Tuesday, December 4, 2012

MTN New Contemporaries Award 2012

Herewith, my last exhibition invitation for 2012.

This exhibition will be showcasing a number collaborations, 
including previous and new video works produced 
by myself and Mocke J V Veuren. 
Do join us if you are in Cape Town.


Below find a link to one of  the press releases:


Thursday, November 29, 2012

traversed and recorded walkabout: 1 December 2012


An opportunity to get into the artists' head's...


               Please join us for a glass of wine
and a walkabout with the artists at  the 2012 exhibition:
'traversed and recorded'
 and the inaugural show for the Ithuba Arts Gallery in Braamfontein. 

Address: 100 Juta Street, Braamfontein (corner Biccard) 
The gallery will be open from
10.30am and artists will start speaking from 2pm. 

They are: 
Andrew Sprawson 
Farieda Nazier
Mandy Johnston 
Jason Larkin 
Tshepo Mosopa 
Ravi Govender 


There will be time for questions and
it is a great opportunity to meet the next generation of creative practitioners in Johannesburg. 
Please see our website for images of our opening night and more details of each artist.

Invite by:
Lavendhri Arumugam 
Managing Director 
Ithuba Arts Fund


Friday, November 23, 2012

Traversed and Recorded - 'Performing the After Math'

See you this Saturday, 24 November 2012 
after 'First ever Pim Street Festival'
at the newly unveiled Ithuba Arts Gallery.




The collaboration would like to thank the Ithuba Arts Fund, for making this production possible. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

traversed and recorded exhibition opening...22 November


Ithuba Arts Fund's newest finds...

Toeraweg  (English translation: Then it was gone)
Aluminium Sheet fold formed and hammer textured
Farieda Nazier and Mocke JV Veuren
2012
Join us tomorrow 22 November at 18.30, to celebrate the works of six emerging Joburg-based artists showcased at Ithuba Arts Fund brand new gallery on Juta Street. 
(Full address: 100 Juta Street, Braamfontein)

This unique group show will showcase my own and collaborative works (installations, film & performance), as well as works by Jason Larkin (photography), Mandy Johnston (sculpture), Ravi Govender (multi media), Andrew Sprawson (drawings) and Tshepo Mosopa (drawings). The exhibition is a collection of artist's responses to this year's theme traversed and recorded. 


Below, find a snippet of my own interpretation of traversed and recorded theme

"For over a century, the Johannesburg city’s buildings have undergone constant shifting effected by wave upon wave of its diverse residents. From families to businesses, homes to offices; the city has witnessed a broad demographic of settlers who varied in class, race and gender. Unlike suburban settlements that transform and expand across large areas of land due to an increasing population; townships and cities are radically changed by politics, corporates and residents, both formal and informal through demolition and reconstruction on the same area of land.   Subsequently, the city of Johannesburg has evidenced years and years of radical transformation brought about through shaping and erosion by humans and the environment alike. These changes have manifested and accumulated as unique traces within a relatively formal urban landscape..." 

                                                        Ithuba Arts Exhibition Catalogue 2012

I would like to thank my collaborators Mocke JV Veuren and Thami Hector Manekhla for their contributions to the artworks. Further the funders of the After Math production - National Arts Council, Ithuba Arts Fund, University of Johannesburg, Aluvault, Apartheid Museum, Blackbird Projects, NEC, Brian Golombick and Christa Van Zyl graphic design. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Ithuba Arts Fund exhibition UPDATE...


                                     

The renovation of the new Ithuba Arts Gallery at 100 Juta Street is well on its way! 
Ithuba is getting ready for a not-to-missed event, 
showcasing the works of six emerging visual artists (myself included), based here in Jozie
Traversed and Recorded will be opening on 22 November @ 18h30 !!! 
See you there!
Image by Lavendhri Arumugam 

For more images and info see:

Monday, October 8, 2012

After Math- Aftermath: Make yourself heard!!


