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Here are some of the highlights from the exhibition:
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MOMO Gallery
Patricia Driscoll - Digital Print - "Untitled 1, 2, 3, 4"
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The artist Dumile Feni’s pieces of pencil on paper (“Untitled”) were some of the best from this gallery as well as Patricia Driscoll’s digital prints (“Untitled” 1, 2, 3, 4) grabbed my attention more than anything else form the MOMO Gallery. The pieces from Patricia Driscoll are reminiscent of the Art by Marilyn Manson – in my personal opinion, one of the darkest and contemporary non-commercial artists of our time.
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The Goodman Gallery
The one set of artwork that stood out the most were the pieces from Gehard Marx (appropriate name for his subject matter). Hi pieces (named by myself – “Atlas Skulls”) are a set of torn up relief and topographical maps placed together to form a human skull. The two pieces next to one another were highly pervasive and were the definite highlight of The Goodman Gallery’s contribution.
A special installation by the artist Kathryn Smith was one of the major highlights for me as an artist. Her installation entitled “Trauma Diorama: The Quarry” depicts a woman’s brush with death and her own struggle to maintain control over her own mind. The installation incorporated the use if visual media, literature in the form of a written story placed on the walls of the installation booth, photography as a set of time line photo’s were placed in sequence at eye-level height as well as the atmosphere of the installation. The atmosphere was communicated through visual, colouring and sound. This was one of the highlights for me at JAF2010.
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SMAC Gallery
Kay Hassan’s pieces entitled “Untitled”, cotton rag with archival pigmented ink, are a set of ± A0 high quality prints depicting a close up of a vagrants hands (for all intensive purposes, image the mangiest, dirtiest hobo you can think of…), worn and dirty from a lifetime on the streets, rolling a joint or “spliff” out of a piece of magazine paper. The images it conjures up is a gross and harsh one but when viewing them in the series they were shot it…the images are extremely powerful and instead of the gross, one’s mind is swayed to the idea that this person is simply making the best out of life…no matter how down trodden his/her circumstances may be.
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AOP Gallery
This for me was one of the highlights and possibly my favourite installation/piece at the exhibition. The piece by Nathaniel Stern and Jessica Meunnick-Ganger entitled “KinnickKinnic” is a small media/constructed/fine art and sketch piece depicts a scene in motion. The scene places on inside of a car as the LCD image placed behind the lithograph screens a street view that passes by as though one was actually being driven or driving in the “car” itself. What makes this piece even more incredible is that the “review mirror” depicted on the lithograph shows in perfect sequence the passed scenery encountered as the scene moves forward.
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Nathaniel Stern and Jessica Meunnick-Ganger - “KinnickKinnic” - LCD through lithograph
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Tough to picture? Sorry you missed it…!
Another famed artist exhibited by the AOP Gallery was Walter Batiss, known for his minimalistic sketches, etchings and paintings. What I have to say here and I believe I could possibly be shot for this, but Walter Batiss and his subject matter loses me completely. I find his work completely and utterly boring, let alone unappealing…!
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David Krut Projects
Even before attending JAF 2010 I was excited to see Stephen Hobbs’ work and upon entering this Gallery, I was slapped in the face with what I thought was a Grade 9’s arts and crafts piece, there was Stephen Hobbs’ work in all it’s…bland glory. His work is lacking in subject matter, without the artist’s explanation the work is lost in misinterpretation. I find his work reaching for meaning and reason.
Diane Victor’s series of dry point sketches were some of my favourite smaller pieces of the exhibition. Recently, I have become extremely fond of the work “1000 Drawings” has been doing throughout the world and specifically here in South Africa. Diane’s sketches were reminiscent of the intricacy and freedom that the “doodlers and 1000 D’s” artists exhibit on a daily basis.
