("To
Hold Deep 1" by Grace Kotze)
Curated by Grace Kotze, the group
exhibition Exhale runs at artSPACE
durban until June 14.
“Unthinkingly artists are hemmed in by the
way we see, feel and create,” says artSPACE durban. “The external voices of
cultural norms, the need to make money, ethical judgments, relationships, and
academic judgment etc. so often sneak into the creative realm. Thus clipping
one’s authentic exploratory intentions and obscuring one’s vision. Being an
artist is one of the most romanticised professions where the creative process
is viewed as a relaxed and easy flowing process. The intensity involved in the
learning, refining and developing of one’s craft is vastly taxing and time
consuming especially with the battle against external voices and how to placate
them in ones journey as an artist.”
The intentions of the exhibition are to
prompt artists to take a deep breath, reassess what the process of making art
means to their true intentions, and then work from that place. Exhale examines this through
printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and painting.
The invited artists are Suraya Tewary,
Deidre Maree, Louise Jennings, Jane Oliver, Jeannie Kinsler, Vulindlela Nyoni,
Darren van der Merwe, Marlene de Beer, Chris de Beer, Kristin Hua Yang, Sarah
Lovejoy, Elizabeth Balcomb, Peter Rippon, Grace Kotze, Sarah Richards, Kim
Goodwin and Jackie Freer.
To “exhale” means very different things to
each individual and vary during the individual’s creative journey. For some,
the journey may lead to a break from the academia and time to play or reinvent
a more commercial style. Other artists found themselves exploring new materials
or subjects while others worked in partnership with others or academic
processes.
While attempting to “exhale”, many of the
artists find the process of connecting to a freedom and shift in perceptions
anything but exhaling but rather another type of toiling. One that produced
many struggles in order to inhabit a space, were it is easy to breathe personal
concerns.
Exhale is a show about letting go of an area that became stifling that so
often happens when one is faced with the multifaceted world of the fine
artists.
The exhibition runs until June 14 at artSPACE
durban, 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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