A call for feedback and viewer responses



Viewers at the opening night: 16 August 2012
The After Math artists would hereby like to make a call for feedback, comments and constructive critique on the works exhibited at the After Math exhibition between 16 August and 16 September 2012, Apartheid Museum. Please tell us your response(s) or views on individual video or sculptural works, the performance or the installation as a whole.

Please click on the email address provided fnazier@uj.ac.za to submit your feedback.

Further,  please note that your email comments, feedback and critique may be used anonymously in the conveners’ research and writing. Your ideas are vital to the future interventions.


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Ithuba Arts Fund...2012 Annual exhibition


Next up: Ithuba Arts Fund annual group show!!

'The Ithuba Arts Fund provides a platform for emerging Jo’burg-based creative practitioners." 

This year six diverse artists where selected and received funding from the IAF.
Thank you IAF for your support and sponsoring the making of my own and collaborative works, some exhibited at the recent After Math 2012 show. The theme for this year's IAF exhibition titled 'Traversed and Recorded': Exploring the shifting city, references geographical, social and political contexts. 

Congratulations to my co-artists who will be exhibiting at the IAF's annual show in November. 



Four of the artist selected by the Ithuba Arts Fund in 2012;
Mandy Johnston, Farieda Nazier, Jason Larkin and Tshepo Mosopa
look around the space @ 100 Juta Street for the first time.

Photograph by Lavendhri B Arumugam

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Exhibition officially closed!!! But the project continues...



I would like to acknowledge and thank all the funders and sponsors who made the 
After Math Show a reality.

Thank you:
Funders
National Arts Council http://www.nac.org.za/
University of Johannesburg FADA Faculty Research Committee http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Faculties/fada/Pages/default.aspx

Sponsors
Metal Casting Technology Station
Christa Van Zyl the graphic designer 

Also, a very special thanks to the collaborators Mocke J V Veuren and Thami Hector Manekehla, as well as my production assistant Argyris Papagiourgiou who have contributed in expertise, creative development, time, energy and passion for the cause!!

Do watch this space for updates on the next show:

Friday, September 14, 2012

Good News Everyone!

Only one more sleep 
before the not-to-be-missed, 
After Math Performance!!!

See you on tomorrow, Sunday16 September 2012 
@ 14h30 for 15h00

Venue: 
The Round Room, Apartheid Museum, 
c/o Northern Parkway & Gold Reef Road

No entrance fee required
Refreshments will be served

Please RSVP on  fnazier@uj.ac.za

Thami Hector Manekehla, in S.P.A.C.E. 

 performed with Thabiso Pule, Susana Panadez Diaz,
Oscar Martin Correa and Fernando De Miguel.



Thursday, September 13, 2012

After Math: The PERFORMANCE


Remember to RSVP for the After Math performance, 
this Sunday 16 September at 14:30 for 15:00. 
My email is fnazier@uj.ac.za 
No entry fee required and Refreshments will be served. 
The venue: The Round Room, Apartheid Museum, Northern Parkway & Gold Reef Road, Ormonde. 


Thami Hector Manekehla, in a recent production called S.P.A.C.E. 

The piece was performed with Thabiso Pule, Susana Panadez Diaz,
Oscar Martin Correa and Fernando De Miguel. 

Monday, September 10, 2012

After Math: And finally ... the performance!!

After Math 
Performance 
Sunday 16 September 2012 @ 14h30 for 15h00
A collaborative work by Thami Hector Manekehla and Farieda Nazier 


Please join us for a drink and a unique performance celebrating and consolidating the After Math show,
this Sunday 16 September @ 14h30. More about the show will be revealed throughout this week so watch this space.

