Current Review(s)
'Time on our Hands'
Kyle Morland, Daniella Mooney and Christopher Swift at Clock Tower Precinct, V&A WaterfrontSandwiched between Phinka Ebony carved trinkets and the V&A Gateway Information centre, a small handmade sign cheerfully invites passersby: ‘Art Inside, come look’. But contrary to the surrounding knick-knack tourist trade or the slick finish of yet another chain-store, 'Time on our Hands' is a startlingly fresh art laboratory. The curated installation in a vacant Clock Tower retail space resonates strongly with persisting 1970s New York Fluxus trends charged with an experimental, collaborative approach and the recycling of inexpensive materials.
Many of the artists chose to work with, or in reference to, fencing salvaged from Robben Island’s prison that recent Spier Contemporary winner, Chris Swift, makes use of in his artistic practice. Reinterpreted as makeshift walls or as sculptural works, the prison fencing activates a rich discourse surrounding the exhibition. Façade and construction - an interest in unraveling the politics of place - is a pervading theme.
06 April 2010 - 31 May 2010
Maybe Your Magic is Working
Daniella Mooney at Whatiftheworld / GalleryRecently Chad Rossouw and Daniella Mooney sat down to chat about her new show, 'Maybe Your Magic is Working' at Whatiftheworld. We talk about alchemy, nature and solidifying wishes.
Chad Rossouw: The title of your show is ‘Maybe your magic is working’. Tell me a little bit about magic and what it means.
Daniella Mooney: I had a bit of a problem with the word 'magic', because it's quite stereotyped, and there’s some stigma attached to it. It conjures up images of magicians, and a frivolous side to magic, which is not really what my show entails. But I needed the title to be light-hearted, because the works themselves had a heavier content. I needed the light-heartedness as a balance. The word magic was a reference to alchemy. ‘Maybe your magic is working’ also allowed it to be more open to interpretation. Other titles I was thinking of were like ‘ The Black Mirror’, heavier stuff.
29 January 2011 - 19 February 2011
Listings(s)
'Time on our Hands'
Kyle Morland, Daniella Mooney and Christopher Swift at Clock Tower Precinct, V&A WaterfrontAward-winning artist, Chris Swift, along with ten young artists from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, participate in this exhibition which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release and the lead up to the 2010 World Cup. The artwork is constructed from the original prison fencing from Robben Island: artists use it to negotiate personal representations of South Africa’s socio-political landscape and the legacy of Mandela. Says Chris Swift: 'Recycling discarded material for art – particularly inanimate objects as historically significant as fencing from Robben Island – is a way to turn an oppressive, limiting symbol into something that is freeing and hopeful'.
06 April 2010 - 31 May 2010
