08.10.22 - 29.10.03
Solo Exhibition at
Kalashnikovv Gallery,
Johannesburg

Exhibition Statment

Over the course of the last decade I have mainly focussed on painting when presenting solo exhibitions in galleries. A pivotal example would be, ‘The Temptation to Exist’ (Stevenson, 2011) which consisted of a large body of work in acrylics on canvas, as well as wall paintings. Other noteworthy exhibitions are ‘The Goliath Protocol’ (Everard Read, 2019) in which I exhibited the largest canvas I ever made; ‘’Sabbath’ (200 x 670cm).

I completed my first solo exhibition at Kalashnikovv Gallery in 2021 and this show also mainly consisted of large scale oil on canvas works. After the opening I had a discussion with directors MJ Turpin and Matthew Dowdle, and decided to take a completely different approach for my second solo exhibition at the gallery. Instead of large scale canvas works, I decided to return to the roots of my art making practice and focus an entire exhibition on work that relates to drawing and, more specifically, etching.

As far as printmaking is concerned, in the years that I have practiced etching, I have found it to be less popular and collectable than for, instance, lithography or silkscreens, both of which I have produced extensively. Despite that, I have a personal affinity for etching and some of my biggest influences as an artist come from it, most notably the large bodies of etchings by Francisco Goya. Other notable influences through etching include Kiky Smith, David Hockney, Lucian Freud, Tal R and Louise Bourgeois, to name a few.

I have decided to pay tribute to etching, the underdog of the printmaking world, by exhibiting a survey of etchings that spans the course of my career. These will include prints from as early as 1993, as well as a large number of trial proofs that were never editioned, and of which the plates are now lost. It will also include a number of new works, created specifically for this exhibition.

In addition to the etchings I will be showing a new body of sculptures in wood and bronze. Certain of these sculptural pieces will involve installation where the border between sculpture and drawing is explored. Through this I aim to also draw a relationship between sculpture and etching within my own practice.

There will be no overarching theme that brings the exhibit together, but fundamentally I will keep on utilising allegory and its ability to seduce the viewer into a narrative. I have continued to employ biblical themes and imagery as vehicles for allegories; they have a familiarity that one can relate to, yet they hold the possibility to mimic reality and challenge beliefs and ideologies. I am fascinated by the subversive quality an image can possess, where the formal aspects and the physical beauty of a work can draw in and seduce the viewer, while simultaneously confronting them with disturbing content and subject matter.