c-print
gordonschachatcollection, south africa
kendell geers 1988-2012 exhibition 01.02 – 12.05.13
haus der kunst - munchen
jesomite and glass
courtesy gallery rodolphe janssen, bruxelles
jesomite and glass
courtesy gallery rodolphe janssen, bruxelles
indian ink and gesso on human skull
courtesy the artist; galleria continua, san gimignano / beijing / le moulin; goodman gallery, johannesburg; stephen friedman gallery, london
concrete and glass
courtesy the artist; galleria continua, san gimignano / beijing / le moulin; goodman gallery, johannesburg; stephen friedman gallery, london
postpunkpaganpop, 2008
mirrors, razor mesh
height: 300cm
courtesy the artist; galleria continua, san gimignano / beijing / le moulin; goodman gallery, johannesburg; stephen friedman gallery, london
hanging piece, 1993
objet trouvé, chevron tape
courtesy the artist
neon
courtesy of the artist and yvon lambert
police batons
courtesy the artist
spray-paint on found object
courtesy the artist; galleria continua, san gimignano / beijing / le moulin; goodman gallery, johannesburg; stephen friedman gallery, london
kendell geers, born in 1968 in south africa, uses various media such as installation, drawing, video, performance, and photography. he gained international recognition through his participation in documenta 11 (2002) and his active global exhibition activity.
his life and work can be divided into two decade-long periods whose trajectories and developments are explored in this exhibition. the first political phase runs from 1988 to 2000, during which time the artist, a white south african, explored the moral and ethical contradictions of the apartheid system through his practice. geers developed a visual vocabulary characterized by provocation, humor, and violence by using found objects such as barbed wire or glass shards. by appropriating historical events and ideas, he focused on questions of relationship between individual and society. it was in this context that geers changed his date of birth to may 1968, the start of the student and civil revolution, and joined every political party in the period before south africa’s first democratic elections, from the extreme right-wing to the communist party. in this way, he expressed his doubts about the fetishization of party politics.
initiated by his move to brussels in 2000, his later european period is now characterized by a more poetic aesthetic. here, geers transferred his incendiary practice into a postcolonial and increasingly global context, suggesting more universal themes like terrorism, spirituality, and mortality. as such, the artist’s life and work can be said to constitute a living archive comprised of political events, photographs, letters, and literary texts that serve as a source of inspiration and represent a continuation of his oeuvre.
many thanks to haus der kunst for providing images for this post!
all content © kendell geers all rights reserved
via hausderkunst.de
prayplaypreypay, 2011
bronze, concrete and handcuffs
courtesy gallery rodolphe janssen, bruxelles
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