Comprehension catalogue

excellence through possibilty

Compre hension boitumelo ben zamani

CATALOGUE

excellence through possibilty

Compre hension boitumelo ben zamani

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe (North West), Ben Ngobeni (Mpumalanga) and Zamani Xaba (KwaZulu Natal) are three Artist Proof alumni students who are currently involved within the 2017 internship programme. The theme for the exhibition is centred around the concept of Comprehension. The collaboration of each artist compelled them to comprehend ambiguous stories from their different backgrounds. Their experiences are linked by the thin lines in their works, whether as a string from the sewing machine, golden lines of the spiritual journey or rusted impressions from the caves. Concepts of history, life after death, mythology and politics are some of the themes that each artist attempts to comprehend.

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe

Biography In 2010, Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe started his career as a visual ar st where he, enrolled at Mmabana Taung Ins tu on and majored in pain ng and drawing. In 2014, Gaotlhaelwe moved to Johannesburg and started his prin ng career at Ar st Proof Studio. Gaotlhaelwe is currently comple ng his fourth year internship in Phumani paper making studio under the mentorship of the master printmaker and paper maker Nathi Ndlandla.

Gaotlhaelwe specialises in monotype prin ng and etching. Gaotlhaelwe has exhibited in a number of exhibi ons including the Turbine and Joburg art fair.

Statement “Wri en in backwards” Through the li le window of where we come from. I get the insight of understanding the significance of our heritage sides (home of Taung child). In the passage of cave, I discovered what seems to be hidden in the plain side. All the engraving of old rocks seems to be wri en backwards, the blurriness projects the complex of the ma er the story itself is abstract.

Difficult to read the rock pain ngs which I perceived to be the story of many folds. Layers of mud gets rusted on the rock for me fades, giving birth to our me.

I noted, if oral history is not enough the impressions of these rocks vividly narrate the story of “wri en in backwards”.

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Length of Existence I Monotype 36x70cm 2017 R800.00 Incl.VAT R2400.00 Incl.VAT (set of 3)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Length of Existence II Monotype 36x70cm 2017 R800.00 Incl.VAT R2400.00 Incl.VAT (set of 3)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Length of Existence III Monotype 36x70cm 2017 R800.00 Incl.VAT R2400.00 Incl.VAT (set of 3)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Of Many Folds I Monotype 50x35cm 2017 R700.00 Incl.VAT R2800.00 Incl.VAT (set of 4)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Of Many Folds II Monotype 50x35cm 2017 R700.00 Incl.VAT R2800.00 Incl.VAT (set of 4)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Of Many Folds III Monotype 50x35cm 2017 R700.00 Incl.VAT R2800.00 Incl.VAT (set of 4)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Of Many Folds IV Monotype 50x35cm 2017 R700.00 Incl.VAT R2800.00 Incl.VAT (set of 4)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Wri en In Backwards I Monotype 100x70.5cm R2400.00 Incl.VAT

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Wri en In Backwards II Monotype 100x70.5cm R2400.00 Incl.VAT

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Wri en In Backwards III Monotype 100x70.5cm R2400.00 Incl.VAT

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Wri en In Backwards IV Monotype 100x70.5cm R2400.00 Incl.VAT

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Preserved Mold I Monotype 58x41cm 2017 R1200.00 Incl.VAT R2400.00 Incl.VAT (set of 2)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Preserved Mold II Monotype 58x41cm 2017 R1200.00 Incl.VAT R2400.00 Incl.VAT (set of 2)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Unreadable I Monotype 38.5x70.5cm 2017 R1100.00 Incl.VAT R2200.00 Incl.VAT (set of 2)

Boitumelo Gaotlhaelwe Unreadable II Monotype 38.5x70.5cm 2017 R1100.00 Incl.VAT R2200.00 Incl.VAT (set of 2)

Ben Ngobeni

Biography Ben Ngobeni is an ar st, sculptor and printmaker from Madadeni Village in Mpumalanga. Ngobeni currently lives in Katlehong, Johannesburg. From 2004 to 2007, Ngobeni worked in Gold and Manganese mines. In 2009, Ngobeni studied the basics in visual art at Tsebo Visual Art School, Katlehong Art Centre.

In 2010, Ngobeni travelled to Butha–Buthe in Lesotho with fellow students from Katlehong Art Centre where he developed his skill in wood sculptures. In 2016, Ngobeni completed the 3-year printmaking course at Ar st Proof Studio. Currently, Ngobeni is working as an intern, in the Special Projects unit, at Ar st Proof Studio. As an intern, Ngobeni has been involved in outreach printmaking workshops at Lalela, Sacred Hearts Primary School, King David and Play Africa. He also coordinated the commissioned mural pain ng at Hollard Insurance under Ar nsure. In his spare me, Ngobeni works as a part me illustrator for primary school text books for grade 4 and 7 in the Zulu Vernacular.

