Memory as hinterland
PARKWOOD - Gallery 2's upcoming group exhibition will focus on the idea of memory as hinterland, an area that has been forgotten or left alone.
The exhibition will feature the work of Stephan Erasmus, Jaco van Schalwyk and Lauren Palte.
“The idea of the hinterland directly revolves around what could be described as a geographical area which has been forgotten or left alone for whatever reason the people of a country might have,” said the gallery’s Glynis Blomkamp.
“The focus of this exhibition will take a more symbolic [or] metaphoric approach to the understanding of ‘hinterland’ as a premise for this exhibition.”
For the contributing artists, the idea that the hinterland could lie “beyond what is visible”, opened up possibilities for the exploration of the word.
“This idea and understanding of hinterland carries the same usage of the word in late colonial Britain, where ‘hinterland’ was used to express the breadth and depth of ‘other matters’,” she said.
“But with regard to the practice of the [participating artists], the focus for the exploration can be narrowed down to memory; the metaphorical usage of ‘hinterland’ in relation to memory, whether personal memory or the collective memory of a people.”
Blomkamp added that the artists undertook the exploration from a personal perspective.
“The almost-forgotten and less-vested memories will become the landscape being traversed and exposed.”
Hinterland will run from 15 March until 5 April at Gallery 2, 140 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood.
Details: 011 447 0155
011 447 0155; www.gallery2.co.za
