ZOO The NIROXprojects year-end exhibition 2013.

ZOO

The NIROXprojects year-end exhibition 2013.

VENUE: NIROXprojects | ARTS ON MAIN | MABONENG PRECINCT | JOHANNESBURG | 264 Fox Street, corner Main Rd.

DATES: Opening Thursday 5 December 2013 @ 18:00.

Closing 15 January 2014.

Please note that the exhibition will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period.

EXHIBITION CURATORS: Ann-Marie Tully and Neil Nieuwoudt

EXHIBITION CONCEPT/BRIEF: This group exhibition gathers together a group of established and emerging artists whose artwork relates in theme/manner/medium to Lauren Beukes’ Arthur C Clarke award-winning novel, Zoo City (2011). This text frames Johannesburg as the seedy science fiction setting for a long tale (tail) where a criminal underclass and their animal companions live in a magical and hellish reality. In Zoo City Beukes has mobilised to great effect the entwined literal and metaphoric understanding of the English word “Zoo”:

zoo [zuː]

n pl zoos

A park-like area where live animals are kept in cages and enclosures, studied, bred, and exhibited to the public. Formal term zoological garden

[shortened from zoological gardens (originally applied to those in London)].

A place, activity, or group marked by chaos, strange, or unrestrained behaviour.

Beukes’ text also draws on the “touristy” association of Johannesburg with wild animals (as a gateway to game farms etc.); and one of the largest vibrant and complex cities in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere.

This group exhibition extends on the dualism of the word “zoo”, drawing together artworks that respond to urban and wild animals; the “human zoo” of identity, activity and discourse; human interactions with nature and animals; spaces and sites of control, coercion and contravention; urbanity and nature binaries; human and animal dialectics and amalgams; technology/reason and instinct juxtapositions; the historical context of the zoo as a colonial invention and “benign” theme park that instrumentalises the imperial project of control, and display is also of interest:

‘Their [zoo animals] dependence and isolation have conditioned their responses so that they treat any event that takes place around them – usually it is in front of them, where the public is – as marginal. Hence their assumption of an otherwise exclusively human attitude – indifference.’

‘Everywhere animals disappear. In zoos they constitute the living monument to their own disappearance. And in doing so, they provoke their last metaphor. The Naked Ape, The Human Zoo, are titles of world bestsellers. In these books the zoologist, Desmond Morris, proposes that the unnatural behavior of animals in captivity can help us to understand, accept, and overcome the stresses involved in living in consumer societies”.

‘All sites of enforced marginalisiation – ghettos, shanty towns, prisons, madhouses, concentration camps – have something in common with zoos’

-John Berger, ‘Why Look at animals’, in About Looking (1980).

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Wayne Barker

Hannelie Coetzee

Carole Desbois

Bevan de Wet

Germaine de Larch

Gordon Froud

Georgina Gratrix

Sikhumbuzo Makandula

Senzeni Maresela

Rosemarie Marriott

Michele Mathison

Jurgen Meekel

Neil Nieuwoudt

Phumulani Ntuli

Andrea Rolfes

Lauren Schlachter

Hannalie Taute

Ann-Marie Tully

Jessica Webster

Ed Young
Isaac Zevale

http://jozirediscovered.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/the-human-zoo-and-the-concrete-jungle/

INSTALLATION VIEWS:
Full details of artworks and price list available from:
NIROXprojects | Neil Nieuwoudt | 072 350 4326 | www.niroxarts.com

Ann-Marie Tully | 073 160 9851 | annmart76@yahoo.com

ZOO installation view (L-R): Bevan de Wet's Faun A; Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela's Theodora comes to Joburg; Isaac Zevale's After the fight; Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide; Gordon Froud's Variation on a swan song I & II; Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series.  

Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide.

Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide.

Bevan de Wet's Faun A

Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela's Theodora comes to Joburg. 

Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela's Theodora comes to Joburg (detail)

Isaac Zevale's After the fight.

Gordon Froud's Variation on a swan song I (white) & II (clear); Isaac Zevale's After
the fight; Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela's Theodora comes to Joburg.

