Johan Thom | New works from the Animal Series, 2013 - 2014

JO H A N TH O M | N ew wor ks f r om th e An imal s e r ie s , 2013 - 2014

Johan Thom | New works from the Animal Series, 2013 – 2014 16 February – 9 March 2014

NIROXprojects at Arts on Main presents a new series of works from the Animal Series by Johan Thom. Central to this series of works is Thom’s ongoing investigation of his own material encounter with an African elephant skull.

The exhibition is divided into three bodies of works: etchings; drawings and sculpture. Over the period of eight months Thom produced a set of five large-scale etchings in collaboration with Willem Boshoff, Diane Victor, David Koloane and Bevan de Wet. In collaboration with Thom, each artist was invited to create an aesthetic response to the elephant skull: Thom would first work on the plate by for example making a full body print or scratching the plate’s surface with the elephant skull. After this, the plate was given to the collaborating artist to work over and layer by adding further marks, visual or conceptual elements, drawing from the encounter with the elephant skull.

The exhibition also includes a set of charcoal and mixed media drawings that remind of Rorschach patterns. These observational drawings appear almost ghost-like in their rendering of the three-dimensional shape of the skull in shades of white upon blotches of ordinary blackboard paint.

Also showing as part of this exhibition is a bronze and mixed media sculpture produced in collaboration with Guy du Toit.

The artist wishes to thank the NIROX Foundation for their generous support throughout this project and the Artist Proof Studios.

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

Installation view of Johan Thom: New works from the Animal series, 2013 - 2014 | NIROXprojects

D RAW ING

Spectre 1 (from the Animal Series 2013) | 37 x 98 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 15 000.00 (excl VAT)

Spectre 2 (from the Animal Series 2013) | 37 x 98 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 15 000.00 (excl VAT)

Animal #1 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #2 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #3 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #4 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #5 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #6 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #7 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #8 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

Animal #9 | 39 x 51,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 7 250.00 each (excl. VAT)

The Reader (from the Animal Series 2013) - for David Koloane | 100,5 x 150,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 42 500 (excl VAT)

The Blind Man (from the Animal Series 2013) - for Willem Boshoff | 100,5 x 150,5 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 42 500 (excl VAT)

Not all elephant skulls - this elephant skull (from the Animal Series 2013) | 75,5 x 49,2 cm | Drawing (blackboard paint; chalk; pastel and turpentine on fabriano) | R 45 000.00 (excl VAT)

E TC HING

Plate I (collaboration with Bevan de Wet) | 200 x 110 cm | Etching | Edition of 6 | R 37 500 (excl. VAT)

Plate II (collaboration with Diane Victor) | 200 x 110 cm | Etching | Edition of 6 | R 37 500 (excl. VAT)

Plate III (only Johan Thom) | 200 x 110 cm | Etching | Edition of 6 | R 37 500 (excl. VAT)

Plate IV (collaboration with David Koloane) | 200 x 110 cm | Etching | Edition of 6 | R 37 500 (excl. VAT)

Plate V (collaboration with Willem Boshoff) | 200 x 110 cm | Etching | Edition of 6 | R 62 500 (excl. VAT)

S C ULP TUR E

Installation view of Johan Thom and Guy du Toit collaborative sculptures

Untitled Series 1 (collaboration with Guy du Toit) Dimensions variable Bronze sculpture with polyurethane foam R 120 000.00 each (excl VAT)

Untitled Series 2 (collaboration with Guy du Toit) Dimensions variable Bronze sculpture with polyurethane foam R 120 000.00 each (excl VAT)

Untitled Series 3 (collaboration with Guy du Toit) Dimensions variable Bronze sculpture with polyurethane foam R 120 000.00 each (excl VAT)

SHORT BIOGRAPHY Johan Thom was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1976. From 2008 2013 Thom relocated to London in order to pursue a PhD on ‘Materiality in contemporary fine art’ at the Slade School of Fine Art (UCL) on a Commonwealth scholarship.

Thom works across a variety of media including sculpture, video, performance, drawing and printmaking. His works have been included in exhibitions at the Venice Biennale (2003), the Canary Islands Biennale (2006), the Palazzo delle Papesse (2008), the Johannesburg Art Gallery (2004, 2005), and at the Iwalewa Haus (2010) in Germany. He is an active presence in the art research community and has participated in conferences and workshops at Documenta 13 (2012), the University of Cambridge (2009), GradCam in Dublin (2010), the Finnish Academy of Fine Art (2010), the Slade School of Fine Art (2010, 2011, 2012), ‘Real Presence’ at the Venice Biennale (2005), the University of Bayreuth (2010), and elsewhere. www.johanthom.com

NIROXprojects | 264 Fox Street | Arts on Main | MABONENG PRECINCT | Johannesburg CBD www.niroxarts.com Catalogue layout and design by Neil Nieuwoudt | 2014