Current Review(s)
Willem Strydom
Willem Strydom at The Rupert Museum
At the opening of Willem Strydom’s exhibition, literary scholar Ampie Coetzee asked me what an art critic would make of a Renaissance artist in South Africa in the 21st century. It is a difficult question, and one for which I have no answer. Yet it is a train of thought worth pursuing by considering Strydom’s position in South African art today – the nature and meaning of his oeuvre.
As far as I know there has been only one review of his current exhibition – a perceptive and penetrating piece by Cobus van Bosch in Die Burger. Van Bosch clearly has no problem with the idea of a Renaissance artist working in this country in the 21st Century. Others may, however, and I fear that Strydom, arguably one of South Africa’s most important artists, has in recent years become something of an absent figure in our art history. One looks in vain for reference to his work in major publications. He is, of course, not alone in this – anyone studying contemporary South African aesthetic production, who relied only on reviews, current books and general exhibition catalogues, would have huge gaps in their understanding of what is happening here. Many have fallen prey to the exclusionary practices in contemporary publications and curatorship that characterise the visual art sector.
28 September 2011 - 01 September 2012
Listings(s)
'Willem Strydom'
Willem Strydom at The Rupert MuseumFrom 28 September 2011 to 1 September 2012 the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch stages an extensive selection from the work of well-known sculptor Willem Strydom. In this exhibition the artist explores materialisation of wholeness, proportion and luminosity in his sculptures and unique drawings with colour. Referencing a wide range of both South African and European subjects and styles, Strydom's work stands in poignant contrast to the practices of a younger generation of local sculptors. A comprehensive catalogue has been specially compiled for the exhibition.
28 September 2011 - 01 September 2012
