Art line — An incredibly talented installation artist

I found him to be a kind, humble and gentle man, not being akin to his fame at that stage.

We met over the next few years at various exhibitions and spoke in general for long periods.

Later, I found out that he was the senior art lecturer at one of the universities in Pretoria.

Fortunately this did not mar the friendship.

He is one person for which I have the greatest respect.

His type of artwork is fascinating, tedious, can cut ones hands to ribbons, and only an artist of his calibre could put so much patience, hours and preparation into the building of his pieces. Each piece is carefully planned, a number of drawings executed and floor plans designed for the placing of the pieces.

His artworks are made from materials which consist of rusted tins; these are sought far and wide.

It is now a habit to look at a rusty peace of tin twice before throwing it away!

What the artist cannot find, he will acquire new and rust the pieces himself though chemical methods of his own.

He has helped me, and many other budding artists, formulate their basic ideas into future installations.

Therefore, I am eternally grateful to this wonderful unassuming person.

This artist is internationally known and recognised as he has exhibited his works in many parts of the world, some of which were by special invitation.

Artist’s comment:

“At present, I work with artefacts of our time and attempt to transform them into archaeological remnants … The tin cans are ordinarily used for preservation. The fragile rusted tins in these works become metaphors for waste, loss and consumerism. Their use may be seen as an attempt to ‘preserve something transient and vulnerable’.”

Working primarily in rusted metal, he has developed a language that speaks subtly yet eloquently of the South African psyche.

His inspiration is often drawn from highly personal sources to develop themes that can be universally appreciated but more intensely so by viewers familiar with the peculiarities of South Africa – its art, society and history.

Some of the installations impose on a significant amount of space and the viewer is enticed to step up towards the installation for closer examination.

These “monuments” refer to the memory of the unknown by many. “These installations resemble film sets without actors”.

Many artists work in the field of objét trouvet – “the “found object”, “rescuing items from being dumped, as unusable and undesirable, only to be re-assigned objects as works of art.

Through deftness and patience befitting an accomplished weaver he reformulates these unlikely materials into desirable “textiles” and surfaces, finally to stitch and sew them into garments and objects of deeper significance.

His technique allows him to “shift time”, rendering the objects into “archaeological finds.