06.07.09 - Other Works Bother
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Barend De Wet and Christian Nerf - But NotOn the rare occasion, I sometimes frequent exhibitions at the AVA, but not that often. I am a fan of the AVA and in particular the artreach fund, which aims to support young deserving artists with financial aid, material bursaries and the like. But sometimes the shows are a bit on the weak side. And sometimes they are just really bad. But tonight, I am informed of a new opening by conceptualists Christian Nerf and Barend de Wet. I am very excited.
I invite my American friend Kim along, as she has not had too much time to indulge in the contemporary art scene. Braving the cold, we arrive at the space and grab a Glass of Spier wine, bless their souls. We stroll around the space, only to find three dreadful exhibitions. The first room showcases an installation by newcomer Wessel Snyman. The Birds is a piece made up of used ATM slips. The statements are folded into origami birds and suspended from the ceiling. It is an apparent commentary on the current financial climate of South Africa. I feel that it speaks more about the exorbitant bank charges we normal folk face with our debit cards. Anyone remember Bridget Baker? But the show is not that bad.
We move around the rest of the space art-kissing everyone and ignoring the dodgy paintings on display. I whisper in my friend’s ear that I think we came to the wrong show, smiling and waving politely across the semi-crowded room. We leave the space and I bump into Stellenbosch lecturer Katherine Bull. I tell her that I mistakenly thought it was Nerf / de Wet exhibition. She explains that it is and that their contribution is in the tiny multimedia room. I embarrassingly admit that I did not even go upstairs as I had a good view of the crap on the mezzanine level from downstairs.
The media room is small and crowded but we eventually catch a glimpse of the work. But luckily it does not demand a lot of attention and the room is cleared very quickly. It is another contract work in which de Wet and Nerf, signed over their signature to each other for a given period. There had been some interesting manifestations of the piece in the past but this is not one of them. There are some objects in vitrines, the physical contracts and post card works. There is also a small projection portraying de Wet and Nerf brushing each other’s plaque infested cavities. But it is all over in a pan of the space.
We go for a drink and I wonder why these conceptualists don’t have stronger concepts. And fellow trouble man Douglas Gimpberg curates the exhibition.
I invite my American friend Kim along, as she has not had too much time to indulge in the contemporary art scene. Braving the cold, we arrive at the space and grab a Glass of Spier wine, bless their souls. We stroll around the space, only to find three dreadful exhibitions. The first room showcases an installation by newcomer Wessel Snyman. The Birds is a piece made up of used ATM slips. The statements are folded into origami birds and suspended from the ceiling. It is an apparent commentary on the current financial climate of South Africa. I feel that it speaks more about the exorbitant bank charges we normal folk face with our debit cards. Anyone remember Bridget Baker? But the show is not that bad.
We move around the rest of the space art-kissing everyone and ignoring the dodgy paintings on display. I whisper in my friend’s ear that I think we came to the wrong show, smiling and waving politely across the semi-crowded room. We leave the space and I bump into Stellenbosch lecturer Katherine Bull. I tell her that I mistakenly thought it was Nerf / de Wet exhibition. She explains that it is and that their contribution is in the tiny multimedia room. I embarrassingly admit that I did not even go upstairs as I had a good view of the crap on the mezzanine level from downstairs.
The media room is small and crowded but we eventually catch a glimpse of the work. But luckily it does not demand a lot of attention and the room is cleared very quickly. It is another contract work in which de Wet and Nerf, signed over their signature to each other for a given period. There had been some interesting manifestations of the piece in the past but this is not one of them. There are some objects in vitrines, the physical contracts and post card works. There is also a small projection portraying de Wet and Nerf brushing each other’s plaque infested cavities. But it is all over in a pan of the space.
We go for a drink and I wonder why these conceptualists don’t have stronger concepts. And fellow trouble man Douglas Gimpberg curates the exhibition.
posted by Ed Young at 4:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home