For more info please contact Farieda on fnazier@uj.ac.za

See you there!!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

After Math: Final Walkabout 8 September 2012

Walkabout with Gordon Froud

 You are invited to the last walkabout of the After Math exhibition this Saturday,
8 September 2012 @ 10.30 for 11am with guest, Gordon Froud. 
Venue:Apartheid Museum, RoundRoom 

Please RSVP with Farieda @ fnazier@uj.ac.za
Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

After Math: Exhibition opening

'Ma'
Ma in Afrikaans means mother. It is also short for the word 'but'.
Farieda Nazier and Mocke J v Veuren
2000 x 600 x 200
Aluminium Sandblasted in hammer textured 

Exhibition Opening
Sculpture, video and performance works by Farieda Nazier in collaboration with
Mocke J V Veuren and Thami Hector Manekehla.
photographs by Ryan Uys, Jimmy Mololwane and Nanka Hawes

During the Speeches

Gordon Froud delivered a captivating opening address...Again a special thank you to Gordon!!

'Taxi Queen or R5 airtime' 

A taxi queen is the derogatory term used for a young girl or  woman from working class background who engages in sexual favours, often with much older men, for money or airtime.
Farieda Nazier
8 works x 40 x 40 x 15
Aluminium fold-formed and sandblasted 

Outside the Round Room

The exhibition evoked some interesting dialogue amongst the viewers. 

After Math installation at the Apartheid Museum Round Room

A snippet of the marvelous cohesive installation by
Curator: Farieda Nazier,
Assistant Curator: Sulaiman Nazier from Blackbird Projects ,
Artist, creative advisor and AV director: Mocke J van Veuren,
Assistant: Argyris Papageorgiou,
Sponsors: NEC, Peripheral Vision and Aluvault 

The exhibition closes on 16 September 2012 with a performance by Thami Hector Manekehla. 
The performance will commence at 15:00 in the Apartheid Museum Round Room. 
 Join us for a chat and some refreshments. 
No entrance fee.


Special thanks to funders and sponsors: 
NAC, UJ Faculty Research Committee, Ithuba Art Fund, Apartheid Museum, NEC, Peripheral Vision, Blackbird Projects, UJ Metal Casting Technology Station, Aluvault, Christa van Zyl

Friday, August 17, 2012

After Math- Walk About 18 August 2012 @ 11am























Thanks to everyone who joined us on the opening night of the After Math exhibition.  A special thanks again to Gordon Froud for the insightful and moving speech.

Join us tomorrow, 18 August 2012 at 11am , for the first of three engaging walkabouts' at the Apartheid Museum Round Room with Farieda, Mocke and guest Dr. Finzi Saidi.

All is welcome!
No entrance fee.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Building up...the After Math Exhibition!!!!

Time is-a-ticking and there is very little time before the opening night of the After Math exhibition. August 16th is only 8 days away!!

Currently, we are working feverishly on the building up and preparation of the After Math gallery space, the Round Room at the Apartheid Museum.

In the pics below are two members from the Blackbird Projects team; Sulaiman Nazier and Argyris Papageorgiou, constructing one of eight plinths. Besides for plinths, there are also a number of wall mounted installations, as well as projections of video works.  Blackbird Projects have generously sponsored their time and expertise in installing and co-curating the show. NEC and Peripheral Vision sponsored the use of their state-of-the-art projectors; and Aluvault the use of a nifty projector stand.  There links appear below.

Blackbird Projects:
http://www.blackbirdprojects.co.za/ 
NEC:
http://www.nec.com/en/global/office/south_africa.html
Peripheral Vision:
http://www.peripheralvision.co.za/contact.htm
Aluvault:
http://www.aluvault.co.za/page2.html


Please remember to RSVP for one or all of the events listed below. Also note that guest contributors have confirmed their attendance at the Walkabouts.

Architect/Landscape designer and Vice Dean of the UJ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Dr. Finzi Saidi will be joining the walkabout on 18 August; and prolific artist, educator, curator, gallerist Gordon Froud is joining the 8 September walkabout. http://www.delftschoolofdesign.eu/events/19/071206_african_perspectives.pdf

http://www.art.co.za/gordonfroud/

The details of the After Math events as follows:

16 August @ 6pm
Opening
Guest Speaker: Gordon Froud


18 August @ 11am
Walkabout
Farieda, Mocke and Dr. Finzi Saidi

25 August @ 11am
Public Dialogue
Title: Black and White Neuroses: South Africa today
Dr.Karen Haire and Farieda Nazier
Free Transport available: please contact the museum
http://apartheidmuseumsa.blogspot.com/2012/07/join-us-for-conversation.html?spref=bl

08 September @ 11am
Walkabout
Farieda and Gordon Froud

16 September @ 3pm
Performance and closing
Thami Hector

Wall colour test at the Round Room.




