(Pic: Work by Michelle Silk is on show at KZNSA Gallery)Michele Silk collages paper, scrap metal, plastic, tin cans, fabric and rubber into her oil, enamel and spray paintings. Further and more physical use is made of alternative tools such as scrapers, rollers and crayons. Initial investigation of waste has now grown into a mature and conceptual use of these throwaway fragments of our society. Silk notes that “This disposable aspect is a metaphor for the attitude of modern society. The recyclable element relates to renewal – a notion that reflects my … understanding of election and transformation.”
Her exhibition Urban–Vermin is currently running at the KZNSA Gallery in Glenwood. In keeping with her interest, this new body of work examines, with striking visuals and gentle empathy, the human condition of the street children in Durban. Silk further notes that this work explores the identity of the street child as a collective, and focuses on the parallels between the street children and the pigeons that inhabit the city. The acuity of this interest is finely honed by using materials and techniques that relate to the metropolis, on both visual and symbolic levels.
Urban–Vermin runs at the KZNSA until it closes at noon on September 5. The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
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