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Our Staff Reporter interviews ‘All of a Sardine’

Interview with an Artwork: All of a Sardine

A by Staff Reporter on the 26th of February 2015. This should take you 2 minutes to read.

Zimbabwean artist Dan Halter’s ‘All of a Sardine’ was produced in 2007 for his exhibition Never Say Never.

ArtThrob: How do you feel about being miscast?

All of a Sardine: What do you mean?

AT: I mean that you are not a sardine or at least you are not known as a sardine in your country of origin?

AoS: Yes, but I am certainly a sardine.

AT: But locally, I mean in your own country, you are known as a kapenta?

AoS: Yes, but locally here I am known as a sardine or certainly people here recognize me as such.

AT: Are you happy with that?

AoS: Not particularly and I must say that is does give me some pleasure when people recognize me as a kapenta. That always brings me some joy but I have grown used to the term ‘sardine’.

AT: And your children?

AoS: No they ask to be called kapenta. But as you can imagine I don’t really see them that much these days. Most of them are in Zimbabwe anyway and there isn’t that issue where I am from. Of course there are many other issues there but not specifically the kapenta/sardine one. There is more a distinction between dagaa or ndaga but that is an issue that I am more comfortable with.

AT: Why more comfortable?

AoS: You grow up with these things I suppose.

AT: Is it difficult to live away from your home?

AoS: I think that one can pretty much get used to anything. Of course there are moments when I think about home but they dissipate during the common old humdrum and bustle of everyday life. I tend to get a lot of traffic coming through were I am. So never a dull moment.

AT: And it hasn’t been all bad?

AoS: No, no, I don’t think I should or could say that. But at times you know…

AT: Obviously there is also something to your existence that needs explanation. The ‘all of a sudden,’ ‘all of a sardine’ pun. How does that make you feel?

AoS: It’s not too bad. You know it could have been worse. ‘Something fishy’; ‘small fry’; ‘green about the gills’; ‘fish out of water’; ‘the scales of justice’; ‘scaley émigré b******d’. Yes, it could have been a lot worse.   I am relatively happy with what I got away with.

AT: Why all of a sudden though?

AoS: I think things can happen pretty quickly. You know politically you can live in a stable country everybody minding their own business. I mean a little corruption here, some racism there, a little bit of beating around the corner, some harmless voter fixing and perhaps the money machine prints out a little too much and then whammo ‘all of a sardine’. You know? The one minute you are in a peaceful old lake and then woop-bang-james-be-your-uncle. Somebody turns on a light. Before you know who your mother is you are in a net flipping yourself silly. You’re on a drier seven seconds later and then you on the bus down to some country you hardly ever heard of.

AT: Are you lonely?

AoS: No no no, not lonely. Not at all. Too many things to do to be lonely.

Tagged: Dan Halter, interview, Zimbabwe

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Siemon Allen, Damaged Archive (Soweto), 2016. Archival pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper, Image size 51 x 51cm; Paper size 55 x 55cm

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