Sunday, July 22, 2012

After Math Exhibition: An Invitation

Please join us for the opening of the After Math show. Do not forget to RSVP @ Tel: 011 309 4700 or
Email: agnethaa@apartheidmuseum.org
Invite designed by: Christa Van Zyl





A very special thank you to all the funders and sponsors who made the After Math project possible:
Funders
Ithuba Arts Fund http://www.artsithuba.co.za/
National Arts Council http://www.nac.org.za/
University of Johannesburg FADA Faculty Research Committee http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Faculties/fada/Pages/default.aspx

Sponsors
Aluvault http://www.aluvault.co.za/
Apartheid Museum http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/content/home
Blackbird Projects http://www.blackbirdprojects.co.za/
Metal Casting Technology Station http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/Faculties/engineering/MetalCastingTechnologyStation/Pages/default.aspx
NEC http://www.nec.com/en/global/office/south_africa.html
Peripheral Vision http://www.peripheralvision.co.za/contact.htm




Saturday, July 21, 2012

Apartheid Museum: JOIN US FOR A CONVERSATION...

Apartheid Museum: JOIN US FOR A CONVERSATION...: Black & White Neuroses: South Africa Today  Let’s talk!!! There is definitely a lot to talk about…  The dates for the public dialogue are as...

Friday, July 13, 2012

After Math: What we've been up to...


Every morning, for the last three weeks have been dedicated to exhibition related planning, administration and more planning. Afternoons were gratefully spent on the collaborative video works, with film maker Mocke J van Veuren. See more of his collaborative work by following the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJeP-H7wy_Y&feature=player_embedded


The image to the right depicts Mocke shooting one of hundreds of digital photographs, required for our stop motion animated video works. The current animation we are working on, titled 'Ma', is the last of three video works which will be screened at the After Math show.


'Ma', Afrikaans for 'mother' or 'but' is a broad exploration of the life of a mother (working class in this context) and her journeys, narratives and moments. The sculptural bodies evidence these occurrences through its inscribed and tensioned form; whereas the video work records each moment of impact and its consequence. However, neither of the works disclose the cause of the impact and this important aspect therefore remains a mystery.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

After Math Exhibition: D'day

Things are rolling on and D'day is approaching. 



The After Math project is merrily on its way. 

Our progress too date has been amazing and we now have 4.5 out of 7 completed installation pieces and 1.5 out of 3 animated video works!!! To the right, find a teaser of the work titled This is my home now. The image depicts the components of the aforementioned installation piece (N.B. this is not the completed work). This work was part sponsored by Ithuba Arts Fund. 
Refer to the following link for more info on This is my home now. http://www.artsithuba.co.za/artists/artists-2012



The dates for the show and related events has been finalised. As previously mentioned, the exhibition is hosted by the Apartheid Museum. Below are the key dates for you to diarize.



I will be posting and sending out official invites soon. So watch this space and your email accounts.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Exhibition Update: Works in Progress...

About artefacts and new assimilations 

To date there has been really exciting progress relating to the production, planning and directing of the After Math exhibition.

The sculpture production, in the last 1.5 to 2 months, have resulted in 3 sculptural installations nearing completion! These were produced from sheet metal (2mm to 3mm) in various aluminium alloys - ranging from the 1200 grades up to 5000 grades. I am fortunate to have encountered the amazing properties of these alloys. One such quality is this metal's marvelous malleability. Once annealed (meaning softened by heating), aluminium is buttery soft and offers little resistance to the fold forming and raising techniques I have employed.