Gordon Froud's Variation on a swan song I (white) & II (clear)

ZOO installation view after a 'salon-style'reshuffle (L-R): Bevan de Wet's Faun A;  Rosemarie Marriott's Goggabie; Gordon Froud's Variation on a swan song I & II; Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series.  

ZOO installation view after a 'salon-style'reshuffle (L-R): Rosemarie Marriott's Goggabie; Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series; obscured views of Isaac Zevale's General Cock, and Phumulani Nthuli's Raid series AK47; Hannelie Taute's Orde series (far wall); and Michele Mathison's Char I (right).

Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series.

ZOO installation top view (L-R): Gordon Froud's Variation on a swan song I & II; Isaac Zevale's After 
the fight; Rosemarie Marriott's Goggabie; Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series; Isaac Zevale's General 
Cock; Michele Mathison's Char I (right).

ZOO installation view (L-R): Jessica Jane Webster's Original skin series; Isaac Zevale's General Cock; Phumulani Nthuli's Raid series AK47; Lauren Schlachter's Investigating Pan II;  Andrea Rolfes' Birth of Venus series. Hannelie Taute's Orde series (far wall).

Isaac Zevale's General Cock.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Phumulani Nthuli's Raid series AK47; Lauren Schlachter's Investigating Pan II;  
Andrea Rolfes' Birth of Venus series. Hannelie Taute's Orde series (far wall). Michele Mathison's Char I (right).

Phumulani Nthuli's Raid series AK47.

Lauren Schlachter's Investigating Pan II;  Andrea Rolfes' Birth of Venus series. Hannelie Taute's Orde series.

Lauren Schlachter's Investigating Pan II.

Andrea Rolfes' Birth of Venus.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Hannelie Taute's Orde series; Georgina Gratrix's Inner Boyfriend; Hannelie Taute's Ek het n appeltjie met jou te skil; Sikhumbuzo Makandula's Shepard II.

Georgina Gratrix's Inner Boyfriend.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Georgina Gratrix's Inner Boyfriend; Hannelie Taute's Ek het n appeltjie met jou te skil; Sikhumbuzo Makandula's Shepard II, Germaine de Larch's Domesticity series.

Hannelie Taute's Ek het n appeltjie met jou te skil

Sikhumbuzo Makandula's Shepherd II

Germaine de Larch's Domesticity series.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Wayne Barker's Escape; Jurgen Meekel's Is it safe to save it like it is (video); Jurgen Meekel's Life non-specific (digital print); Rosemarie Marriott's Pappa (teddybear); Carole Desbois Stuff series.

Carole Desbois Stuff series.

Jurgen Meekel's Life non-specific (digital print).

Wayne Barker's Escape.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Carole Desbois Stuff series; Rosemarie Marriott's Pappa; Phumulani Nthuli's 
Raid series AK47 (background).

ZOO installation view (L-R): Wayne Barker's Escape; Jurgen Meekel's Is it safe to save it like it is (video); and
 Rosemarie Marriott's Pappa.

Rosemarie Marriott's Pappa.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog series; Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide; Bevan de Wet's PSR (Two zebra's passing in the night); Neil Nieuwoudt's Key to the mysteries.

Ann-Marie Tully's Brak.

ZOO installation view after a 'salon-style'reshuffle (L-R): Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog series; Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide; Bevan de Wet's PSR (Two zebra's passing in the night); Neil Nieuwoudt's Key to the mysteries.

Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Rosemarie Marriott's Ongenooide; Bevan de Wet's PSR (Two zebra's passing in the night); Neil Nieuwoudt's Key to the mysteries.

Bevan de Wet's PSR (Two zebra's passing in the night.

Neil Nieuwoudt's Key to the mysteries.

Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog glass series (back). 

Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog: Marilyn sings to the troops (back). 

Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog: Marilyn sings to the troops (front). 

Ann-Marie Tully's Dog-eat-dog glass series (front). 

Michele Mathison's Char I installation view.

