Norval Foundation opens Lisa Reihana’s immersive video installation in Pursuit of Venus [infected] and William Kentridge’s Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture, on August 3rd and August 24th respectively.
The William Kentridge exhibition takes place in conjunction with his exhibition at Zeitz MOCAA – see The Largest Exhibition of Kentridege in Africa.
Lisa Reihana – in Pursuit of Venus [infected]
Lisa Reihana’s in Pursuit of Venus [infected] is an monumentally immersive video installation that will dominate the entirety of gallery one. It previously featured at the 2017 Venice Biennale, and spans 17 metres wide and is 64 minutes in length.
Integrating hand-painted landscape with live action figures and a densely layered soundtrack, in Pursuit of Venus [infected] invites viewers to observe a series of restaged historical events, both real and imagined, of the first contact between British and Pacific peoples. Rather than replicating a European perspective, which dominates the majority of accounts of this moment, Reihana integrates Māori forms of knowledge and social practices into how the work is structured, offering a sophisticated counternarrative.
WHEN: 3 August 2019 – 20 January 2020
Exhibition Opening – 16:00 Talk by Lisa Reihana – 17:30 Gallery 1, Norval Foundation
William Kentridge – Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture
William Kentridge’s Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture will be the first exhibition internationally to focus solely on Kentridge’s sculptural practice.
Kentridge’s sculptures embrace a spontaneous approach that has recently evolved towards the massive and monumental. (See lead photo above) Simultaneously, and in tension to the monumental aspects of his practice,Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture reveals Kentridge to be a choreographer as much as a sculptor. The objects are understood as props for a stage, bringing his practice full circle, to his early studies and work in the theatre.
A key aspect of Norval Foundation is their commitment to exhibiting the sculptural and installation-based practices of a variety of artists, which is facilitated by the purpose-designed gallery eight, their largest gallery, that will be the focus for this particular exhibition.
Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture sees the origins of these works in props from Kentridge’s operas and images from his animations stepping off the stage and out of the screen, confronting us directly at ground level. Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture will also premiere new works commissioned for the occasion of this special exhibition. The show will be the largest Kentridge exhibition held in Africa in over a decade. The exhibition at Norval Foundation will be accompanied by a concurrent retrospective exhibition at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), entitled: “Why Should I Hesitate? Putting Drawings to Work”.
WHERE: Norval Foundation 4 Steenberg Rd, Steenberg Estate, Cape Town, 7945
WHEN: 24 August – 23 March 2010. Exhibition opens to Norval Foundation members on August 24th from 10:00AM with a walkabout led by William Kentridge at 11:00AM, and the show opens to the public from 1:00PM.
PHOTOS: William Kentridge in his studio with the plaster versions of Cape Silver, 2019 (left) and Open, 2019 (centre).Photo: Stella Olivier
Lisa Reihana, detail in Pursuit of Venus [infected], 2015–17, Ultra HD video, colour, 7.1 sound, 64 min.
Image courtesy of the artist, New Zealand at Venice and Artprojects. With support of Creative New
Zealand and NZ at Venice Patrons and Partners.’
