Na-ure / After hours (2018)I made this painting for an exhibition organized by Stellenbosch university on its 100 year commemoration. The exhibition was titled "Forward? Forward. Forward!" and asked artists to reflect on the progress/ lack of progress the institution has made in the light of current South African issues.
I wrote the following text accompanying the painting. Like the figure in the scene, the painter works alone, apron over clothes, brush in hand, hour after hour, day after day. Their contribution to the larger societal agenda is easy to miss, but without their presence it cannot function. * Scene from the Van der Sterr building, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. |
Pictures at an exhibition (2018)Inspired by Mussorgsky
A recasting of the 10 themes in an African context, inspired by travels, studies and everyday life. Listen to the music here. No. 1 "The Gnome" No. 2 "The Old Castle" No. 3 "Tuileries (Children's Quarrel after Games)" No. 4 "Cattle" No. 5 "Ballet of Unhatched Chicks" No. 6 "Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle" No. 7 "Limoges. The Market (The Great News)" No. 8 "Catacombs (Roman Tomb)" No. 9 "The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga)" No. 10 "The Bogatyr Gates (In the Capital in Kiev)" |
Michael at the studio window (2015)This painting was inspired by a particular ceramic studio at Makerere University, Kampala.
It is dedicated to Omadi Michael, Bbalaba Edward, Bombooka Henry, Ssekibala Andrew and Adongo Carolynne, who created a safe space for me in their Ceramics studio. At the time I wrote: "With ongoing instances of xenophobia in South Africa, I have become acutely aware of the importance and impact of hospitality. Truly, the support of foreigners and minorities in SA does not reside in the hands of international policy makers, but meets us in the everyday spaces of shops, campuses, studios and homes." |
Digital vistas (2018)This series of images was created for an exhibition exploring Cape Town and its many faces. A rotating GIF image based on geographical data points was displayed on a tablet.
Abstract: Tech and Coding has created a world that is significantly changing the way we live. We now spend much of our time as digital explorers, spending less and less time navigating the material world. We are continually discovering new continents and creating new colonies, not unlike the Portuguese sailors who explored the world without really understanding the consequences thereof. Hindsight offers us the ability to judge and critique the past, but not to see our own actions clearly. Even though Tech has the potential to improve our lives, it doesn’t yet enable us to see ourselves for what we are. Pride comes to a fall, mistakes lead to tragedy, and human error remains part of the equation |
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Die Kruisiging / The passion (2017)This series of pen and charcoal drawings was commissioned for "Die Kruisiging", the first Afrikaans St John's passion by composer Winfried Ludemann (2017)
In this series of drawings I was asked to create 7 synoptic sketches representing 7 moments in the crucifixion narrative in John’s gospel, namely his arrest, his trial, his crowning with thorns, his presentation to the crowd (behold the man - Ecce homo), the crowd’s response (‘crucify him’), Jesus’s death on the cross, and finally, his body taken from the cross. Although the 7 moments represent 7 historical events, they speak in more general terms to themes such as accusation and guilt, trial and sin, death, loss and longing, alienation, all of which find special relevance in the modern city context. In their simplicity I hope the drawings will communicate to both Christian and non-Christian audiences, finding ways to address our own experiences of suffering, loss or injustice in a 21th-century context. |