A special collection of art work on cats which have visited Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery in Wellington Road in Durbanville over the years, is currently exhibited at the gallery.
The exhibition titled “Bad Kitties Doing Bad Things” is one of three new exhibitions at the gallery and can be viewed until 2 May.
“This group exhibition takes an unconventional approach in keeping with our 40th year celebrations,” says Donavan Mynhardt, curator.
“Rust-en-Vrede Gallery and Clay Museum is centrally located in Durbanville and shares its borders with various offices and apartments. For us, it’s not strange to see our neighbours walking their cats on the grounds each morning, and we have even celebrated the birth of a new litter or two in our attic throughout the years,” he explains.
Mischief
“Participating artists were tasked with portraying the mischief caused by our feline companions. Drawing inspiration from viral cat videos and social media trends in particular, the exhibition explores the humorous, destructive and endearingly rebellious behaviours that have made cats accidental online celebrities.
“From knocking objects off tables to getting stuck in unlikely places, the works capture moments of everyday anarchy that feel instantly familiar to anyone who has spent time scrolling through cat content.
“This exhibition promises to be warm, light-hearted, and much like the cats in our lives – a little bit chaotic,” he says.
Participating artists include Amé Bell, Carla Botes, David Kuijers, Evert Esterhuizen, Julie Kirsten, Katja Abbott, Lesley Ireland Mathew, Mary Visser, ME Hugill, Nina Greyling, Penny Simpson, Seza Zitha, Ruan Huisamen, Sonja Kastner, Veronica Reid and Wendy Gaybba.
“Alienated”
“Alienated” is a solo exhibition by Khumo Ramaila from Johannesburg. New work by the multidisciplinary artist will be showcased.
This exhibition interrogates the surreal paradox of belonging within conditions of rupture and displacement. Within this body of work, Ramaila reflects on the dystopian terrain that young people are compelled to navigate in a post-Covid South Africa, particularly within the socio-political and economic landscape of Johannesburg.
The series comprises vibrant mixed media works that merge digital photography and digital drawing. Through an intensive process of layering, collage and stitching, he materially and conceptually binds two fractured realities, constructing a hybrid visual language that speaks to fragmentation, resilience and the pursuit of reimagined identity.
Lids and vessels
The third exhibition is a solo exhibition titled “Curating Vessels” by award-winning local ceramist Karen Kotze in the CUBE. She has designed a series of lidded vessels where components can be mixed and matched.
Botanical-inspired sculptural knobs rest atop vessels of varying shapes and sizes, with lids and bases that can be paired in multiple ways, says Mynhardt.
“You are invited to select your own combinations and experiment with how concave, convex and linear silhouettes interact with the sculptural forms. In doing so, you shape your own relationships between form, surface and detail — becoming an active participant in the creation of each unique artwork.”
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