“Some boy, some girl, someone, something...”
Solo art exhibition Sorrel Hofmann & Friends The AVA Gallery, Cape Town January 31 to February 24
THIS exhibition is an exploration into the forms of violence – psychological, ecological, political and personal – that are perpetrated in the name of “grand narratives” emanating from theoretical regimes. Such forms of epistemic violence have become commonplace in contemporary society and can be seen to particularly affect those who are most vulnerable in society. Hofman’s work has paid particular attention to such violence as it affects women, the people of Africa and the environment in recent years. Emanating from deep, on-the-ground research and wide interviewing of people, the artist attempts to position herself less as an accuser than as one who is “in conversation” with those she critiques. The works in this exhibition incorporate painting, sculpture and installation as well as a series of large-scale books which Hofmann has being working on for several years. This entirely new body of work is closely related to an exploratory essayistic exhibition, The Rape, that was exhibited at Eclectica Contemporary in June and July, though now Hofmann seems to be more visceral, making even more expressive and free gestures through brush and material. Hofmann uses traditional art materials as well as geographically or culturally laden found objects in her works.
The title of the exhibition takes as its starting point the way that psychological narratives enacted and initiated by a “boy’s club” of Freud, Jung, Lacan and others has led to the subjugation and essentialising of women, children and those labelled as “other” (Freud & Friends; Jung & Friends; “and boy” & Friends). The recurring theme portrayed in the the exhibition of “some boy, some girl, someone, something” attempts to reinstate identity to those turned into an aggregate or statistic and give power to the individual once more.
The exhibition will be curated by Andrew Lamprecht, who has worked with Hofmann on her two previous exhibitions, though this will be the first time he will be acting as curator.
The exhibition closes on February 24 at 4pm. For further information contact The AVA 021 424 7436.