DYNAMIC: a B Tech Collective. Vosloo, Van Zyl, Winter, Marais and Serebro.

FADA Gallery 

Opening; 4 November 18:30 - 19:00

The exhibition runs until 10 November.

This is a must see exhibition of a very talented and creative group of B Tech students -  showcasing their craftsmanship in a diverse range of contemporary art statements. On exhibition, the first of two group exhibitions, are prints exploring the relationship between body and landscape, hyper and cyber realistic  ballpoint pen drawings (masterfully executed) and three installations. All very different but meticulously concieved and realised in a variety of disciplines incorporating the readymade. 

Alex Vosloo

From drawing to printing, and even sculpting, my artistic practice visually explores the relationship between body and landscape. With a minimal approach to visual references my work engages with the traditional and the contemporary.

By employing the work of J.H. Pierneef, a self-proclaimed Afrikaner nationalist, my aim is to explore Afrikaner traditions and values from the perspective of a contemporary white South African male. What is increasingly evident in my art however, is my interest in the appropriation of culture. In exploring, for example, the traditional Zulu leopard-print motif, I find that a dialogue emerges between what was once considered the ‘norm’ and how these notions have been reshaped in a contemporary context.

The placement of the human form in specific spaces alludes to how the two inform one another and how this information may be received by an audience. In our experience of engaging with the work we may allow ourselves to become aware of how we are placed in a certain place or situation in time and how this may inform, to a larger extent, our identities.

サイゲン/ CYGEN

Jamy van Zyl

Cygen is a body of work that depicts my infatuation and relationship with Japanese culture through the influence of Cybernetic intervention. In this body of work I imagine myself and my relationship with Japan through a series of cyborg bodies. I am constantly logged into cyberspace, exploring Japanese culture whilst simultaneously existing in a South African context. The cyborgs that I create in my artworks are therefore responses to how I imagine my cybernetic and real experiences of Japan to manifest in the form of images.

If you are squeamish do not prod the rubble on the beach  - Sappho

Colleen Winter

The Black Madonna has her roots in ancient times when the feminine life force was acknowledged and worshipped as the Great Goddess. 

Today, we might not worship her per se, but I believe that she is relevant in our contemporary society. From a psychological standpoint the Black Madonna can be viewed as an inner force at work in the human psyche. Viewed spiritually, the Black Madonna may be seen as a source of inspiration and transformation.

My body of work is an installation of many individual pieces, and I have chosen the quote from the ancient Greek poetess Sappho as its title because it aptly describes aspects of the Black Madonna. Dealing with the Dark Feminine can be a messy business: it is raw and visceral. When we prod the rubble on the beach we never know what we might find, and Sappho was right: we cannot afford to be squeamish. As a Jungian archetype the sea is symbolic of the feminine and one’s deep-seated emotions, and when she brings things up from our depths and presents them to us for examination (or not), they can be like the stinking detritus we find on the beach, and we must be prepared for the not so pretty.

My work examines the different ways that the Black Madonna deals with us, and can also be viewed as a self-portrait as it reflects part of my personal journey through menopause, or ‘change of life’.

Deconstructing the Feminine Abject

Chantel Marais

The abject is considered that which disturbs identity, system and order.  It does not respect borders, positions or rules. In modern society the female figure is thought of as the epitome of abjection; it is considered uncontained and without borders due to the bodily fluids discharged from it during puberty and childbirth. 

The improper, uncontrollable and uncontained female body represents a threat to modern society that needs to be brought under control and domesticated. This pressures women to aspire to have the ideal and proper body, denying its natural functions and grotesque aspects. In reference to the constrictions and stereotypes placed on the natural female body in modern society, I question and deconstruct the notion of the abject in relation to the female body in my installation Deconstructing the Feminine Abject (2014).

In my installation the everyday object becomes the subject or vehicle to represent the different stages of abjection that the female body is associated with. This brings to life the notion of the abject in an absurd and exaggerated manner in order to comment on the stereotypes placed on woman in society that represses and denies the natural female body.

Work in Progress

Kylie Serebro

“Trace Memories”, is an expression used by Denise Birkhofer (2008:49-51) to describe important, sentimental items or objects that people keep and hold on to in order to safe-keep their memories and experiences. The hope is that through this connection to the items or objects one may be able to recreate and relive important moments passed. It is this relationship between objects, memory and remembering that forms the basis of my work. A pertinent element to my body of work is how memory and meaning is realised and communicated through trace.

My interest in the concept of memory came from my lack of memory and the frustration I’ve felt throughout my life. I began asking questions about the physiology of memory, how it works, how it is triggered or spurred on and these questions inform my art and art-making process. My desire as an artist is to communicate the concept of memory and trace through my art-making process and the materials I use.

My work is an archive, a collection of all my important, sentimental objects and items of clothing that stand in for my memories and experiences. In creating an archive I am trying to bring those memories and experiences closer to myself, trying to keep a hold of them. It is an ongoing process and challenge of trying to reclaim and re-establish my memories and past experiences in order to further understand myself, and how I fit into contemporary society.