To the left is a sneak preview of a work titled 'Potret'; the Afrikaans word for portrait. In this image the components for the installation is stacked on top of each other. However, the work measures more than one square meter when laid out flat. These canvas type tablets will form the foundations (blank canvases) for an abstract composite family portrait. It will be installed into the space as a wall piece. At the moment it is more than three quarters of the way complete. I will reveal more on the meaning and significance of this work during my scheduled walk-abouts of the show. The dates for these will be published on the blog and other media soon: so watch this space.

The production of the video work (in collaboration with Mocke) will commence during my Uni vacation starting in about a week and half. My lips are sealed on the concepts for these, for now. (Wink wink)

The intense but highly productive brainstorming sessions for the performance (in collaboration with Thami) is finally beginning to unfurl and amalgamate. I am anxiously awaiting our first creative production session at the venue this Friday.

As far as planning goes:  much of the logistics for the show seems to be in place, though many hours of work still lies ahead.   An exciting development here is that the Apartheid Museum, in collaboration with the After Math project and relevant UJ staff, will be hosting a public seminar that is intimately related to the concept of the exhibition. I will reveal more here in the very near future...as I said: WATCH THIS SPACE!!!

Please feel free to comment or to ask any questions.
Greetings.

Thursday, June 7, 2012


Socio-Political Art? Again?? 

Our recent art controversy violently coaxed very necessary evidence from our nation: South Africans are a traumatized and repressed nation. It goes without saying.  In the light of these events, I continue to call for and encourage engaging art and/or social interventions. There is a definite need to evoke more productive discussion and dialogue around the topic of contemporary socio and psycho political issues in South Africa. 

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Sculpture with Fanonian roots


...and at the theoretical foundations of the After Math© project.... Frantz Fanon...

At the core of After Math©, reside the theories and concepts of psychiatrist, philosopher and revolutionary Frantz Fanon (July 20, 1925- December 6, 1961). Fanon (1952) in his book titled Black skin White masks unpacks the devastating psychological consequences of colonialism and broader, racially oppressive political regimes. He coins a key concept referred to as the “colonisation of the mind” and identifies a resulting neuroses i.e. “black neuroses”.  “Colonisation of the mind” is the process whereby the colonised, due to broader political racial inequalities, is violently dispossessed of physical, material and cultural effects (Hook, 2004b: 88). The empowered coloniser and the disempowered colonised settles into what Fanon refers to as a “psycho-existential complex”. For the colonised the elimination and degradation of all forms of wealth, manifests psychologically as distaste, subordination and inferiority.

 As such, Fanon (1952) argues that the “black neuroses” is caused by an elimination of black/native culture and its replacement by the favoured Eurocentric culture as the only standard or model to aspire to. In other words, the self loathing aspect of the oppressed identity is forged by the coloniser. Fanon’s “black neuroses” refers to the black man’s[1] aspirations to be accepted by the coloniser; or even to become the coloniser.  Hook (2004a) extends this condition to the South African context in the following quote: “apartheid may be considered a particular extension or variation of the basic politics and conditions of colonialism”.


He refers to Bertoldi (1998) who claims that the basic constructs of colonialism i.e. politics and conditions, apply to apartheid. In a similar way, the South African “black neuroses” becomes a variant of the original Fanonian condition.

As previously introduced, the After Math© project is a sculpture, video work and performance based social intervention that explores temporality, wounding and consequence. The project aims to contribute to post-colonial and post-apartheid discourse by visually unravelling, unpacking and tackling the process of wounding, inscription on the physical and mental body; as well as its aftermath. It proposes to explore the after affects of racial discrimination within a South African context through the process of narrative re-enactments which manifests here as sculptural installations, video work and performance art. The project through its major outputs aims to critically engage the viewer around the subject of temporality, wounding and its consequences. 

[1] Subsequent psychoanalysts, such as Loomba (2005), notes that Fanon’s writing is gendered. She insists that post-colonial critique is inclusive of both genders and all classes and sexes. 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Announcement: Exhibition 2012!!!

