Willem Boshoff prints donated to Iziko-SA National Gallery
Willem Boshoff's original 1980 KYKAFRIKAANS anthology has been donated by Sanlam to Iziko-SA National Gallery's permanent collection. A portfolio of visual poetry comprising 12 silkscreen prints, they will be on view until February 2004. The new edition of Boshoff's visual poems was commissioned by Sanlam and printed by Hardground Printmakers.
Willem Boshoff is a multifaceted craftsman and champion of the unusual, with a particular passion for languages "under siege". On these, he bestows a new dimension and added impact by elevating words into an art form. His works have been exhibited at the Venice and Havana Biennale, in Belgium, Sweden, Germany and New York, and are also to be found in collections in Europe and USA.
According to Marilyn Martin, Director of Iziko Art Collections, KYKAFRIKAANS has gained almost mythical status and "occupies a respected place in the history of art and literature, both in SA and internationally." The original KYKAFRIKAANS manuscript forms part of the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry in Miami. It was exhibited at the local Museum of Art during the show 'Global Conceptualism: Points of Origin'.