Statement “Bridge of the spirits” In Bridge of the spirit Ngobeni a empts to interrogate the thin line between the physical and the spiritual, human and the divine, the living and the dead, the worldly and the universal. Ngobeni expresses concepts and ideas derived from the spiritual teachings of his late father who was his teacher, supporter, protector and mentor. His work celebrates and condemns the different roles of the masculine figure in society.

Within “Bridge of the spirits” Ngobeni represents different mythologies of the character of the bull. The bull is a personifica on of Ngobeni’s father and by extension the perceived role every man. The bull is also a metaphor of polygamy, strength and power. A er the bull sacrificed himself he then became the sun that provide life and love, and became the metaphor for his vehicle that passes the bridge of the spirit to communicate with the ancestors for mentorship. Each print is a visual chapter of the path herea er. This body of work pays homage and tribute to all men who were and are s ll as powerful as bulls who protected their territories.

Ben Ngobeni Beyond the Veil Photolithography 24x29cm 2017 R400.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Presence of the Soul Photolithography 25x30.9cm 2017 R400.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Her Presence In The Dark Photolithography 25x28cm 2017 R400.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni A Journey In the Dark Photolithography 24.5x28cm 2017 R400.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Divine Union On Sacred Ground Lithography 29x23cm 2017 R500.00

Ben Ngobeni Help The Soul Remember Etching 35.4x50cm 2017 R1000.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Get Metaphysical, For You're Spiritual Etching 35.4x50cm 2017 R1000.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Behold, the Kingdom of Heavens Is Within You Etching 49.5x35.4cm 2017 R1200.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Uncovered Holiest of Holies Etching 35.4x49.8cm 2017 R1200.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni A Journey In the Darkness Etching 49.8x66cm 2017 R1200.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Jachin and Boaz Etching 70.5x49.8cm 2017 R1800.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni And Behold, It Was Doors Etching 49.4x66.4cm 2017 R1800.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Spirit With The Body A ached Etching 35.4x49.5cm 2017 R1800.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni Si ng At the Moment For the Time Etching 49.8x66.3cm 2017 R1800.00 Incl.VAT

Ben Ngobeni The Bridge of the Spirits Etching 70.5x100cm 2017 R2300.00 Incl.VAT

Zamani Xaba

Biography Zamani Xaba was born at Umlazi Township in Durban, his interest in art emanates from a very young age and that is when he started a ending Saturday art classes at the Durban Art Gallery in 1995. In 2001 he a ended Saturday art classes with the Velobala Group at the Durban University of Technology, in 2005 he graduated with the Diploma in Art and Design from the Ekurhuleni East College. In 2001 he was part of the Abelumbi(Untold tales of magic) exhibi on which was a traveling exhibi on around the country. In 2016 he completed the print making course at Ar st Proof Studio and the exhibi on of the best of Ar st Proof Students at Straus and Co. In 2017 he was involved as a Print Making Technician at the Pro Shop and also worked at Phumani Archival Paper at the University of Johannesburg under the internship programme of Ar st Proof Studio.

Statement My work focuses on poli cs especially on the contemporary poli cal landscape which is aec ng all of us as the ci zens of South Africa, as our country is currently rated as a junk status country and under technical recession because of bad governance.

In my work I put precedence on the issue of the poli cal system designed by men with the inten on by them to become the supreme beings to rule over everything under the sun and among our human species, for me the poli cal system is designed to classify each and every individual according to their skin colour, race, geography and gender. The way the poli cal system is introduced to the masses it can be camouage as if it is designed to help the poor, but the rich are ge ng richer and the poor are ge ng poorer under this poli cal system. I use the sewing machine as a metaphor of a poli cal system which creates our reality and it portrays the good and the bad brought about by the poli cal system. I use the strings of the sewing co on to connect the system and the land scape.

Zamani Xaba A Life Unveiled I Photolithography 47x35.5cm 2017 R1500.00 Incl.VAT

Zamani Xaba A Life Unveiled II Photolithography 50x35.5cm 2017 R1500.00 Incl.VAT

Zamani Xaba A Life Unveiled III Photolithography 50x35.5cm 2017 R1500.00 Incl.VAT

Zamani Xaba Beware Of Dog Photolithography 35.5x50cm 2017 R1500.00 Incl.VAT

Zamani Xaba A Slow Grinding Mill Photolithography 50x70cm 2017 R1800.00 Incl.VAT

excellence through possibilty

Compre hension boitumelo ben zamani

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