TWENTY PORTFOLIO. TWENTY South African Sculpture of the Last Two Decades

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1 TWENTY PORTFOLIO Physical address: Kromdraai Road (D540), Kromdraai Valley, Cradle of Human Kind, World Heritage Site, Gauteng. Postal address: 53 6th Street, Houghton, 2196, Johannesburg Telephone Contact: Rachel Montshiwa on : Nirox Trout Stream (PTY)LTD 1981/006383/07

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3 TWENTY: SOUTH AFRICAN SCULPTURE OF THE LAST TWO DECADES Curator s Statement From the release of Nelson Mandela after 26 years of imprisonment to the hosting of the World Cup, South Africa has experienced two decades of profound change, challenges and victories. For those of us that can think back that far, the South Africa of twenty years ago seems an almost incomparable land to that which we now inhabit. But the land the actual geography is the same and upon and beneath our landscape lie not only memories but the scars and hidden bones of the past. Nirox Sculpture Park, located in Cradle of Humankind seems a particularly fi tting location to host an exhibition of South African sculpture from the last twenty years. Its palaeontological treasures remind us how short that span of time is while offering a temporary home to art that draws on history much older than the most ancient fossil that its rocks still encase. The sculptors on this show draw on diverse themes, techniques and methods but one thing they all have in common is the land that surrounds them. Each one has some tie to South Africa, by birth, adoption or visitation. Each has been infl uenced by the shifts and changes the last two decades have seen and, consciously or not, has refl ected these in their work. With Twenty I make no claim to be comprehensive or to present survey of local sculpture of the period but I do aim to show the variety and richness that our three-dimensional art has to offer, free of snobbishness but undoubtedly biased by my own marks from the last twenty years. TWENTY YEARS OF SA SCULPTURE OF THE LAST TWO The Foundation hosts an exploration of important South African Sculpture of the last twenty years, refl ecting the shifts, challenges, changes and achievements this country has seen, from the release of Nelson Mandela to the hosting of the World Cup, with TWENTY: of the Last Two Decades, curated by Andrew Lamprecht. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity for showing outdoor sculpture, taking full advantage of the beautiful environment, with indoor works occupying the studios and workshops usually reserved for visiting artists in the Artists Residency Program. Work ranges from historical pieces to work especially commissioned for the exhibition. The works on the show demonstrate how sculptors have responded to the enormous changes that have taken place during this time as well as the changes that have occurred in sculptural practice during the same period, revealing how the events of the last twenty years have impacted on South African art and thought. TWENTY: is an unprecedented in recent decades in seeking to cover a wide spectrum of sculptural practice over this period, in collaboration with many premier galleries in South Africa as well as artists who do not have commercial representation. Consequently work extends from the Contemporary, such as those by Jane Alexander, Willem Boshoff and William Kentridge, through to the fi gurative (Dylan Lewis, Egon Tanya and Claudette Schreuders), the traditional artists from Limpopo Province (such as the Jackson Hlungwani, Samson Mudzunga and Noria Mabasa), the conceptual (James Webb and Ed Young), as well as established masters such as Edoardo Villa. The exhibition includes work by almost 50 artists. This exhibition offers a very rare opportunity to see a large selection of recent South African sculpture. More than one of the old hands on the show have remarked that a show of this nature has not been seen for decades in South Africa. Stuart Bird, one of the youngest artists on the show observed that In this climate of quick images for quick bucks this show is big. Big names, big work, big vision and a big honour me to be included. Many have felt that the rich tradition and practice of South African sculpture has been neglected in recent years with a focus on painting, photography and new media. That three-dimensional work still has its place in our artistic culture is one of the underpinning motives of TWENTY. Exhibition curator Andrew Lamprecht notes: South African art is tremendously rich and varied. It seems strange to me that sculpture, partly due to expense and partly due to local fashion, is often passed over. One of my intentions in this show is to offer an unpretentious, varied and diverse selection of Contemporary practice. In many ways this has been a very complex show to put together, but with the invaluable and unstinting assistance and support of artists, many galleries, sponsoring partners and the Nirox Foundation itself, I hope that this inevitably idiosyncratic exhibition gives some taste of the talent that we have around us. The Sculpture Park will be open to visitors from 10am till 5pm every day except Mondays and Tuesdays. Special visits accompanied by the curators can be pre-arranged telephonically through Rachel on lies in the heart of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. A visit to can conveniently be coupled with visits to the nearby Sterkfontein Caves, Maropeng, the Wondercaves or the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve. Excellent breakfasts, teas and lunches are offered nearby at The Cradle Restaurant and Roots Restaurant, booking essential. - Andrew Lamprecht

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