(“Dutchman
in Africa”, collage watercolour crayon by Anthea Martin)
artSPACEdurban’s
Middle Gallery sees the opening of an exhibition of collage and watercolour by
Anthea Martin on Monday (October 15) titled Re
Imagining The Landscape – Sites of Ambiguity.
“I have
been interested in looking at The South African landscape and the question of
ownership, identity and memory,” explains Anthea Martin. “In its pre-colonial
history, the land was occupied by people who had been there for centuries but
who had no concept of personal ownership or a written language to enforce their
claims. The exploration and colonization of land was a question of establishing
ownership. As is well known, this led to war and conflicts that are still in
process. It is the mountainous areas that remain untouched by human settlement
because of the difficulties of inhabiting such areas but they also remain under
dispute according to heritage or conservation issues.”
“Its
recent history offers a means to reimagine the South African landscape, not as
a series of apparently stable, discrete, areas of land, but rather as a
connected site of complexity and ambiguity, where the construction of stability
is rejected in favour of the uncovering of layered networks and meanings, which
are embedded, one within (or over or beneath) the next.” (Beningfield, J. 2:
2006 The Frightened land, Land landscape
and politics in South Africa in the twentieth century. Routledge, New York.
Martin
has dedicated this exhibition to Thomas Baines (1820-1875). “He was an
indefatigable explorer and recorder in Southern Africa of the flora, fauna,
mapmaker, landscape and its indigenous people,” she explains. “In his letters
he often complained that he had to shoot game for food, repair wagons, cut
wood, build shelters, tend sick animals and people on the expedition, as well
as find time for his first love which was drawing and painting.”
Re Imagining The Landscape – Sites of
Ambiguity will
be opened by Jenny Stretton, Curator of Collections of the Durban Art Gallery
on October 15 and will then run until November 3. artSPACE durban
is situated at 3 Millar Road
(off Umgeni Road)
close to the Waste Centre. More information on 031 312 0793 or visit www.artspacedurban.co.za
or www.artspacedurban.blogspot.com
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