Andrew Verster
Current Review(s)
Andrew Verster 'Past/Present: New Work since 1994' at the Durban Art Galley
Andrew Verster at Durban Art Gallery'Past/Present: New Work Since 1994' offers a retrospective of Andrew Verster's work in post-apartheid South Africa. Verster specifically choose 1994 as a cut-off point for the exhibition, stating that it was the moment that he felt free, both as a human being and as a gay man.
This is significant, since Verster's sexuality is something that he seldom discusses, not out of any sense of prudence – he has always been open about himself – but on the grounds that 'it's not that interesting.' At the same time, it has been a substantial influence on his work, both in his broad acknowledgement of diversity and in his forefronting of male sexuality, particularly in his 70s work in which he explores the beauty and sexual ambiguity of male surfers.
Some of these early works are on show, despite the fact that they flout the chronological parameters of the show's title. And their presence adds much to the exhibition. For one thing, it's lovely to see these early works which made Verster famous but which seldom get public showings nowadays. For another, they give to 'Past/Present' a sense of things coming full circle, as Verster returns to the male body in contemporary work that is far less sexualised, suggesting instead a universe of cosmic forces contained within, and expressed by, the human body.
16 August 2009 - 02 November 2009
Listings(s)
Andrew Verster 'Past/Present: New Work since 1994' at the Durban Art Galley
Andrew Verster at Durban Art Gallery'Past/Present', Andrew Verster's survey show which opened in Grahamstown last year at the National Arts Festival, finally makes its way to his home town of Durban. IN the exhibition the freedom of post-apartheid South Africa is expressed in an almost infinite array of motifs and iconography, as Verster channels his Hindu love of the everything into his work. In recognition of the personal freedom given to him in the new South Africa, the exhibition includes works from 1994 through to 2008, as well as a smattering of earlier works which emphasise the theme.
16 August 2009 - 02 November 2009
'Of This and That' and 'Paul Painting : Etchings'
Paul Painting and Andrew Verster at KZNSA
Andrew Verster's 'Of This and That' is showing at the KZNSA, including large scale oils on canvas, pen and ink drawings. The work explores the theme of the human body, tattooing and scarification through highly detailed and patterned works.
15 March 2011 - 09 April 2011
