THE FINAL CURTAIN
‘Death Row Dinner’ offers an artistic take on life’s precious moments
Last meals and favourite ingredients are what usually come to mind when contemplating the idea of a death row dinner. However, for certain creatives the concept goes beyond food. When Cape Town gallery THEFOURTH breathed this phrase into the minds of its invited artists and designers, what emerged were memories of the past, reflections on self, the meaning of life and the nostalgia of lost time.
For Death Row Dinner, the last exhibition presented by the gallery in its current format, the project’s founders — artist and sculptor Rodan Kane Hart and his partner, design consultant Maybe Corpaci — left their brief open to interpretation.
“It’s interesting to see how one chooses their final act,” says Hart who, together with Corpaci, curated the artworks, ceramics and furniture received into themed rooms. “The idea of The Last Supper can seem sinister and unsettling,” he says, “but it is also full of possibilities.”
Hart’s own answer to the brief is a largerthan-life rendition of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, a steel sculpture set behind shimmering metal in a room called The Golden Cage. “This imagined prison is like a cell for contemplation,” says the artist. “It’ sa quiet moment, with time and space to think — the ultimate luxury of being isolated. But one person’s luxury can be another’s prison.”
The Thinker is paired with meditative works by Cathy Abraham that revolve around the number 18, Judaism’s number for life — “Like counting the days and crossing them off on a prison wall,” says Hart. The room is completed with a Knoll chair turned upside down by Harry Bertoia and a rope light by Curación Collection, which at first glance appears to be a noose.
The exhibition is typical of the gallery — showcasing work that is meant to be experienced emotionally. “We want to contribute to the cultural lexicon,” says
Hart, “and put things together that are memorable, conceptual and deep.”
A room titled Game of Thrones juxtaposes a carved African table and chair
with an artwork by Gitte Möller titled Nothing is forever. “There’ sa representation of family, drama, suspense and history in that space,” says Hart, pointing to the layers of nostalgia and futurism present in the handworked furniture and oil painting on faux wood.
Since launching in September 2020 in an old building on St George’s Mall, the gallery has provided an exciting interdisciplinary context for work that ranges from international design to art by recent local graduates.
“We want to create spaces that are more accessible and social, fostering change by making art and design more relatable,” Hart says.
When Death Row Dinner comes to an end, the pair intend moving on to collaborative projects from interiors for residential and hospitality spaces to public installations, while also offering an art, design and fabrication consultancy. Their next life is all about spreading art and design further than their gallery walls.
Says Hart: “We like to occupy spaces temporarily to show how art and design can exist in different environments. Experiences can be ephemeral and transient; they don’t need to have bricks and mortar.”
Death Row Dinner runs until April 2. thefourth.co.za.