HOLIDAY
Group Exhibition
01 December 2009 - 23 January 2010
Opening: Tuesday, 01 December 18h30
For its final show of 2009 Whatiftheworld / Gallery is pleased to present a major group exhibition titled Holiday. Featuring a selection of signature works from emerging South African artists, the exhibition opens up and explores the underlying link between these contemporaries. Linked through their use of recycling and remixing of found objects and images (each with their own origin, stories and complexities), the works engage with an array of pertinent critical issues.
Amongst other themes, problematic issues of nationalism and belonging are explored in the work of Dan Halter and Stuart Bird through the use of skilfully reconfigured every day objects and materials to critically reflect current socio-political issues. Also employing the use of “craft” and found objects, the works of Julia Rosa Clark, Cameron Platter and Georgina Gratrix interrogate issues around violence, hierarchy and consumerism. They imply a sense of naivety and playfulness in their use of discarded ceramic trinkets, ‘Joke Shop knick-knacks’ and child like cut-and-paste animation.
It is the use of these collective strategies that provide a foil and visually seductive entry point for the more complex issues being addressed. In Holiday larger then life “pop” objects (as epitomized by the work of artist Renee Holleman) draw attention to the subtext, imploring us to read between the lines, beyond the obviously stated or commonly accepted truths.
Participating artists include: Cameron Platter, Georgina Gratrix, Renee Holleman, Athi-Patra Ruga, Rowan Smith, Peter Eastman, Julia Rosa Clark, Dan Halter, Stuart Bird, and Ed Young. The exhibition opens on December 1st and runs until Saturday the 23rd of January 2010. The gallery will be closed from the 24th of December 2009 - 04th of January, 2010 but will be open by appointment.
Click here to view the exhibition catalogue and pricelist
