CALGARY
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE /
ROBIN RHODE
12 SEPTEMBER to 25 OCTOBER 2014
Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Calgary is pleased to present the works of South African artists, Robin Rhode and William Kentridge. Separated by two generations, Kentridge and Rhode share certain affinities in their artistic practice. Drawing, erasure, illusion and performance play a key role in their respective production. This exhibition pairs iconic works from each artist's oeuvre in ways that resonate as powerful allegories imbued with political and social commentary.
Born in 1955 in Johannesburg, William Kentridge witnessed one of the twentieth century's most contentious struggles, the dissolution of Apartheid. Known for his prints, drawings and animated films, Kentridge contrast old ideals with new desires in post-Aparthied South Africa. His work has been exhibited widely including the Tate Modern, the Louvre, the Centres Pompidou, the Hirshhorn Museum, Sculpture Garden, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. He has participated at the Venice Biennale and has been the recipient of numerous prizes including the Kyoto Prize and the Carnegie Prize.
Born in Cape Town in 1976, Robin Rhode is celebrated for his highly inventive performance-based videos and photographs. Using the street and outdoor urban settings as his "canvas", Rhode creates work through the consecutive act of drawing, erasing and photographing. While embodying a whimsical quality, the works possess an underlying commentary that alludes to socio-political issues and urban poverty in South Africa. Rhode has had solo exhibitions at the Haus der Kunst, Germany and Hayward Gallery, London. He has exhibited at The Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. He has also participated at The 51st Venice Biennale (2005), and the 2012 Sydney Biennale.
1114 11 Street SW
Calgary, AB T2R 1P1
587 349 2014
viviane@becontemporary.com
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (Twelve Coffee pots), 2012
linocut on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, each page mounted on arches velin, edition of 30
43.5" x 43"
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (Nine Typewriters), 2012
linocut on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition of 20
43" x 57.6"
William Kentridge, Lekkerbreek, 2013
linocut printed on non-archival pages from Britannica World Language Dictionary, mounted to Arches, edition of 24, 67" x 42.5"
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (19), 2012
linocut printed on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford Dictionary, mounted on Velin Arches, edition of 20
10.6" x 13.7"
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (13), 2012
linocut printed on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford Dictionary, mounted on Velin Arches, edition of 20, 13.7" x 10.6"
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (34), 2012
linocut printed on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary paper torn and fragments mounted on Velin Arches, edition of 20, 13.7" x 10.6"
William Kentridge, Universal Archive (52), 2012
linocut printed on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford Dictionary, mounted on Velin Arches, edition of 20, 13.7" x 10.6"
Robin Rhode, Ballad to Ballet, 2008
9 pigment prints, ed. 5/6
26 1/8 x 26 1/8 in. each panel
Robin Rhode, Automatic Drowning, 2004
18 c-prints mounted to aluminum, ed. 2/3
11 2/3 x 17 1/3 in. each panel
Robin Rhode, detail, Automatic Drowning
Robin Rhode, detail, Automatic Drowning