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Galerie Peter Herrmann
My favourite piece from this gallery would have to have been the photographic series of “Lagos Uncelebrated” from George Osodi. These c-prints on Aludibond depict some incredible “everyday” scenes for the people living in Lagos. What the series is attempting to portray is that even among the poverty and the state that some of the parts of the country are in at present…there is still an enormous amount of beauty to be taken out of the everyday happenings, people and buildings that surround those less fortunate in Lagos.
The pieces were very moving and visceral, it’s comforting to know that no matter what is happening in the world, there are still some people who can derive joy, beauty and happiness out of life.
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Everard Read Gallery
Upon entry into this gallery space you are met with a number of installations and pieces that are eye catching simply on their sheer size and mass. For instance, at the entrance I engaged the Gallery from, Willem Boshoff’s piece entitled, “Coprohemism” clads the wall of the Gallery entrance…the image is self-explanatory *chuckles*.
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Willem Boshoff - "Coprohemism" - Wood Carving
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Another “larger than life” installation, which stood out from the rest of the pieces from this gallery was the straw/thatch sculpturing from the prolific Angus Taylor. This incredible piece must stand more than 2 meters high by 2-3 meters wide in the shape of a bald man’s head, neck and shoulders. The piece is unmistakably brilliant and is unbelievably eye-catching. It is truly imposing and again falls into my favourites from this exhibition. The composition of the piece was, thatch, twine, steel wire, steel frame, insect and fireproof chemical treatment from preservation purposes. The piece abstractly entitled, “Adrift”.
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Brodie/Stevenson Gallery
My favourite piece from this gallery has got to be a singular digital print from the artist, Michael MacGarry entitled, “Luand, Angola, 2019”. The image is of a seemingly futuristic city skyline, wait…let me rephrase that, it looks like a wire frame scene from The Jetsons…oh yes, I went there! On a serious note, this is an incredible piece and the detailing to the wireframe composition is staggering to say the least. The simplicity for the print works perfectly in unison with the complexity of the composition of the cityscape! The image is endearing in the fact that it’s idealistic and fantastical as there is an inkling that a city like Lagos may never see such prosperity and development…in essence, the image is not only fantastical and endearing, but sad and awakening.
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"Fluid" by Martli Jansen van Rensburg
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A part from the gallery’s contributions to the exhibition, there were various “special projects” that were on display, some of which were impressive and others that seemed extremely out of place at the exhibition. The constant theme throughout JAF 2010 is the interaction between “Industry and Art” and more importantly, the fusion between the two creative fields. For example, the Grolsch installation entitled “Fluid” was set to be one of the highlights for JAF 2010 and unfortunately, in my opinion…the installation was lost. The glasswork was impressive to say the least but the overall display was weak. The installation should have been over the top and it wasn’t…I believe the installation could have been at least 5 times its original size and as stated before, I think that on sheer size and volume, the Grolsch installation was lost.
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Siemon Allen - "Records"
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Another special project that seemed to have more attention placement on it was the series of “Records” from the featured artist for JAF 2010, Siemon Allen. The enormous canvasses depict aged shellac disks of original African audio books and recordings. The installation itself had been placed in a singular passage way with the art works placed opposite to one another much like a private gallery would exhibit a series of art works. The installation was brilliant and the mood the “semi-private gallery” created was phenomenal!
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In conclusion, the JAF 2010 exhibition was filled with “moments of gold and flashes of light” (yes, I did just quote Celine Dion) but in essence, I found the exhibition to be lacking actual engagement to the art works. Every gallery was decorated and displayed in the same way, was it for uniformity or thematic appeal…? Whatever it was for…it didn’t work and a part from my favourite pieces mentioned above, I found the exhibition wanting. Wanting from a substance and viewership point of view.
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Maybe someone needs a slap...? I'm just saying...
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Don’t get me wrong, most of the art was inspiring, but exhibition lacked soul. Possibly in the future the organizers should try and be less obsessed with looking like a professional organization and begin to recapture that part of what art is all about…the soul.
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