Artist Sylvester Zanoxolo Mqeku is presenting his solo exhibition “Birth of the Alter Natural”, starting on 3 December this year. The exhibition comes after Mqeku won the StateoftheART Gallery Award for 2021 and will be hosted at the gallery.
The exhibition features Mqeku’s unique sand-cast ceramic sculptures, which he uses to explore the idea of an extinct natural world.
Mqeku is currently completing his Masters at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein and, being the only artist in Africa who uses sand-cast ceramics techniques, he was commissioned to host the first ever public workshop on sand-cast ceramics at the university.
He attempts to combine the ancient traditional craft technique of ceramics with industrial scientific methods such as laser cutting and 3D printing.
The artworks that come out of this process often resemble objects dug up from another planet, and life forms that appear fossilised or frozen in a post-biotic condition.
The StateoftheART Gallery Award seeks to bring to light emerging South African artists working in contemporary art by increasing exposure for their work and encouraging future career opportunities and development.
In 2021, applicants were asked to submit work for the theme “On The Brink: Visualising Climate Change” and were prompted to engage with the impact of the climate crisis in a South African context.
- Dates: 3-17 December 2022
- Location: StateoftheART Gallery, 50 Buitenkant Street
- Opening: Saturday 3 December 2022, 11am to 3pm
- Available online: Click here
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Picture: Supplied