Launching the After Math© Project
A sculpture, video work and performance social intervention; exploring temporality, wounding and consequence

Below, find the concept and artist statement for my show titled After Math©, which will be hosted by the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg in August 2012.

After Math is envisaged as a long term project, that comprises a range of outputs. The initiation phase of this project commenced in February 2012 and involves the production of the first body of work. Phase two involves introducing and displaying the work in the public sphere; beginning with an exhibition at the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg in the second week of August 2012.
Through collaboration, the work benefits from a broad range of artistic disciplines and creative dialogues. Approximately eight works will manifest as sculpture installations (created by Farieda Nazier), two to three as video work (by Mocke J Van Veuren) and one as a performance piece (by Thami Hector Manekehla).
                                                                                                           
The intent behind this social art intervention is to invoke and evoke the process of catharsis by probing wounds of the past. Within the South African context as with many other analogous contexts, personal histories are undeniably engrained with discrimination and its consequent wounding. Borrowing from Fanon, Hook (2004a) refers to this wounding as the “neuroses of blackness”. He argues that instances of racism cannot be reduced to any one theory; and infers (by making reference to the Apartheid Archives Project)[1] that these narratives be approached via multiple conceptual lenses (Hook 2004b). In this regard, this intervention uses a range of explorative creative methodologies including stop motion animation, sculptural installations and performance art as mechanisms to generate dialogue around the discrimination-wounding-aftermath theme. Although foundational works manifests as sculptural installations, the process for arriving at the sculptural combines a personal socio-political account structured by mathematical processes and formulae. This methodology was selected to unpack causalities and its effects on the ethereal, through rational calculation and deliberation.
Consequently, the project comprises of two main streams; the first pertains to the creation of an art experience in line with the foundational underpinnings of Fanonian psychopolitics and secondly, capturing the viewers interaction, reaction, response and reception of the work in an analytical article.

The work
The intervention described below is informed by two key works of Frantz Fanon    i.e.   The Wretched of the Earth (1963) and Black skin White masks (1952). Through sculptural installations, video work and performance the work makes reference and attempts to visually unpack key concepts from these foundational works, within a contemporary post apartheid South African context.           
Sculptural Installations and Video work
The installations and video work which constitute After Math, illustrate the transformative processes incurred in terms of inscription of a personal history on a body or form. It is further, a gradational visual record demonstrating a progression of moments within a work’s lifecycle.  As time elapses, cause seemingly disappears and the wounded object replaces it; becoming the only evidence that the action ever occurred. Each installation and video work will comprise a number of unfinished abstract sculptures deliberately stopped at different stages of its production. These will act as physical records or evidence; a metaphor for the inscribed and wounded body.  Similarly the stop motion animated video work constitutes a number of still photographs depicting the bodies as they progress[1]. The relation between the work and its surrounding context i.e. space-light-sound environment is core to the manner in which they will be read, perceived and experienced. 
The performance
By means of play, movement and illusion, the art experience extends in meaning through performance; transgressing boundaries that exist between the three modalities: static installations, animated video work and living body. Within the exhibition space, the performing body explores and depicts the volatile actions of discrimination-wounding-aftermath sequences.

Field, S. 2007. The Politics of Disappointment: Trauma, ‘Healing’ and Regeneration in Post-apartheid South Africa. [O].
Accessed: 9 January 2012
Hook, D. 2004a. Fanon and the Psychoanalysis of Racism. [O].
Accessed: 20 February 2012
Hook, D. 2004b. Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, ‘Psychopolitics’ and Critical Psychology. [O].  Available: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/961
Accessed: 20 February 2012
[1] The Apartheid Archive Project (AAP) is an international research initiative run by the University of Witwatersrand. It aims to archive and analyse a broad range of up to 5000 narrative accounts of racism in South Africa. AAP has launched three successful international conferences that critically interrogate the data they have collected, using number of theoretical lenses.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

South African protest art! In this day and age?


