William Kentridge
dal 31/1/2007 al 2/3/2007
Segnalato da
31/1/2007
William Kentridge
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art, New York
Works on Paper from 1980's and 1990's. Prints and drawings from the 1980s and 1990s by the renowned South African artist that bring into full view the horrors caused by the Apartheid in South Africa (1948 - 1994), and the ensuing collective amnesia since its dissolution. By often times using himself as a model or reinterpreting imagery from popular culture, he seeks to convey the enduring need to acknowledge and account for the country's past.
Works on Paper from 1980's and 1990's
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art is pleased to present an exhibition of prints and
drawings from the 1980s and 1990s by the renowned South African artist William
Kentridge (b. 1955). This exhibition provides a rare glimpse of these works, which
provide the basis for his celebrated short animated films.
In a straightforward and recognizable style, Kentridge's works on paper bring
into full view the horrors caused by the Apartheid in South Africa (1948 - 1994), and the ensuing collective amnesia since its dissolution. By often times
using himself as a model or reinterpreting imagery from popular culture, he seeks to
convey the enduring need to acknowledge and account for the country's past.
The works from this period reference several European painters, who also set out to
expose the cruelties and unjust ways of the world, to name a few. Similar to these
artists, Kentridge communicates both the physical and emotional effects of this
condition through the human figure. One such example is Sleeper, which presents the
process of sleep as a metaphor for one's strong desire to forget or discount
the horrid facets of history. However, all sleepers must ultimately awaken, and
answer for what they have been privy to.
This message does not end with Kentridge's works and their reference to the
Apartheid, but rather can be applied to other cultures, as well as recent and
present conditions of exploitation. The ultimate objective of the artist's
works is perhaps best articulated in his own words:
I have never tried to make illustrations of apartheid, but the drawings and the
films are certainly spawned by, and feed off, the brutalised society left in its
wake. I am interested in a political art, that is to say, an art of ambiguity,
contradiction, uncompleted gestures and uncertain endings. An art (and a politics)
in which optimism is kept in check and nihilism at bay.
Thus they hold an eternal significance that eerily resonates everywhere at anytime,
and it is up to the viewer to recognize its personal implication, wake
up and take action.
(William Kentridge)
Opening reception: Thursday, February 1, 6 - 9 PM
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art
547 West 27th Street - New York
Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 to 6:00 PM or by appointment.