In the main gallery Ronald Muchatuta’s The Great Exodus – an upacking of stories and narratives following the lives of foreign nationals living in South Africa. Salted Earth by Simon Ker-Fox in turn investigates a process of images creating a story with characters that are caught between places. Rory Emmett’s Concerning Alchemy promises a multimedia show of technicolour and theatre.
Ronald Muchatuta: The Great Exodus
The Great Exodus is a movement as portrayed through history and contemporaneity, embedded on migration: from oppression or lack of resources to a perceived land of milk and honey. Migration has existed since the beginning of time and currently is and will be the lived experience and situation for large parts of the population throughout the world.
In his first solo show at the AVA, Muchatuta, who hails from Zimbabwe, weaves story telling into his new body of work, referencing layers of research along with elements of introspection, self analysis, which creeps up and gives the viewer glimpses into the life of the artist within the body of work.
PHOTO ABOVE: Ronald Muchatuta, Journey (2017). mixed medium on canvas, 80x80cm
Simon Ker-Fox: Salted Earth
Simon Ker-Fox’s exhibition Salted Earth, shot in an isolated corner of the skeleton coast, considers the toxicity of isolation. While it draws on the rough and exposed natural environment, the aesthetic is laced with traces of absolute vulnerability.
Simon Ker-Fox, A Story of Departure (2015), colour photograph, 115,5×95,5cm
Rory Emmett: Concerning Alchemy
Through Colourman, Emmett explores the medium of painting and attempts to push its boundaries and conventions – materially and conceptually. His main concerns are with the language and alchemy of painting and identity, whilst using photography, video and performance to manifest his findings. Through his work, Emmett interrogates colour and its various ideological connotations.
Rory Emmett, Colourman (2014),flatbed print on wood, 120x80cm
WHEN: Opening on THURSDAY 17 August 2017 | 6PM
WHERE: AVA Gallery, Church Street, Cape Town 8001
