February 12, 2007
By Emily van Rijswijck
PROJECT Room # 4, the next in line in a series of Project Room exhibitions at the Johannesburg Art Gallery, will host the idiosyncratic work of Jacques Coetzer, an artist who works with his tongue firmly in his somewhat sardonic cheek.
Coetzer, who obtained his BA Fine Arts from Pretoria University and also studied overseas, returns to his home turf with his show Alt-Pop after a well-received exhibition at the Bell-Roberts Gallery in Cape Town.
His exhibition contains ordinary objects like bicycles and shopping trolleys, but all treated with his peculiar brand of satire and humour. Not afraid to challenge convention, Coetzer's more recent works are a commentary on the blight of contemporary mass culture. Through his re-workings he tries to reposition the objects within society.
Vocalist Piet Botha of Jack Hammer will perform live at the exhibition's opening, on 13 February. It runs until 25 March.
The previous exhibition in the Project Room series was a collaboration between Gregory Wright, Thomas Dunn and Laurence Blogg, all fine arts students at the University of the Witwatersrand. Man and machine are not unfamiliar topics for discussion in contemporary visual art, but this exhibition portrayed the subject matter from the vantage point of three young artistic voices working together.
Using stop frame video techniques, the works explored the young artists' own internalised visions of art while at the same time delving into their personal stories.
Another Project Room exhibition featured the Minotaur Series #12 by Johan Thom. In his work, Thom explored the different elements of the Greek mythological creature, the Minotaur, in order to reconsider the various power relationships in post-apartheid South Africa through a series of performances, installations and multimedia works.
In Project Room # 2, Churchill Madikida visually illustrated the rampage caused by HIV/Aids and, through his work, spoke of his own personal experience. Madikida's sister died of Aids-related illness. "This exhibition is about my personal journey but reflects on millions of other people's experiences as well," he said.
Project Room # 4 opens at 6.30pm on 13 February, with a performance by vocalist Piet Botha of Jack Hammer. It ends on 25 March. For more information on the exhibition contact Amy Watson at the Johannesburg Art Gallery on 011 725 3130 or by email on khwezig@joburg.org.za.
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