvon Lambert, Paris Typhonic Beast II 2007 Spray paint on walrus skull 77 × 55 × 45 cm Private Collection Obelisk 2008 Concrete and glass 349 × 75 × 75 cm PostPunkPaganPop 2008 Installation (razor mesh and mirror) Dimensions variable Four Letter Portrait (Evil) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm Four Letter Portrait (Fate) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm Four Letter Portrait (Fear) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm Four Letter Portrait (Fire) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm Four Letter Portrait (Fuck) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
List of Works in the Exhibition
Four Letter Portrait (Lost) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Veil) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Give) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Luck) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (West) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Gyre) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Lust) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 300 × 200 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Clit) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Hate) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Play) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Will) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Host) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 300 × 200 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Prey) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Country of My Skull IX 2010 Indian ink and gesso on human skull and wood 12 × 12.5 × 22 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Kill) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Sale) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Late) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Sign) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Life) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Take) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Live) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
Four Letter Portrait (Time) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 150 × 100 cm
231
Four Letter Portrait (Gift) 2009 Plexiglass mirror 100 × 67 cm
In Advance of a Broken Arm 2010 Painted bronze and chain 81 × 20 × 8 cm Master Mistress of My Passion VII 2010 Jesmonite and glass 160 × 80 × 80 cm Monument to the F Word X 2010 Stainless steel, chain 128 × 25 × 25 cm Monument to the F Word XI 2010 Bronze 100 × 25 × 25 cm
List of Works in the Exhibition
Saint Johns Pendulum 2010 Painted bronze, nails, and chain 60 × 20 × 20 cm Private Collection France
Kaput Mortum XVI 2012 Plaster of Paris cast, bottle caps 15 × 17.5 × 20 cm Private Collection
Flesh of the Shadow Spirit 58 2011 Resin 150 × 51 × 51 cm
T.W. (CV) 1652 — 2013 Situation Dimensions variable Collection the artist
Four Letter Protest (After Daniel Buren) Performance 2011 Collection the artist
232
PrayPlayPreyPay 2011 Bronze, concrete, handcuffs 16 × 43 × 43 cm Edition 5 + 2 AP Age of Iron L 2012 Rust on Paper 200 × 130 cm Age of Iron LI 2012 Rust on Paper 200 × 130 cm Age of Iron LII 2012 Rust on Paper 200 × 130 cm Age of Iron LIII 2012 Rust on Paper 200 × 130 cm Arrested Development (Spiral) 2012 24 Murano glass police batons 170 × 170 cm
Title Withheld (Kendell Geers) 1968 — ? Performance/Situation Work will be auctioned upon the death of the artist Collection the artist
34 35 36 / 37 42 / 43 46 47 60 61 64 65 67 76 / 77 78 80 / 81 111 141 142 / 143 147 148 / 149 155 158 159 161 162 / 163 166 174 175 176 177 180 / 181 190 / 191 192 / 193 194 195 196 197 200 202 204 205 208 209 210 / 211 213 214 215
Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba John Hodgkiss Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba John Hodgkiss Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Jeannine Howse Lydie Nesvadba Stephen White Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Lydie Nesvadba Giulio Buono - Studio Blu Oak Taylor Smith Stephen White Ela Bialkowska Ela Bialkowska Lydie Nesvadba Oak Taylor Smith Ela Bialkowska Stephen White Stephen White Stephen White Stephen White Oak Taylor Smith Stephen White Stephen White Stephen White Stephen White Juerg Isler Juerg Isler Oak Taylor Smith Stephen White Ela Bialkowska Oak Taylor Smith Oak Taylor Smith Oak Taylor Smith Oak Taylor Smith Oak Taylor Smith Anthea Pokroy Anthea Pokroy
233
Photo Credits