Listings(s)
'Judgement, Uitspraak 2011 Case No. 001/05/2008', 'Lay of the Land' and 'Rusting Iron'
Cinga Sampson, Elgin Rust and Dillon Marsh at AVAElgin Rust presents Judgement, Uitspraak 2011 Case No. 001/05/2008 in the Main gallery. Judgement, Uitspraak 2011 Case No. 001/05/2008 is a collaborative group show developed out of and in some ways concluding part of Elgin Rust's MFA redress1-un-dressed, Adv. Alice presents J v JR 2010. This project investigates processes of judicial and aesthetic redress to offer fresh perspectives on the victim within the criminal justice system. For Judgement, Uitspraak 2011 Case No. 001/05/2008, the fourteen different responses by participating artists are juxtaposed in relationship to aspects of Rust's redress2-un-dressed, Adv. Alice presents J v JR 2010.
Displayed alongside the above, Rust presents a series of large photomontages and a installation of evidence in the form of Das Narrenschiff 2010, which is assembled using material collected from the Cape Town courts. In this manner, the collaboration does not attempt to offer an undifferentiated pluralism, but rather, a judgment which is based on the most rigorous respect for difference.
WALK ABOUT FOR Judgement, Uitspraak 2011 Case No. 001/05/2008
11 AM SATURDAY, 30 APRIL 2011
Dillon Marsh presents Lay of the Land in the Long Gallery. Marsh documents unusual objects within their immediate environment, picking them out of a landscape into which they might otherwise blend in. These include cell phone towers disguised as trees, titled Invasive Species, telephone poles that have been claimed as nesting perches, and trees that have been permanently bent by persistent winds titled, South Easter. In each of these series Marsh has chosen objects that can be found in multitude within their environment, and by photographing the individual examples depicts a family of objects in a series of photographs.
Cinga Samson presents Rusting Iron, a series of mixed media paintings in the Artsstrip. Rusting Iron refers to the slow corrosion of colonial power and Apartheid systems. Samson offers insight into the general perceptions of power reflected within our society at large, unpacking history and personal experience with an emotionally charged use of colour and paint application.
18 April 2011 - 13 May 2011
'Landmarks I'
Dillon Marsh at blank projects'Landmarks I' is the second solo exhibition by Dillon Marsh, featuring the landscape photographic series Limbo and Cross Country. According to Marsh: 'I tend to focus on things that are out of the ordinary, picking them out of the landscape where they might otherwise blend in. In each case I have chosen objects that can be found in multitude within their environment, so that I can depict a family of objects in a series of photographs. By displaying each project as such, I feel I am able to show both the character of the individual members, and the characteristics that make these objects a family'.
Limbo (2012) is a series of photographs showing trees that have died, but not yet fallen. All these trees were photographed in various suburbs of the Cape Flats area of Cape Town, including Bridgetown, Bonteheuwel, Ruyterwacht, Windermere, and The Hague. About Cross Country (2012), Marsh explains, 'Illuminated crucifixes have become a common sight in many parts of South Africa, and this is particularly true for the town of Worcester and its surrounds. I became intrigued by the way these crosses decorate the landscape and photographed these seven with the intention of showing the effect these relatively small structures can have on the landscape at dusk'.
26 July 2012 - 25 August 2012
‘For What It’s Worth’
Dillon Marsh at BrundynBrundyn+ is pleased to present ‘For What It’s Worth’, an exhibition of photographic works by Dillon Marsh. Marsh explores a pertinent part of the history of South Africa, one that is effectively shaped by the mining of natural resources such as copper, gold and diamonds. From the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley in the 1800s, the inhumane living conditions of miners under apartheid rule, and the recent Marikana shootings, activities in and around mines seem to correlate with the current political conditions of the state. He critiques the process by visualising the total amount of raw material extracted from specific mines. Marsh’s juxtaposition lays bare the startling reality of how little is actually extracted relative to the amount of damage inflicted (to both the natural landscape and the miners themselves).
The titles of Marsh’s works present statistical information about the mines. Elaborating, the artist states that:
South Africa’s first ever commercial mine, the Blue Mine in Springbok, began operating in 1852. More mines opened soon after as copper deposits were discovered in the surrounding areas. This, in turn, boosted the development of small towns in a relatively remote area of the country, as workers settled nearby. By 2007, however, most of these mines had run their course and production had stopped almost completely. This presents an uncertain future for the towns and people of the region.
Upon engaging with the images, the viewer is aware that 3 535 tonnes of copper were extracted from the Blue Mine in Springbok between 1852 to 1912; or that West O’okiep Mine in Okiep provided 284 000 tonnes of copper between 1862 and the early 1970s. These amounts appear colossal, however, when contrasted against the carefully compiled imagery of this data, the gigantism of the numbers suddenly diminishes.
The representation of the amount of copper and diamond mined at these various locations is an indication of the imperial capitalism that motivated the existence of these structures. Through the silence that has poignantly been captured, the lack of inclusion of human beings, the ghosts and souls of the occupiers of the space are felt through the photographic image.
‘For What It’s Worth’ thus speaks to the fact that most of the mines are no longer in use, and most of the towns seem desolate and lack immediately visible human life. The land was mined and exploited for all its worth, and then deserted. Some exist as monuments, signifying the reinforcement of a capitalist society and economy driven state, while others are just simply forgotten or never even occupied the consciousness of the South African public.
04 December 2014 - 24 January 2015
