The Shape of Content at The Cape Gallery delves into the discourse of art in relation to content and conformity.
Participating artists: Claire Denarie Soffietti, Kitty Dörje, Ian Hertslet, Adolfo McQue, Harvey Rothschild, Mandla Vanyaza
In a book titled ‘The Shape of Content’, published in 1963, Ben Shahn spoke eloquently of the importance of content in developing form. Where bodies of work are successfully executed, artists approach their work with a certain intellectual attitude. Beginning with content in its simplest state, they feed relevant symbolism into their work, turning content into material entities.
This process projects the artist’s individual point of view, while at the same time rendering it accessible.
Shahn goes on to discuss the concept of conformity and its impact on content:
“Non-conformity is the basic pre-condition of art, as it is the pre-condition of good thinking and therefore of growth and greatness in a people. The degree of non-conformity present – and tolerated – in a society might be looked upon as a symptom of its state of health.”
Never before has this statement been more relevant than in a society where such a vast amount of visual imagery is freely available – where artists relish the opportunity to borrow symbolism and iconography and to adopt visual characteristics of past movements to cultivate the content of their work. ‘Current’ forms of contemporary art have not been able to exist without the movements that preceded them, yet in a society that constantly looks back to borrow rather than to break away, there is a challenge in gauging varying degrees of conformity or non-conformity within the current contemporary context.
WHAT: The Shape of Content – a group exhibition
WHEN: 14th March – 2nd April 2016
WHERE: THE CAPE GALLERY, 60 Church Street | Cape Town 8001
INFO: T +27 21 4235309 | visit
PHOTO: Claire Denarie Soffietti
