Published 09 August 2022 in Exhibition Blogs
Live conversations
This exhibition, which opened last
Saturday (6th), was conceptualised by Sammy Müller, Viola Greyling, and an old
school friend. And the curation was accomplished yet again by Sammy with help
from Viola and Marilise Snyman.
Firstly, as mentioned in the
previous blog talking with various artists in this exhibit, the works we
received surprised us by their creativity, beauty, and energy. The magnetic
works by Martini Coetzee with the alluring works by Inanda Page and Heidi Mielke’s peaceful and stunning prints, all alongside Sybrand Wiechers’
sculptures quite aptly reflecting our emotions and attitudes towards
loadshedding (and the government) at the moment.
What was truly beautiful was how
some works are what they are (“It is what it is” quoted by Heidi Mielke) and
others are fantastic commentaries on our dark situation. This variety created
interesting discussions and observations: Heidi’s “It’s Behind Me…Isn’t It”
was interpreted more than “what it is”; as glowing and shining through the
dark, and put in relation to her “Sea Dragon” (lino print of a sea
horse) in thinking of sinking to your deepest and lowest to become more than
you ever imagined (thanks Nicholas).
Something a little more interactive
was introduced with Benjamin Mitchley’s “Stairway to Another World”
which is animated using the Artivive app, creating an animation of progressing
though his artwork. Even better: the work itself is an illusion and quite
captivating. Other works which took hours and serious concentration were
created by Emlee Myburgh with various guests having to double-check that her
works really are created by hand with a fine-liner and are not actually prints
via computer designs. Nope: fine-liner all the way for Emlee!
So as a quick summary I hope its
been appropriately hinted at that Saturday was an absolute blast and success
for the artists, visitors and the gallery. Beautiful and some quirky works were
brought together to create an energetic, magnetic and overall brilliant
exhibition. The conversations between artists, and between artists and art
enthusiasts were delightful, captivating, and some rather entertaining. One of
the best outcomes may be that what resulted was a positive showcasing of works
– the artists brought positive spins and attitudes through their works, instead
of getting stuck in the emotions of frustrations or demotivation that
loadshedding tends to evoke in us. These works really are a shining light,
blooming in the dark, during some dark – literally, figuratively, and
personally – times.
So, thank you. Thank you to Sammy, Viola, Edmond and Naomi for bringing it all together.
- Cassandra Comins