Stephan Erasmus | Reconstruct at NIROXprojects.
re·con·struct tr.v. re·con·struct·ed, re·con·struct·ing, re·con·structs 1. To construct again; rebuild. 2. To assemble or build again mentally; re-create: reconstructed the sequence of events from the evidence. 3. To cause to adopt a new attitude or outlook: a diehard traditionalist who could not be reconstructed. In Stephan Erasmus’s work structure plays an important role with particular focus on the encryption process. In preceding exhibitions he has used encryption systems as structures to turn the selected text into visual love letters addressed to an ever changing muse. In these exhibitions the focus was placed on the final structure as it relates to the muse this can clearly be seen in works from ‘Hartland’ where the final image in some way referenced the manifestation of the muse: the landscape, creating a direct link between the muse as Gaia. In ‘Hartland’ Gaia manifests as South Africa and the exhibition explores the artists relationship with the country as muse, sometimes as a lover and at other times as a rejected and ridiculed lover. ‘Reconstruct’ departs from the muse as the main character as seen in the previous exhibitions. In this exhibition Erasmus continues exploring the act of writing love letters through the sampling of existing text and transforming the text into two dimensional and three dimensional objects. The act of writing love letters into artworks remains a central point around which Erasmus constructs his work. However, the focus moves away from the muse as the intended reader of the love letters, in a form that resembles the muse, and focus of his production is shifting to the act of writing and the encryption of the love letters, where the letter becomes a pattern, an object that entraps the reader/muse. It has been suggested by Nick Cave at a series of lectures that the act of writing love letters can be equated to the binding of the recipient to the writer. Cave speaks of the act of writing as a ‘magical act’ of weaving a web and trapping the beloved in the web, binding the recipient to the writer. In ‘Reconstruct’ Erasmus continues to encrypt selected sections of existing text taken from love songs and poetry. In this body of work the text becomes an incantation to bind the muse to the words. For Erasmus the act of writing/weaving/reconstruction of the text becomes the focus. The process of encryption becomes in a very physical sense the weaving or the building of a web that would entangle the reader. Stephan Erasmus is a Johannesburg based artist. Contact: Neil Nieuwoudt T: +27 72 350 4326 E: neil.nieuwoudt@gmail.com Stephan Erasmus, entitled Reconstruct (20 October – 06 November). Reconstruct opens on...
The Grande Hotel, Beira Exhibition.
We love Mozambique, unlike South Africa it is a land of contrasts, as they endured a devastating civil war lasting 15 years while the country is opening up to tourism in leaps and bounds, the contrasts of the life pre-war and post war are there to be seen by the naked eye. This exhibition brings a new light to this African country. We hope to see you at the opening of a wonderful exhibition at gallery MOMO. Details after the jump. The exhibition opens on the 30th of May 2013. Time: 6PM Concludes: 17 June 2013 For more details visit:...
Wilhelm Saayman presents…
In Season Five Everyone Dies Join us for the opening on Wednesday 15 May 2013 (18:00 – 20:00) Wilhelm Saayman will be present at the opening. In his statement he said; In season five the whole cast, lured by the promise of incredible riches, boarded a plane and set off for an island where a madman hid his treasure centuries ago. The aircraft crashed, and the surviving passengers ended up eating one another until only one man was left: me. Where? In season five everyone dies Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2013 A Drawn Conclusion North-West University Botanical Garden Gallery, Potchefstroom 2013 King for a Day Gallery Art on Paper, Johannesburg 2012 Joburg Art Fair Johannesburg 2012 Joburg Art Fair Johannesburg 2011 The Wrong Pills Gallery Art on Paper, Johannesburg 2011 Draw Links Gallery Art on Paper, Johannesburg 2010....
Exhibition by Nicholas Hlobo
STEVENSON Johannesburg presents a solo exhibition by Nicholas Hlobo this Thursday 25th April from 6-8pm. For information visit: www.stevenson.co.za....
Drum down on Heritage Day
What an opportunity Representers, make sure to catch the Once Off performance at the JAG of master drummer Samson Mudzunga this Heritage Day: Legendary drum-maker Samson Mudzunga will be presenting his latest performance: Fish Drum from Lake Fundudzi. The two-hour performance will incorporate the domba, malende and tshikona dances. During the performance Mudzunga will also re-enact his arrest after an altercation with Venda chiefs. The drum that Mudzunga will be using for this performance is large enough for him to fit inside. The drum was made from wood drawn from the spiritually charged waters of Lake Fundudzi in Limpopo. Samson Mudzunga is a self taught artist who was born near Lake Fundudzi in 1938. He has been exhibiting his work since 1988. Much of his works are based on over-sized drums which he uses during his performances. These drums are also adaptations of traditional drums used during various Venda ceremonies such as initiation rituals. By transforming these drums both in form and conceptually to new and often non-sacral uses, Mudzunga straddles the divide between traditional art and contemporary art. For instance one of Mudzunga performances involves him being buried in one of the drums only to...
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