An argument for authenticity
By Farieda Nazier

The following entry is based on my own views of a public talk I recently attended in Joburg. The main topic of this talk was socio political art and whether it was still feasible for South African artist to be using the socio political as reference or content for their work. I argue that South African artists should remain true to their inspiration i.e. Africa and their Africaness.

“Things got blurry politically after ninety four” was one of the opening comments at the public seminar. In other words ‘things’ or politics are no longer simple in the times of a democratic constitution, here in South Africa.  Does this mean that Apartheid, in retrospect, is seen as a very clear, black and white, simple politics? Could this be owing to its systematic nature which provided for ease of critique, commentary and protest, from the media and art world alike? 

One view is that many of us are over saturated with the idea of Apartheid and its consequences (by consequences I mean present day South Africa). Anything referencing the A-word seems to be considered smut. I often hear the call to “Stop blaming Apartheid” and the famous "Why are we living in the past?"

The fact is that we are all products of our past. We can all agree that the past is multifaceted and layered with input from our parents, siblings, the environment, society, media, politics, you name it. WE are shaped by all these, in various proportions. As South Africans, one such element which shaped us here and now in the present is our shared socio-political history. In this instance that specific history is called Apartheid. Does it make sense to try and forget it, if this is what constitutes US?

As artists we are inspired by our perceptions of our surroundings and experiences thereof & with. We filter these through our senses and deposit it in our minds, assimilate and process the data; and subsequently deliver visual and sound ‘reports’ which manifest as artworks. The reality is that the surroundings that we confront on a day to day basis are heavily laced with physical and intangible remnants of Apartheid. Poverty is one such remnant. If we are surrounded, affected or disturbed by it, why not depict it?  That said, does it make sense to search abroad, “in Europe and elsewhere” to make our art more valuable and saleable? (Let’s not start on the value of art works!) Would we not be dishonest with ourselves if we do so?

I would like to open up dialogue by arguing 1) for South African artist to remain true and authentic to their Africa and Africaness; and  2) against the appropriation of European and ‘other’ ideas.
Please feel free to comment or critique.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

'looming 2'

The link below is for the animated videowork- 'looming 2'. The work was on exhibit with the sculpture 'looming' (posted on 9 January 2012- see below) in the public domain at the Artspace gallery in December 2011.

Sculpture:
Aluminium and Wax by Farieda Nazier
40x40x20
Animation and Sound by Mocke J V Veuren
2.03 minutes
Sounds were recorded in Johannesburg CBD, near the Carlton Centre.
The video work, ‘Looming 2’, accompanies the sculptural piece ‘Looming’ and is fundamentally linked in its conceptual premise. It is the product of a creative collaboration between sculptor Farieda Nazier and film maker Mocke J Van Veuren. The resultant video work provides the scope for broader, time-based reflection regarding the subject matter. The video work illustrates the notion of change, temporality and moments in the growth of the city. It exploits the inherent mechanisms of stop-motion animation, by stitching together the incremental moments of the sculpture’s production process in a sequential manner in order to construct a sense of duration and perpetual transformation, emphasizing the awkwardly shifting nature of the city.
Through the animation process, the usually rigid and passive metal moves in unexpected ways, expressing pliability and mobility without signs of external force. The transformation of the metal seems to be driven by a complex, conflictual agency, mirroring the internal struggles and desires that continually shape and reshape the city.
Feel free to comment!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Animation for 'in and around'


Below is our (Farieda and Mocke J V Veuren's) first stop motion animated video collaboration. This was the first experimental work related to the 2012 sculpture exhibition. The work is titled: 'in and around'. Duration: all of 5 seconds!


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Exhibition 2012... 'in the beginning'

The short essay below titled 'of things unseen' marks the first concrete writings (in the beginning of 2011) of the concept for my current work. It evolved from my interest in the intricate relationship between psyche and soma, mind and body; and the effects or consequences of external influences. On the other hand, the manner and processes by which the artworks physically manifest, has been a 10 year long exploration and experiment of material and form.

