Gavin Kraskin’s hot pink lights shine through the Monument
Named after the Greek tragedy, ‘12 Labours’ revolves around acts of physical work in Makhanda
“When queer people come together you don’t need to scaffold joy, it just happens.”
At night the Monument building glows hot pink from Standard Bank Young Artist winner Gavin Krastin’s first of 12 labours shining over the city like Makhanda’s Bat-signal.
In reality, they are growing lights for the numerous sweet potatoes placed in vases set on plinths to grow in abundance in the Sun Gallery. Some have sprouted while the rest remain pinned above the water, too cold to come to life.
Krastin’s work 12 Labours spans across the second floor, moving from the concrete garden, through to TVS set up with filmed acts of physical labour around Makhanda, and leading one to the final solo works from the award-winning performance artist, Rhodes lecturer and queer activist.
TVS showcase the labours which involved over 50 paid participants, who dressed up as gnomes and fixed up the city in acts of physical work.
Krastin said: “I thought we would have to play games or catalyse certain actions to bring about the pink energy but just being in space was enough.
“It was clear people took such ownership of themselves and the space. I have a lot more faith in humanity again.
“They laid proteas on graves at the cemetery, cleared out an illegal dumpsite, planted a community garden, filled potholes and all the time engaged with the fun and bubbly energy that flows when a bunch of queers come together.”
The name and number come from the Greek tragedy of The Twelve Labours of Hercules. Dramaturge and partner Alan Parker said this was “pretty much the only thing we took from it in the end”.
Parker said: “Over the past five months there was a lot of planning and conceptualising. We had all these ideas to put in motion.
“I’m very happy with what we achieved. The spirit of those we worked with - queer people and allies doing acts of physical labour.
“The dumpsite was soul-destroying; there was so much removed to the legal dump over eight hours of work, but it didn’t really make a dent. There was too much.”
Krastin said to see the works set up as the final exhibit was incredible.
“It’s mind-blowing. If I had to rewind to 10 years ago as a youngster, you say ‘when I grow up I want to be a fraction of Mamela Nyamza’ and then people actually think you can do it.”
Last year, Krastin underwent spinal surgery, mere hours before potential paralysis.
Ten months later, Festinos watch the recording of Krastin, who, clinging naked onto an elevated speaker in the centre of a black stage, crashes to the ground.
“I had such a horrible surgery, a great surgery, I wasn’t even sure what my body was going to be like, so to be here, alive with an able body with my partner, with my colleagues, students and friends, it’s surreal.
“At one point I had to seek out a bit of therapeutic help because I was unnecessarily censoring myself and underestimating my body.
“The doctors said, ‘you’re strong again, you can do this’. And then something wonderful happened. I fell off the speaker and hit the floor and I just lay there and everything was fine. Nothing broke or undid itself.”
Krastin worked on solo labours which were screened on large white walls like an intimate cinema.
“For a while, I’ve been moving between three pathways. I’m an educator, curator/facilitator/fundraiser and I’m my own solo artist.
“I needed to intersect those strands. It became a rhizomatic nebulous assemblage.
“The making process, one of research & development, was engaging quite strongly with my mom. We performed together at the Live Art Festival and in that detritus and strands were rewoven into two other artworks.
“I am close to my mom but one of the spaces we haven’t intersected is being on stage.
“I’ve shared the stage numerous times with my partner. This work was being held by my partner but onstage was me and my mom and that was very special.”
One of the last labours, titled “Tiete van vergelyking” was a gift to mentor and former HOD of the Rhodes Drama Department Juanita Finestone-praeg.
Firestone-praeg said: “I wept. I was overcome by the charged presence and energy. He walked on stage in a gown, heels and eight breasts!
“At the end of the showing he asked ‘Juanita where are you’ ,I was sitting in the fourth row, he ripped off two breasts and inside were little bottles of gin and we downed them in front of the audience.
“I was so moved, it was a gift beyond my imagining. The sense of lineage, of passing the torch, was unspeakable.”
12 Labours will be on display in