SMAC Art Gallery 02

Mbongeni Dlamini


'Aerial photograph of Mbuluzi River, Simunye, Swaziland Diagram of seawater to freshwater ratios '

'Aerial photograph of Mbuluzi River, Simunye, Swaziland Diagram of seawater to freshwater ratios ' 2013, Mbongeni Dlamini and Morne Visagie,

Colonial Chess

Colonial Chess 2011, offset lithograph,
Courtesy of the artist

Listings(s)

'Far from the Sea, Perhaps...'

Morne Visagie and Mbongeni Dlamini at Whatiftheworld / Gallery

Whatiftheworld is pleased to present 'Far from the Sea, Perhaps...' a collaborative debut exhibition by artists Mbongeni Dlamini and Morné Visagie.

Dlamini and Visagie approach landscape both as literal subject and metaphor. Using geography as focus and filter, the artists grapple with questions of identity, belonging, the worlds they inhabit and the tenuous nature of human relationships.
 
'Far from the Sea, Perhaps...' derives its title from Micheal Taussig's seminal text What Colour is Sacred, and points towards both colour theory and the aftermath of the colonial, historical, and social narratives that are the core of the artists' inquiry.
 
This new body of work represents the confluence of the artists' uniquely intertwined practices. Geographical sites, extrapolated colour fields, and historical archives are the main methods of exploration. Created collaboratively during shared tie in Cape Town South Africa and Mbabane Swaziland the exhibition presents a series of archival photographs, richly hued monotype prints, and site specific installations. Characteristic of Dlamini and Visagie's works, 'Far from the Sea, Perhaps...' describes a deep engagement with land, identity and the delicate balance between melancholy and hope.


25 April 2013 - 23 May 2013