Archive: Issue No. 116, April 2007

01.04.07 Ruth Sacks and Robert Sloon in Bratislava
01.04.07 Robin Rhode and William Kentridge in London
01.04.07 Guy Tillim in Rome
01.04.07 William Kentridge in England
01.04.07 David Goldblatt in Switzerland

04.03.07 Frances Goodman in Denmark

04.02.07 William Kentridge in Berlin

THE AMERICAS

7.07.06 'Body of Evidence' at the National Museum of African Art in the USA

FAR EAST

04.03.06 Kendell Geers in China

5.05.06 Robin Rhode in Japan

5.05.06 'Off the Record' in Tokyo
 

Ruth Sacks and Robert Sloon will be participating in 'Evolution de l'Art', a gallery established to only sell artworks that are immaterial, with no physical residue, that does not release certificates of authenticity, nor statements or receipts.

Sloon and Sacks present a number of works including No Excuses which sees the artists being obliged to follow their horoscopes, as presented in The Voice every day for a week and With Relish where the artists will change the date they celebrate Christmas every year to one the buyer selects, not attending any other Christmas celebrations.

Gallery headquarters are in Bratislava though one is also free to peruse and purchase the artworks on the gallery website www.evolutiondelart.org

Opens: March 21

The 'exhibition' is ongoing

Robin Rhode and William Kentridge both feature in 'Momentary Momentum' at the Parasol Unit in London. The exhibition is devoted to animated drawings, comprising a dozen installations and film loops.

The history of motion pictures and animated images is vast, complex and enthralling. Advances in technology have enabled artists to orchestrate their thoughts and ideas into animated works in ways that would have seemed impossible to artists of yesteryear. Such dramatic changes resonate in the content of the works in this exhibition. The simple, naïve and exalting emotions portrayed in animated folk tales of the past have given way to animated versions of contemporary life, ranging from love stories and poetic narratives to violence, political issues, disjointed stories and countless other flights of the imagination.

'Momentary Momentum' particularly celebrates the simple economy of the drawn line featuring, along with Rhode and Kentridge, the likes of David Shrigley and Francis Alys.

Opens: April 3
Closes: May 12

'Not all Roads Lead to Rome' forms part of the annual FotoGrafia photography festival in Rome. The exhibition is at the EX GIL, a never-before-used exhibition space, and features work commissioned from six established photographers, including South African Guy Tillim.

The result is a reconnaissance of all the areas of Latium, a region of ancient Italy, home to the original Latin people, offering different perspectives on its complex history and landscape changes in the most suggestive and unusual locations. Tillim revisits part of St. Francis' walk over the mountains in the Rieti area, producing a reportage on the Sabina area, portraying the places and traditions unchanged by time and depicting nature that is, however, contaminated by contemporary elements.

Opens: March 16
Closes: June 6

William Kentridge exhibits in 'Paper Cuts' at the Hove Museum and Art Gallery this month. The exhibition sees eight artists use the everyday medium of paper to reflect on culture and environment where the delicate quality of paper relates to our own vulnerability, dreams and ambitions.

'Paper Cuts' is a touring exhibition organised by Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery and curated by Yasmin Canvin.

Opens: April 7
Closes: July 1

David Goldblatt's seminal retrospective, 'South African Photographs 1962 - 2006', travels to Zurich this month. The photographs on show were all taken in South Africa, occupied with the people, the work, the social constellations and the constructed and natural spaces of the country. Goldblatt explores the violent, conflict-torn history of the country, constantly focusing on the political and sociological development of South Africa, the social disunity and the turbulent political events during and after apartheid.

Opens: March 30
Closes: May 7

Frances Goodman exhibits in a three person show entitled 'Compulsions' at Specta Gallery in Copenhagen this month. Goodman exhibits alongside Chilean Roc&iicute;o Inestas and Signe Jais from Denmark in this exhibition of quiet, yet haunting, images of human wants, needs and desires.

Opens: March 9
Closes: April 21

William Kentridge shows Journey to the Moon and Fragments for George Méliès at the Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum fur Gegenwart in Berlin. Fascinated by the first science fiction film telling the story of 'Le Voyage dans la Lune', Kentridge creates a homage to its creator, French experimental filmmaker Georges Méliès.

On nine screens, Kentridge transforms drawings on sheets of paper into scenes of bustling life. The strokes dance across the paper, forming semantic consolidations in an ephemeral surreality, evoking the charm of the very beginnings of cinema.

Opens: February 7
Closes: May 6

'Body of Evidence' is a new show at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of African Art. The long running show is an exhibition of works by contemporary African artists from the museum's collection who deal with ideas of 'The Body' with varying levels of explicitness.

The artists use the human body, and its absence, as a site for issues of race, identity, gender and geography - all issues that are often integral to artists from this continent. South African artists Kay Hassan, Gavin Jantjes, Rudzani Nemasetoni, Georgie Papageorge, Johannes Phokela, Berni Searle, Sue Williamson and Jeremy Wafer are included.

Opens: June 14
Closes: April 6, 2007

Kendell Geers will exhibit in 'One Colour' at the Continua Gallery in Bejing, an exhibition where all participating artists' works are black, white or a careful and balanced combination of the two.

The expressive power of black and white has been long documented: whether through photography, pencil sketches or black vinyl installations. These 'non-colours' are evocative of a myriad of feelings and emotions. As colours, black and white stand in a category of their own with as much, and perhaps more, expressive power than all the vivid colours of the spectrum.

'One Colour' explores the vibrant diversity amongst artists from all over the world through the simplicity of black and white imagery and features artists from France, Italy, Spain, Cuba, South Africa, Belgium, Bulgaria, India and China.

Opens: February 10
Closes: April 5

Robin Rhode is amongst a multitude of exciting artist in an exhibition entitled 'All About Laughter: Humor (sic) in Contemporary Art' at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The exhibition traces a vast history of humour in art and is divided into sections that include 'Anti-Art and Avant-Garde Laughter,' 'Everyday Laughter' and 'Deviant Laughter'.

Rhode exhibits in 'The Flip Side of Laughter', an exhibition focusing on the role that laughter and humour play in facilitating cross cultural understanding as artists take light-hearted swipes at their own cultures and communities.

Opens: January 27
Closes: May 7

Timed to coincide with the opening of 'Africa Remix' at the Mori, is a project much lighter in weight and more ephemeral in concept: 'Off the Record', devised by Belgian artist Eric van Hove, now based in Tokyo, will hi-jack X-Cube storage lockers found in subway stations in the city.

These lockers are opened not by a key but by utilising a cell phone number designated by the storer. Invited artists will make an artwork to fit into one of these lockers, which measures 30 x 30 x 60 cm. An SMS to a friend inviting him/her to come and view the artwork will set the process in motion. The invitee will then invite someone else in turn, setting the new cell phone number as the new code. 'Think of Chinese whispers', says Van Hove.

Participating artists include Lara Baladi (Egypt), Federico Herrero (Costa Rica), John di Stefano (New Zealand) and Sue Williamson (South Africa).

Will the artwork be stolen by a viewer? Will the next invited viewer take the trouble to pay a visit? Will an earthquake destroy Tokyo and all the artworks? The agenda is open.

More information? http://www.transcri.be/projects/offtherecord/downloads.html

May 2006 - until such time as the project ends itself.