THE BIG ONE
The William Kentridge exhibition that is on simultaneously at Cape Town’s Zeitz MOCAA and Norval Foundation, titled Why Should I Hesitate: Putting Drawings to Work and Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture, is not only the biggest survey of his work ever shown in Africa, but the biggest ever, anywhere.
At 64, Kentridge is probably SA’S most famous and highly respected artist, with the kind of international status that none of his contemporaries can claim.
Often, his bigger works are seen around the world before they eventually make their way to SA. Last year’s The Head & The Load, for example, was a huge hybrid performance work including actors, dancers, music and art, commissioned in the UK to commemorate the centenary of World War 1.
It dealt with the forgotten black African porters or “carriers” who took part — and often died — in the war. It debuted at the Tate Modern in London and has toured around the world. Word is we’ll see it here next year.
This time, however, the biggest and the best exhibition is taking place on home ground. This massive survey of
Kentridge’s work arose from two independent invitations from
Zeitz MOCAA and Norval Foundation, and he saw the opportunity to do “a more generous rather than more restricted exhibition”, which grew into the show as it is now, covering 40 years of work.
The exhibition fell quite naturally into two parts.
“Norval Foundation has a space that’s devoted to sculpture, so it was fairly obvious that would be an exhibition of sculptures,” says Kentridge.