'Some Final Tributes'

In his third (and final) tribute show Sam Nhlengethwa portrays the imagery of famous artists who have made an impression on him, and whose work places before us questions about progress and the limits of representation.

Tributes are paid to four deceased artists who collided with the mores and values of their times, and whose work continues to inspire others beyond borders of geography or duration: Ephraim Ngatane, Romare Bearden, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Henri Matisse.

A fifth name is added, completing the tribute. The sole living artist is David Goldblatt who, in his photography, has often explored the mining locations of the East Rand, the very region where Nhlengethwa was born, and still lives today.

Each artist’s oeuvre is exhibited in a suggestive milieu – an imagined space void of people where the work-as-tribute is the primary figurative suggestion. Nhlengethwa wants us to see these great works his way. Elsewhere he has spoken of endeavouring to understand the 'mental space' of these iconic artists through placing their works in environments composed in his distinctive style.

'In doing these tributes and in doing the interiors I am taken down memory lane to a time when I was a set designer in broadcasting,' Nhlengethwa says. 'Because there we were dealing with space – vacated space. So the tributes are just like that empty space, but they get some sense of vibrancy with the hanging paintings of these specific individuals.'

11 September - 04 October