THE TEETH HAVE IT
Jason Bronkhorst’s distorted board of directors
JASON Bronkhorst is probably best known to LS readers for his humorous illustrations under the Infiltrate Media label, but this Joburg artist, designer and photographer has many more brushes up his sleeve.
His abstract portraits are reminiscent of the work of the late British painter Robert Hodgins, although Bronkhorst’s distorted faces are perhaps even more unsettling. His latest body of work, The Board of Directors, includes sculpture, drawings and paintings, each piece a loose self-portrait incorporating comment on “post-colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy in the context of modern Africa” according to the Kalashnikovv Gallery’s rubric.
“Each painting contains layers and layers of images and words, erased and covered continuously, exploring the complexities of my own history and my attempts at learning from the past, living in the present and building for the future in the context of contemporary African politics and industry,” says Bronkhorst.
“The open mouth and bared teeth are a contravention of formal portraiture practice. The vanity and integrity of the subject are interrogated, implying madness or a sense of menace, perhaps more accurately reflecting the sinister and predatory nature of the subject. The teeth represent the human skull, a symbolic reminder of mortality.”
He was partly inspired in this by Death the Leveller by 17th-century poet James Shirley: The glories of our blood and state / Are shadows, not substantial things / There is no armour against Fate / Death lays his icy hand on kings / Sceptre and Crown / Must tumble down / And in the dust be equal made / With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
Bronkhorst will have a solo exhibition in Berlin later this year and has been selected to participate in the inaugural “Anti Hero” painters exhibition at Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2017. LS