Iconic wine farm Spier is now home to Disrupt II, which focuses on a range of new works dealing with the theme of disruption, evoking the zeitgeist of our times as we discover whole worlds between covers.
The exhibition will house artist Emma Willemse’s works that were exhibited at the Contemporary African Art Fair in 2018. These pieces have now been returned to South Africa by the Spier Arts Trust where they can be marvelled at on home soil.
The installation includes a selection from the artist’s series of 101 handmade artist books, entitled ‘101 ways to long for a home’ which seeks to subvert the traditional notion of linear word-based storytelling. It employs a fragmented visual language and relies on the multi-layered meanings generated by found material. The discarded parquet floor blocks featured in the intricate construction of the books and objects are sourced from Woodstock in Cape Town, where a gentrification process causes the demolition of old homes and buildings.
“Displacement from a ‘home’ is a theme that echoes in a number of works and naturally links up neatly with her novel material: reclaimed parquet flooring,” says arts writer Mary Corrigall. “This disused material obviously evokes a ‘home’ but also a history of a place and movements in it that leave a trace. Floorboards are perhaps an overlooked archive of human movement that allude to the multiple histories and experiences that are very subtly embedded in its surface.”
The books’ covers, Corrigall adds, “are the repositories for everyday experiences on the outside, while inside they contain the magical nuggets, which might be bold cutouts that pop into view or very fine drawings that gradually blossom into view via a concertina of pages.”
Disrupt II is also an interactive exhibition: visitors are invited to explore each book on show – there are plenty of enticing surprises to discover by flipping through their pages.
Details:
- Where: Spier Winefarm’s Old Wine Cellar
- Times: Daily from 9am to 5pm
- Dates: Until Friday, 22 April
- Price: Free to the public
About the artist
Emma Willemse is a conceptual artist and art educator living and working in Riebeek Kasteel, in the Swartland region of the Western Cape. Her art-making practice deals with issues of displacement, placemaking and sense of place. She holds a Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the University of South Africa and qualifications in psychology and librarianship. Her artworks are technically varied and include sculptural installations, printmaking, artist’s books, painting and drawing.
Emma has exhibited extensively in South Africa, Africa and abroad, and her works have been included in the Art Bank Joburg, Nando’s Collection, the South African Embassy in Beijing and the Spier Collection. Her award-winning artist’s books installation, consisting of 101 handmade books, have been exhibited in various configurations in Stellenbosch and Johannesburg, South Africa; Florence, Italy; Paris, France; London, UK; and at the Dak’Art Biennale in Senegal.
Also read:
Picture: