'Marlene Dumas: Intimate Relations' opens in Johannesburgby Cara Snyman
'Marlene Dumas: Intimate Relations' opened its Johannesburg leg in the Standard Bank Gallery on February 5. This exhibition, co-curated by Emma Bedford and the artist, premiered in Cape Town last year. 'Intimate Relations' functions as an introduction to Dumas for a South African audience and is structured like a mini-retrospective. The exhibition highlights major themes and motives, and covers more than 30 years of production, from Dumas' school notebooks to recent paintings.
As the title would suggest, relationships, from the romantic to the universal, are a key theme. The body is central in expressing vulnerability, power, the erotic, death and the effects of prejudice. It is a powerful collection of work and shows why Dumas is considered one of the world's foremost contemporary artists.
The catalogue which accompanies the exhibition, co-published by Roma Publications, Amsterdam and Jacana Media, Johannesburg, is beautifully produced and a reflection of the breakdown of boundaries between the public and private so prevalent in Dumas' work. Extracts from letters and conversations, pieces of poetry and photos of friends, are given as much attention as the artworks themselves, and form a personal web through which every artwork gains new significance.
The documentary Miss. Interpreted, produced in 1997, equally chronicles the life of Dumas, with family reunions, old acquaintances and private moments in the studio.
'Marlene Dumas: Intimate Relations' runs until March 29.
