Four SA artists on show at Art on Main

Graeme Williams' Malawi

Rodney Grosskopff is probably best known for defining the Joburg skyline as he was the architect behind the notorious Ponte, as well as Nedbank's headquarters in Sandton and the Market Theatre complex. The founding member of architectural firm Grosskopff Lombart Huyberechts and Associates Architects (GLH), he has opted for semi-retirement to focus on his other passion, sculpting.

The theme for his sculptures - made from plaster of Paris and wire - is The Price of Freedom and were inspired by events including the death of Steve Biko.

Transformative powers

Painter Diana Hyslop's sojourn at Marvel Comics and Transworld Features in London has had a lifelong effect on her work: “I loved the storyboard approach to the narrative and the larger-than-life graphic quality of the comics, not to mention the metaphysical appeal of the superheroes with
their outlandish transformative powers. As a painter, I am drawn to representations of characters and places as metaphors for the imagination and elusive states of being.”

Diana Hyslop's Living in a Bubble

Magic realism, dream states and the mystical connections between humans and animals figure strongly in her work. The colours and shapes that inhabit her canvases are drawn from the moods and hunches that lurk beneath the surface of her everyday life. Very rarely are the figures in her paintings located on real-world streets or in recognisable everyday architecture. Rather, they are suspended in abstract plains of non-referential colour, floating in surreal spatial contexts outside of measurable time or space.

A profession, not a hobby

After having completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in geology and statistics at the University of Cape Town, Graeme Williams realised that he wanted photography to be his profession rather than his hobby. His work is now housed in the permanent collections of The Rotterdam Museum of
Ethnology, The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, The Finnish School of Photography, Oxfam and Anti-Apartheid Movement in Belgium, The South African National Gallery, Duke University (US), Cape Town University, as well as the BHP Billiton Collection and the AngloGold Ashanti Collection. He has staged 12 solo exhibitions and has contributed to 30 combined exhibitions.

Kitsch representations

Rodney Grosskopff's Biko

Williams' work titled Objects of Reminiscence forms part of his extensive travels through the African continent.

Said Williams: “I think I started taking these photographs as a way of coming to terms with the harsh realisation that much of Africa's natural beauty has been eliminated as the need for food and arable land has increased. Kitsch representations of the previous splendour and colour of Africa have replaced the former natural beauty. In hotels, restaurants and public spaces, the presence of unnaturally bright, artificial flowers, wild animals and other depictions in a poor reminder of the past. The modern effigies, often made in China, are juxtaposed against backdrops that are often stark and unadorned. Public buildings and hotels often date to colonial times and their tired, worn surfaces form another reminder of time lost.”

The exhaustion of natural resources

Fatima Fernandes' digital photo-montages reflect issues of climate change, the exhaustion of natural resources and social conflict. Fernandes is known for her ability to convert personal perceptions into a symbolic, yet universal, language. She has works in the Vodacom Renaissance Park building as well as the Contemporary Art Museum in Maputo, Unisa Art Gallery and in many private collections.

Corporate Arts' Carole Hacker, who is mounting the exhibition, said: “To quote Charles Saatchi, I chose these four artists because I think their work is good and because I would like their work to be seen by lots of people, some of whom will hopefully be inspired.”

Fatima Fernandes, Rodney Grosskopff, Diana Hyslop and Graeme Williams will be exhibiting at Studio 23, Arts on Main, 245 Main St, City and Suburban, Johannesburg from January 23 to February 13. More details from Carole Hacker of Corporate Art on +27 (0)82 972 2111.