Group curated by Candice Cruse
This group was playfully put together, combining works that require the viewer to look for some clues (and this can often be the case when we see a work that is not clearly representational) and works that are more representational in their subject matter.
Cynthia Villet’s work, Composition with herdsman, is hung above Simon Lekgetho’s Eland and hunters. The composition of Villet’s work is one of layered shapes and textures, with a few representational and recognisable elements. A clue in the title leads the viewer to the herdsman, whose form is reminiscent of figures in rock paintings, but it is also the composition that leads the eye to the herdsman. The figure is highlighted by the artist by being placed outside the ‘block’ of forms and shapes in the rest of the work. The herdsman is leading the animal into something, perhaps a vast landscape or perhaps a small place. Often, non-representational, or ‘abstract’ works allow the viewer an expansive imaginary state.
Similarly, in two depictions of ‘night’, Siphiwe Zulu’s City at night and Lucas Bambo’s At night, dots make up entire buildings, stars make up the whole sky. We know that buildings are not made of dots and that the entire sky is not only stars, but artists convince us, visually, that this is a possibility. Artists often give viewers the possibility of a suspension of belief or rooting of belief, and both are equally important and remarkable in representational and abstract work.
Now try to find the camel in the cloud in Marietha Smit’s work!
There was February… and then, October! At JMFA we have missed our usual (pre–COVID) pace of putting works together to rub shoulders with one another. One of the most fulfilling aspects of our consultancy is telling stories and encouraging conversations by looking at art. We choose works which relate to the people who live with them, and support artists in whom we believe.
And so, in our bid to put us all in a positive place in the surreal year that is 2020 and bring you some stories, we have made our own groups:
- 8 groups of 8 works which we will release on our website, week by week, every Monday, for 8 weeks
- hung and photographed in friendly spaces to give you a sense of scale
- for the release week only, if you buy 2 or more, you will pay 8% less on the total cost of the works. You can, of course, purchase only one but you will be missing out on the discount.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to enquire about the condition or to arrange to view the works at either our Cape Town or Johannesburg studio, depending on where they (and you!) are.