Dreams to Reality, is the first group exhibition in Erdmann Contemporary’s new gallery space.
This large show brings together a group of diverse photographers working in the medium of photography. The show will feature both emerging and established talents and will include: Niklas Zimmer, Linda Tuloup (France), Michael Meyersfeld Rene Paul Gosselin, Damien Schumann, Lisa Wilson, Andy Nix, Jac Kritzinger, Robert Hamblin, andTanisha Bhana.
Dreams to Reality explores the nature of the subconscious and the conscious, the permanent and the fleeting, and dreams to reality.
Through his dreamlike nudes, Niklas Zimmer captures an effervescent feeling of flight and weightlessness. The series explore the interchange between the tangible and intangible.The Surface Tension series is a collaboration between Niklas Zimmer and Bryony Purvis.Tanisha Bhana shoots landscapes of abandoned rooms and houses, creating a play between the permanent and the fleeting. Her photography seems to reference a place outside of the constraints of time or space. Liza Wilson’s ephemeral nudes depict a dream-like state of existence and fragility. They can be seen to reflect the ever-changing nature of dreams and of our realities.
The surreal figures in the works of Linda Tuloup seem straight out of a dream. The faceless, masked women stand questioningly at the viewer. Like out of a dream, one can’t quite understand why they are there or discern their identity. The dreamscapes these women inhabit confront the viewer with the nature of reality.
Through reference to the epic settings of the romantic painters, Andrea Nixon’s (Andy Nix) images explore the relation of one’s dreams of oneself with the reality of one’s being:reconciling our internal and external worlds, recognizing that our formidable dreams can be a beautiful reality.
Jac Kritzinger’s photography depicts the world as it is around us. His photography takes the world around us and makes it unfamiliar, forcing the viewer to explore his subject matter and question the world around us.
Michael Meyersfeld’s work reflects reality through his staged photographs. The opposition of the subject, with the method of photography seems to create a dialogue between what is perceived as real and what is not. Through this, Meyersfeld creates a duality of the harsh grittiness of reality opposed to the highly abstracted roles and identities that we are given and create for ourselves.
Robert Hamblin’s photography explores the nature of the masculine form and ideal. The dream-like floating images depicts men in a moment, the contrast between flight and fall pointing to a duality in contemporary male identity. We live in a time where masculinity is in flux, weighed down by the gravity of the past. New ways of being are unclear, asks for the obliteration of legacy. Men in the images are in a liminal space, hovering over a threshold, outsiders.
Rene Paul Gosselin’s work on the Besotho people shows a way of life dissimilar to that of the metropolitan. While his works are clearly based in the real, they seem to express a dream of ideal pastoral living.
Damien Schuman explores the roles of men and masculinity in a changing world. His work not only reflects the realities of being a man, but also the dreams of masculinity that these men embody. With this work, we also explore the distinction between the dreams and hopes of an individual and the reality they embody.
WHERE: The Erdmann Contemporary, 84 Kloof Street, Gardens 8001, Cape Town
WHEN: Opening reception 08July closing 29August 2014