From 'of things unseen'(2011) by Farieda Nazier

Writings on the ontological problem of mind-body dualism can be traced back as far as Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas. A major contribution in the study of ‘forms’ can be attributed to Descartes, a philosopher, physiologist, and mathematician; who in the 1600’s discovered the reflex theory. This discovery in combination with the aforementioned precursors, laid the foundations of Cartesian Dualism; which speaks of the mind as an independent entity to the physical body. Descartes argued that the brain was merely the organ of the mind and that these distinctive ‘materials’ interacted. However, even though these two entities were considered separate they related through causality - body affecting mind and the mind affecting body. Subsequently, many other philosophical psychological and oppositional theories developed. Psychoanalysis, for instance, predominantly referenced bodily experiences in a number of its concepts. In the contemporary novel ‘Something to tell you’, Hanif Kureishi quotes Proust within the context of a psychoanalysts’ reflection on his sessions: “Every hour of the past is inscribed on the human body, indeed makes up the body (Kureishi, 2008:147).

My current work evolved from my two previous exhibitions which explore a planar shape and its transformation into form (a body). The preliminary examples presented mainly ‘virgin’ or ‘unscathed’ forms and the endless physical possibilities of unaltered basic geometric shapes. Later on in the work, the shapes were symmetrically incised on major intersections and angles. By assigning symbolism to these geometric shapes, the process of manufacture evoked and gave rise to new metaphors and narratives. This methodology and approach provided the groundwork for my present concept.

Within the South African context as with many other analogous contexts, personal histories are undeniably engrained with discrimination and its consequent wounding in one form or another. The premise for the exhibition is rooted in the broader investigation of South Africa’s oppressive socio-political history and its traumatic effects on the lives of the individuals exposed to it. The project aims to contribute to this discourse by attempting catharsis: visually unravelling, unpacking and tackling the process of wounding and its aftermath.

“While there was therapeutic value in the cathartic release of emotions ...this notion of ‘catharsis’, crudely involves an oral purging of a sick body riddled with traumatic ‘secrets’, which can enable victims to ‘master the past’”.
(Field, 2007: 5)

Sculpture Exhibition...Coming soon!!!



I am currently working on a metal sculpture exhibition opening in August 2012, hosted by the Apartheid Museum.

Watch this space for updates on my progress and previews/snippets of the works.







Monday, January 9, 2012

'looming'


‘Looming’
Farieda Nazier
Aluminium and wax
40 x 40 x 20

This work, a wall sculpture, was made for a group show called 360 Degrees Johannesburg, that opened on December 3, 2011; at the Artspace gallery situated in Jan Smuts Street Johannesburg. The work is one of two pieces - the second titled 'looming 2' is a animated video work produced in collaboration with Mocke J Van Veuren. Both pieces are still on display at the gallery until 13 to 28 January 2012.


“From the top of Africa’s tallest building, the 50 floor Carlton centre in Johannesburg, the panoramic view is disquieting....Hidden by the variegated surface level mosaic of Johannesburg land use patterns, extremely deep rooted political and economic dynamics have spawned classic competitive struggles over urban space.”
(Smith, 2003)


David M. Smith, in his book on urbanization and social change in South Africa, discusses the ongoing classed and raced struggles for space in the inner city. ‘Looming’ is an aptly titled abstract sculpture that depicts an aerial view of the east end of Johannesburg’s inner city. The Carlton is a key focal point of the piece; forged from the eastern edge of a circular disk and representative of its exaggerated scale (in comparison to its surroundings). The use of an aluminium skeleton and a skin-like wax covering furthers its links to the relational notion of architecture as macrocosmic reflections of the human body.
Furthermore, the work is an investigation and visual illustration of the transformative process of manufacturing in terms of inscription of a personal history on a form. Each successive action that occurs in the manufacture process yields incremental changes on an internal and external level. Consequently, it acts as a gradational visual record; a timeline mapping a progression of moments within the object’s lifecycle.