Subject To Change: Exhibition catalogue of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

ROOM Presents:

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

19.04 - 31.05.2012

SALT

2012

Salt and resin

47 cm x 32 cm

Edition 1 of 2

ROOM is a new independent multi-disciplinary exhibition and project based space focused on collaboration, dialogue and exchange.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

This exhibition is the artist s first Solo show and reflects her continued interrogation into value systems and the formation of worth around substances and materials. Johnston is interested in the ongoing change and significance of the values of materials in relation to their context and transformation from 'raw' material and substances into art objects.

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The work consists of a series of 12 vessels made of found i.e. discarded, collected and donated materials. The materials the artist has used are, historically, those for which people have given their lives and for which lives have been traded.

By definition a vessel is a functional object, a bowl, capable of holding and containing. It represents abundance and poverty, the possibility of fullness and its antithesis, emptiness. In this investigation the artist relies on the alchemist symbolic reading of a vessel, being a container for the soul. The shape of the vessels references the oldest known clay vessel, fragments of which were found in the Yuchanyan Cave in China, dated at over 18,000 years old.

ARTIST S STATEMENT

I am interested in contextual values, definitions and symbolisms attributed to materials. I am also interested in the notion that things are often defined by their antithesis and that often the formation of a value is around a threat of absence. There is pain and fear associated with absence, with a thing that once filled space both literally and figuratively, now open and vulnerable to be absorbed, used, ignored or quoted. My work almost always refers to a specific historical and cultural context of the material used.

I generally work with three themes: Substances and value theory, preservation and the threat of absence, trauma and evidence thereof in representation.

This show speaks about the formation of various kinds of value, and worth, attributed to objects and the reasons for these. I have used materials that have both present and historical references. I have generally used substances that otherwise may be overlooked, discarded or not considered as art making materials. In the collection of these it also became important to me that the materials were generally donated or found as they are materials of such historically exceptional value, disproportionate to what they are today in an Urban setting.

When these thoughts are applied to each sculpture and the material is considered, entirely new sets of connotations and implications arise. As objects of cultural capital I am interested in the continual shifts in value these objects will succumb to. Be they economic, due to raw material value as in the case of the copper; sentimental, due to the artists selection and collection of this set of materials over others; cultural, having associations to right of passage rituals or as status symbols; rarity, as in the search for the unusual or exotic; philosophical, because it has entered art discourse or purely that it has being singled out to be discussed.

I like that these concepts are slippery and that they will shift with time.

Mandy Johnston, 2012

ROOM is proud to host the exhibition titled SUBJECT TO CHANGE and thus provide a platform for Mandy to showcase this new body of work. The exhibition plays on the notion of the art object as an aesthetic creation while beckoning the question of what constitutes its value? Be it the appreciation of the viewer or the worth it is given in fiscal terms. Do the materials from which the works are made of have a contextual value and thus create a greater meaning, or are they merely a symbolic commodity?

5% of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to a Feeding Scheme started by the artist and her family, the Johnstons. The scheme provides school day meals to 250 kids in Lula Isandla in Mpopomeni KwaZulu-Natal. For more information please visit: www.lula-isandla.co.za

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

The work is constructed from sections of salt collected at a salt pan on the west coast of South Africa.

Due to its preservative quality salt and by extension salt pans was one of the primary reasons for early human settlement. Added to this, trade of salt is considered by many historians to be the reason for human interaction outside of a family unit. The further from the source of collection, the more valuable the Salt became.

A unit of salt, measuring a hand and a half long by 3 by 4 fingers eventually became used as a recognized currency by merchants who traded goods along the west coast of Africa. At the height of the slave trade in 1500 one block of salt could be traded for a slave. Modern existence relies on salt which is used in the manufacture of many products and food stuffs for example in the refining of oil.

In its transformation into an art object this material is given a new worth and significance. In its fragility and susceptibility to environmental conditions, hereby the concept of transience of value is explored.

SALT

2012

Salt and resin

47 cm x 32 cm

Edition 1 of 2

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

The silk road was a trade route between the East and Europe. There is evidence and documentation of this interconnecting system of routes dating back to 3000bce. The Roman obsession with Silk encouraged these routes to be formalized. Both the monetary and knowledge wealth of Italy is largely due to this trade route being developed to trade by ship. The knowledge and studies funded by the trade informs much of western thought today.

Fabric as a status symbol of wealth is exemplified in portraits from the renaissance period. Many merchants made huge fortunes by trading fabrics and silk from the east and employed artists to immortalize this in commissioned portraiture.

As a subtle material not often used in art, the interest for the artist in this substance lay specifically in its beauty and translucency as well as the rigorous process production. The translucency symbolically referencing the transience of values attributed to it.

