(Left: “Head” 1999 - Charcoal
on Paper by Albert Adams)
The KZNSA Gallery will present the opening of Making Meaning - the art of Albert Adams (1929 - 2006) on August 6,
2019, at 17h30 for 18h00. There will be a walkabout and book launch on August 7
at 12h30.
'Between Dreams and
Realities: A History of the South African National Gallery, 1871 - 2017" by Marilyn
Martin. Between Dreams and Realities
tells the engaging story of South Africa's pre-eminent art museum, and revisits
important exhibitions, events and controversies. The foreword is written by
Albie Sachs.
The title of this survey exhibition is inspired by Crain Soudien in his
Foreword to Elza Miles’ 2019 biography, An
invincible spirit: Albert Adams and his art. Soudien describes making
meaning as the “central impulse” in Adams’ life and his art. Although he excelled
at art from a very young age, growing up as a mixed-race youth in Cape Town was
not easy. His application to study at the Michaelis School of Fine Art,
University of Cape Town, was denied due to the colour of his skin. Fortunately,
his talent was recognised and nurtured by individuals, while his training and
exposure to some of the great artists, thinkers, and writers of the 20th
century provided the solid foundation from which he could forge his own style.
This exhibition celebrates the 90th anniversary of Adams’ birth and it
spans more than 50 years. Moreover, his grandfather arrived in Durban as an
indentured labourer and it was Adams’ dream to exhibit in this city. The KZNSA
is fulfilling that dream. The paintings, drawings, and prints on the show
reveal his prodigious talent, as well as the instinctive expressionism, charged
with social awareness and commitment, which would characterise his work from
beginning to end.
(Right: “Celebration Head” 2000
– Oil on Canvas by Albert Adams)
Although Adams did not subscribe to any religious denomination, he was
deeply spiritual and religious subjects feature in his work (Crucifixion, c. 1950; Mosque, 1959).
More often than not, he explored and developed his chosen themes in series. The Prisoners or Incarceration series
was a particularly poignant one for him. The invisible but equally powerful
shackles of apartheid South Africa, the visible imprisonments on Robben Island
and the torture chambers of Abu Ghraib in Iraq are manifested in the drawing Prisoner (Incarceration Series) of 1999
and the monumental painting Abu Ghraib
Figure, 2004. The series in which apes or ape-like creatures feature date
from 1969 and Adams returned to the theme in 2001. The majority of these works
are in black and white and his drawings and etchings are characterised by a
powerful gestural quality and intense mark-making.
Adams called himself a Londoner and engaged with genocide, natural
disasters, and atrocities perpetrated across the globe, but he frequently
returned to the country of his birth. After 1994, he explored the challenges,
dangers, and threats that came with political change, compelling the viewer to
see and share the disillusionment of the downtrodden and marginalised. The
Celebration series forms a major part of his output, especially from 1999 to
2004. While alluding to the Kaapse Klopse (Cape Minstrels) – the New Year
celebration held on January 2 – the drawings and paintings are anything but
jolly, festive, celebratory works; on the contrary, the mask-like, distorted
faces are angry and menacing – the dark side of ‘carnival’ and of life.
Adams’ identity and vision were forged in the crucible of apartheid but
his range was universal and timeless, and his work, spirit and search for
meaning speak to all of humanity – across borders and beyond his lifetime.
Making Meaning - the
art of Albert Adams runs from August 6 to September 1, 2019. The KZNSA Gallery is situated
at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1705 or
cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsa.co.za
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