Michele Mathison's Char I installation view; Hannelie Taute's Orde series (far wall).

Michele Mathison's Char I (detail).

ZOO installation view (L-R): Hannelie Coetzee's Do tash this do; Bevan de Wet Untitled (rabbit bust); Neil Nieuwoudt's Dino zoo biscuit; Rosemarie Marriott's Basterma; Lauren Schlachter's I've seen you and I know you.

ZOO installation view (L-R): Hannelie Coetzee's Do tash this do; Bevan de Wet 

Untitled (rabbit bust); Neil Nieuwoudt's Dino zoo biscuit.

Hannelie Coetzee's Do tash this do.

Bevan de Wet Untitled (rabbit bust); Neil Nieuwoudt's Dino zoo biscuit.

Bevan de Wet Untitled (rabbit bust); Neil Nieuwoudt's Dino zoo biscuit; Rosemarie Marriott's Basterma.

Lauren Schlachter's I've seen you and I know you.

ZOO top installation view - Ed Young's Missing Giraffe visible on the floor.

Ed Young's Missing Giraffe.

ZOO REVIEWS:



http://corrigall.blogspot.com/2014/01/animal-attraction.html

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-01-08-lauren-beukess-zoo-city-comes-to-life-in-the-urban-jungle

http://jozirediscovered.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/the-human-zoo-and-the-concrete-jungle/

http://www.bearwithme.co.za/index.php/see/zoo/

http://derriereartblog.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/zoo-a-group-exhibition/


PREVIEW OF WORK:

Carole Desbois

Bevan de Wet

Germaine de Larch

Georgina Gratrix

Sikhumbuzo Makandula

Rosemarie Marriott

Jurgen Meekel

Michele Mathison

Phumulani Ntuli

Andrea Rolfes

Lauren Schlachter

Hannelie Taute

Ann-Marie Tully

Isaac Zevale

ABOUT THE CURATORS:

Neil Nieuwoudt is a curator and artist. Working as professional curator in the industry since 2008 in Cape Town (UCA Gallery). In June 2012 he started as curator/ project manager at NIROXprojects, Arts on Main, Johannesburg CBD.

Neil has also exhibited in various spaces around the world, among these being the Joburg Fringe 2011 (JHB), Joburg Fringe Video Berlin (Berlin), AVA Gallery (Cape Town), Centenery Complex Art Gallery, UFS (Bloemfontein) and the SomArts Cultural Centre in San Francisco (USA).

Neil’s work has also been selected for two independently curated books of international 
poets and visual artists: http://www.blurb.com/b/3683608-estuary-a-confluence-of-art-poetry (Winner of the 2013 Saboteur Award for Best Mixed Anthology; with the second book being released later in the year (2013). His work primarily deals with notions of subjectivism, symbolism and he employs the accident or the random in his creations.

Ann-Marie Tully is an artist, curator, and writer who obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2003. She has exhibited widely and is represented in collections. Her art practice is as a painter, also working with mediums such as textiles and ceramics. Ann-Marie’s most recent solo exhibition Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing debuted at NIROXprojects in 2013. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing travels to the North West University Galleries in 2014, and to the Oliewenhuis Museum in 2015.

As a curator her most recent undertakings are the Facing the Climate exhibitions in association with the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Embassy of South Africa (Michaelis, NIROXprojects and the Oliewenhuis Museum); the Pointure exhibition at the University of Johannesburg Gallery in August 2012; and Bracha Ettinger’s solo exhibition at NIROXprojects also in August 2012. Prior to this Ann-Marie curated the Urban Animal exhibition at the ABSA Gallery in 2009.

Ann-Marie’s research and art-making is concerned with the rhetorical and reductive representation of non-human creatures, ancient and contemporary narratives of human 'culture' and the 'natural world'. Themes of mortality and the trace character of photographic media are also themes revisited in her work.

                       

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

NIROXprojects | Neil Nieuwoudt | 072 350 4326 | www.niroxarts.com

Ann-Marie Tully | 073 160 9851 | annmart76@yahoo.com