SILK

2012

Silk and resin

43 cm x 33 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

This work reflects on opiates which are the group of drugs responsible for the development of modern medicines and narcotics. Evidence of cultivated opium poppies has been found dating back to the Minoan civilization(2700 - 1450BC, Crete).

In today s context, the trade in heroin derived from the growth of poppies is illegal, yet it is an income generating industry funding various insurgent groups and the purchase of firearms.

This medium was chosen because it symbolically refers to different type of life given . Those of the mules, addicts and traders. It was also chosen because different category of substance valued by humans, that of a chemical substance. It was also chosen because of the symbolism of a seeds potential to grow.

POPPY SEED

2012,

Poppy Seed and resin

47 cm x 35 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

The sand for this work was collected on a mining concession on South Africa s West coast.

“Placer mining� is a from of prospecting which involves miners using surface signs to track minerals, showing them where to mine/ dive. Red veins of sand on beaches are placers for diamond deposits along the west coast. The beach sand is red as it literally contains rubies and other precious and semi-precious minerals including diamonds, topaz, sapphires, garnets, as well as black lava rock.

The work reflects on mining, both formal and informal, and specifically the loss of lives due to the dangerous conditions miners work in.

Interestingly the value or worth is based on its rarity and not substance itself as the minerals are so tiny it is not collected. Miners and in search of larger pieces and they are in a quandary of what to do with it and how to value it if it was collected.

SAND

2012

Garnets, rubies, topaz, sapphire, diamonds, volcanic lave rock, other particles, resin.

47 x 36 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

This vessel was created by layering crushed cowrie and abalone shells with resin over a form.

Cowrie shells in ancient Africa were prized over other shells due to there reflective surface. Considered beautiful they were stitched to cloth and made into jewellery and in this way they came to denoted status. Because of their reflective surfaces they were symbolic of ancestral spirits and they were used in cultural dress and ceremonies. For these reasons cowries became one of the earliest forms of currency within Africa and were eventually traded with Europeans for goods such as ivory, cloth, leather and precious metals.

The abalone shell similarly prized for its beauty was traded and use by the Maori people as a symbol of wealth and status. Called pﾄ「a in New Zealand, it is used to this day in traditional dress and carvings.

In today s context the work comments on the materials shifting worth. Abalone shell is traded with Chinese nationals in exchange for chemicals used in the production of narcotic drugs. A barter system that allows for trade with more ease than the exchange of money, hence avoiding money laundering transactions.

SHELL

2012

Abalone and Cowrie shell

47 x 36 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

Nguni cattle hide carries symbolic significance in Southern Africa. It is included in many African cultural rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings, initiations and funerals.

Oral history tells us that King Shaka was aware of the importance of herding Nguni cattle They were prized for their meat, hide and resilience to the elements. In the Zulu culture men carried cowhide shields for their specific symbolisms. Each pattern and colour carried its own meanings and connotations.

Cowhide was an integral part of trade within Africa, between tribes. This included trade for slaves as well as wives.

In making this work the Hide was pinned in place and a layer of resin was painted inside so that it holds its form.

It is because of human demand for beef that much of the rainforests are being turned into feeding padocks, a fate that many ecologist fear will directly impact the health of this planet.

HIDE

2012

Nguni cow hide

340mm x 500mm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

The work interrogates the notion of land and its significance for peoples in terms of belonging and rights. The materials used signify the problematisation around the notion of possession. The loss of lives for land in this case reflecting on Israel and the ongoing turmoil over possession of the land.

The use of porcelain is in contrast to this, with a reference to its beauty, fineness, fragility and luster. Porcelain has been a material treasured by collectors from ancient times until the present day. Interestingly, porcelain derives its present name from old Italian porcellana( meaning cowrie shell) because of its resemblance to the translucent surface of the shell.

The work was constructed using traditional methods of working with this material. It was hand formed, fired in a kiln and sawdust fired, burnished and waxed. The beautiful colouration is due to the sawdust firing,, the crack is due to firing the object towards the back of the kiln and the small imperfections on the surface are where some of the Israeli sand melted and burned out.

CLAY

2012

Porcelain and Israeli sand

45 x 34 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

The work is a framework of steel, welded together onto which rusted nails are bound with wire. The nails are from shipwrecked trade ships along the west coast.

The work refers to the presence of trade ships along the west African coast line and the double standards of trade between European merchants and African peoples.

As one of the only African Semi-formalised currencies that would retain its value past a certain point on the globe going north to Europe, metal was in great demand. To clarify, currency such as cowrie shell would lose economic value completely once passed a certain point on route north of Africa.

