Hentie van der Merwe
Current Review(s)
Black: the antithesis of the fraudulent sensuality of culture's façade. An experiment in voluntary asceticism.
Liza Grobler, Mary Wafer, Hentie van der Merwe, Zander Blom, Kathryn Smith and Nomthunzi Mashalaba at blank projectsFor blank’s last show in their Buitengracht Street space, the walls have been painted black. Ditto the floors and ceiling, and what with the blistering spotlights burning down from above, it’s a rather uncomfortable space to find oneself in. Standing on the floor in one corner a doll-sized figure captures the mood: she’s wreathed in layers of black and brown tights, unable to see out, yet seems to be gazing up at a sickle moon through a little jail window, drawn on the black wall with white chalk. This playful chalk drawing effectively turns the whole gallery into a jail; a touch of magical realism not unlike that of Robin Rhode.
For the show, curators Jonathan Garnham and Pierre Fouché challenged artists to undertake a vow of ‘voluntary asceticism’, producing work in black only. Being contrary by nature however, several of the artists took this as something of a challenge and Liza Grobler's Little White Lies is not the only work which shows signs of mutiny.
05 August 2009 - 25 August 2009
Walter Oltmann and Hentie van der Merwe 'Panoply: a Joint Exhibition' at KZNSA Gallery:
Hentie van der Merwe and Walter Oltmann at KZNSAWith this latest show, the KZNSA continues its recent habit of showcasing the work of major South African artists in one of South Africa's most flattering spaces. Walter Oltmann and Hentjie van der Merwe have apparently wanted to exhibit together for some time but the result, a show titled 'Panoply', is weighted heavily towards Oltmann in terms of volume of work, an imbalance that is not helped by the visually and psychologically spectacular work of Oltmann and the quieter, more introverted work on show from van der Merwe.
Which is not to suggest that the two bodies of works don't resonate with each other. Both sets of work make use of surreal figurative elements, and both occupy, at least partially, the murky subconscious of South African life; a murk that increasingly feels global, as inequality and violence spread around the planet. I'm not entirely convinced, however, that the stated theme of costume is the common point in the show, despite the physical foregrounding of Oltmann's Suit series.
06 September 2009 - 27 September 2009
Listings(s)
Black: the antithesis of the fraudulent sensuality of culture's façade. An experiment in voluntary asceticism.
Liza Grobler, Mary Wafer, Hentie van der Merwe, Zander Blom, Kathryn Smith and Nomthunzi Mashalaba at blank projectsInspired by the eternal-, yet sensual darkness of Adorno's observations on aesthetics & Anaïs Nin's multiplicative expansionist core, blank has decided to invite artists to engage in an experiment of voluntary asceticism, to produce an intimate work in which, formally, colour is reduced to black. Zander Blom, Liza Grobler, Nomthunzi Mashalaba, Kathryn Smith, Michael Taylor, Hentie van der Merwe and Mary Wafer are participating in this black-cube group exhibition.
05 August 2009 - 25 August 2009
figuring II: Heiseb
Hentie van der Merwe at Goodman Gallery CapeHentie van der Merwe's new exhibition, ‘figuring II: Heiseb’ extends the artist's current interest in an archive of Nama (Khoi) folktales he recently discovered in Germany. The artist explores the overlap between Nama and Afrikaans folktales; in particular, the inclusions and exclusions of stories and details of a complex and violent nature. These ideas find form in sculpture, prints and a film made in collaboration with director Amanda Evans and composer Philip Miller that makes extensive use of high-end motion-capture technology and 3-D animation.
20 August 2009 - 12 September 2009
Walter Oltmann and Hentie van der Merwe 'Panoply: a Joint Exhibition' at KZNSA Gallery:
Hentie van der Merwe and Walter Oltmann at KZNSAIn this two-person exhibition, Walter Oltmann and Hentie van der Merwe explore their interests in costume as a way to display the absent body. Taking the iconographic image of the displayed costume - such as we might find in museums - as their departure point, the artists, in very different visual languages, unearth how we understand ourselves in relation to traces of others.
06 September 2009 - 27 September 2009
Editions for ArtThrob Print Exhibition
Guy Tillim, Jane Alexander, Lisa Brice, Peet Pienaar, David Goldblatt, Penny Siopis, Hentie van der Merwe, Robert Hodgins, Tracey Rose, Mikhael Subotzky, William Kentridge, Zwelethu Mthethwa and Nontsikelelo Veleko at South African Print GalleryEditions for ArtThrob is pleased to announce an exhibition of all artist prints in our collection at the South African Print Gallery in Woodstock, Cape Town. You are cordially invited to attend the opening finger lunch at 11:30am on Saturday the 29th of August, where all available prints will be for sale.
Editions for ArtThrob, in collaboration with South Africa’s leading artists, has developed a series of specially-commissioned prints; these are sold to cover the running costs of the ArtThrob website. ArtThrob is South Africa’s leading website on contemporary art, and is an important point of reference worldwide for curators, dealers and those interested in South African art.
Artists who have participated in the in the print program include William Kentridge, Penny Siopis, Robert Hodgins, Jane Alexander, Willem Boshoff, Nontsikelelo ‘Lolo’ Veleko, David Goldblatt, Guy Tillim, Lisa Brice, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Mikhael Subotzky, Peet Pienaar, Hentie van der Merwe and Tracey Rose.
In addition, we will be launching a brand new print by Robert Hodgins. Hot off the presses at Mark Attwood’s studio, the image will be available for preview the at exhibition opening.
Please contact Natasha Norman from ArtThrob for online orders or Gabriel Clark-Brown at the SA Print Gallery for more information.
29 August 2009 - 28 September 2009
