William Kentridge performance at the SANG
by Sue Williamson
William Kentridge's huge international reputation lies not only in his remarkable drawing skills and his pioneering command of multi media but in the intensely multilayered nature of his work with its dense layers of meanings and references. But beyond that, Kentridge is an entertainer, a man who loves to challenge his audiences with his own intellectual puzzles, throwing in a little sleight of hand and trompe l'oeil on the side.
Modernism, which uses juxtaposition, collage, fragmentation and self-reference, is acknowledged by the artist as a key source of inspiration, though Kentridge elaborates, 'I am interested in modernism as a way of thinking about the world rather than as a specific time bound style.'
I am not me, the horse is not mine, performed at Iziko South African National Gallery in December 2008, is Kentridge's first lecture performance. The piece starts with Kentridge standing alone on the stage in front of his audience, ostensibly telling the tale of The Nose, written in 1837 by Nikolai Gogol. (Kentridge's latest operatic production, set to open at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2010 is based on Dimitri Shostakovich's adaptation of this story).
Glancing down frequently to a folder of notes in his hand, Kentridge expounds amusingly on the odd story of a nose that decides to detach itself from its owner's face and lead a life of its own. But often the sheet of notes to which Kentridge refers seems to be the wrong one, and is tossed impatiently into the air. Floating pieces of paper, carrying random messages into the world, have long been a key element in Kentridge's video works.
Alone on stage Kentridge may be, but on a screen behind him, first one, and then two listeners emerge - Kentridge himself, dressed in his uniform of dark pants and immaculate white shirt, open at the neck. It is said that the camera adds 10 years to the actor, and indeed, these filmed Kentridges seem somewhat older and a little heavier than the lecturing artist. They certainly show little respect for the performance of their live alter ego, shuffling their feet and paying scant attention to his story, although in a charming moment, one of them starts to catch the papers Kentridge is throwing into the air.
The story of The Nose itself, with its acute interrogation of what it means to be human is given additional resonance by Kentridge's disarming and engaging delivery and dissection. The split between the nose and its owner is echoed in Kentridge's division of himself into one live and two filmed performers, a dysfunctional trio who seem to have an equally uneasy and ambiguous relationship with each other as does the protagonist of The Nose with his wandering facial appendage.
The lecture ends with a mad parade across the screen of black and white constructivist style images; drawings and collages by the artist which one assumes will be used in the opera. The whole makes for a dazzling and fully engrossing 40 minutes.
Performed first at the Sydney Biennale of 2008, Kentridge and his lecture are headed for a series of other venues including Performa '09, New York's biennial of performance art, which takes place in November this year. In Cape Town, I am not me, the horse is not mine was performed twice, tying in with an installation of eight film fragments by the same name at the SANG, and with the artist's brilliant exhibition of sculptures and videos at the Goodman Gallery Cape, '(REPEAT) from the beginning '.
Opens: December 11
Closes: March 8
Iziko South African National Gallery
Government Avenue, Company Gardens, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 467 4660
Email: cquerido@iziko.org.za
www.museums.org.za/iziko
Hours: Tue - Sun 10am - 5pm