The economic value related to metal is subverted in this case as there is almost no steel left in these nails, they have chemically altered to rust.

The ship as representative of the west, the rusted nails representative of the introduction and eventual demise of these systems. Now transformed and realized as an art object the material value has become reinvented.

STEEL

2012

Rusted Steel Nails

500mm x 400mm

Edition 1 of 2

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

Copper was known as the "red gold" of Africa. In 1550, 12 to15 manillas ( bracelets) of brass could be traded for a slave, less if they were of copper. This work is constructed of copper and brass parts of pre-existing, donated objects, they were spun and braised together. The central section of the artwork is brass, clearly visible to trained eye due to the colour shift. (Brass is 70% copper).

Manillas are one of the earliest forms of African currency, symbolically they appear on modern Nigerian monetary notes.

They were traded within Africa, between tribesman for goods and wives, as well as gifts between tribe elders to create good will, communication and treaties.

We still use copper today for communication. Copper wires are stolen daily, interfering with telecommunication, an information currency considered one of the most valuable commodities today.

COPPER

2012

Copper and Brass

40 cm x 50 cm

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

This work was created by using off cuts that remained from the making of piano keys.

The ivory is extremely old, keys are no longer made of ivory. The material was handed down through generations within a family known to the artist.

The Ivory is on loan to the artist in lieu of sale. The work has been presented as a silent auction, inviting interested parties to bid, thus prompting the viewer to consider the history that created the perceived value of this material.

The notion of recycling somehow does not sit as easily as in the case of the other works. Perhaps this is due to the media coverage of current rhino poaching issues or because the history of elephant ivory trade that is very well known within South African society. In today s context and despite a 23-year old ban on international trade in ivory, elephants continue to be poached for ivory. 2011 saw the highest number of large seizures of illegal ivory for more than two decades.

The work deals with the concept of value attributed to historically problematic material. It poses questions of awareness, tradition, time and context being factors in the creation of value. The work also poses questions of responsibility for the use of materials in art making. The work challenges my own choices of materials, be they literal remnants of events or the use of other material, for example photographic documentation. It challenges the notion that artists intentions somehow protect us from taking responsibility for using them in art works. I am still at odds with these issues. Johnston 2012

IVORY

2012

Ivory – Old piano keys

45 x 35 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

This work looks at social and cultural values we attach to objects. Plastic is made of monomers which are, in most cases, derived from oil.

“I wanted to use plastic because of its derivation from oil and the global implications of this material. I was influenced by recent stories in the media of people being murdered and attacked for there cell phones. Essentially an instrument of communication, it seems ironic and sad that it should be this object, and the perception of societal status it represents that has caused so many tragedies.’

This object explores perceived value given to objects and materials and the notion that these give the object significance and power. In melting the object the perceived value is subverted but in its reconstitution to art object it is re-invented.

PLASTIC

2012

Plastic – Plastic cell phone castings and parts

46 x 35 cm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

An exhibition of sculptural works by Mandy Johnston

Coir rope is made of twined coconut husk.

In Polynesia, coir rope is given prestige and is considered the most valuable material on earth. Being one of the very few salt resistant textiles it is prized above all things as is used for everything from, building houses and fishing to twined balls, hung from roof trusses as displays of wealth. In the west this material is barely observed and if so it is not a prized substance.

This work refers to another piece titled ‘Coir’, a drawing for which burned coir charcoal was mixed with water and then used to paint coir rope. The work directly questions the formation of value of art objects by literally destroying one set in exchange for another.

The work explores a substance with practical function transformed into an aesthetic object. A position it finds its self navigating in both cultural value systems.

COIR

2012

Coir and resin

500mm x 400mm

Edition 1 of 3

Images Courtesy of the artist

Photographs by: Mandy Johnston

ABOUT ROOM

ROOM is a new and independent initiative set up by Urbanart Project, showcasing visual arts-led, multidisciplinary programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, on-line and off-site projects providing mainly emerging artists with agency and opportunities to present their work. A space dedicated to collaboration, inter-disciplinary dialogue and exchange.

ROOM aims to be a part of an interrogative and constructive urban culture, which draws its references from its surrounding environment and by doing so, informs its visual sensibility, creative programming and values.

ROOM hopes to be a context, which increases awareness of the multitude of creative production, through the projects it engages with (be they poetry, music, performance or visual art based) and to take full advantage of the ever-increasing number of platforms in the public domain.

ROOM will function as an independent visual arts exhibitions and project based space, with monthly artistic programming.

ROOM Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 10h00 – 17h00 Saturday 10h00 - 15h00

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