The artEC Gallery, at 36 Bird Street Central, kicks off its exhibition calendar this year at 5:30 pm today, Tuesday 31 January, with the opening of the long anticipated show by the 2010 New Signatures winner, Tegan Sampson and friends.
The exhibition is titled “Praat”, because this is a close knit group of artists who have studied and worked together, bouncing ideas off each other, and having a sort of creative conversation which frequently reflects in the body of work when it comes together.
The participating artists are: Tegan Sampson – sculpture, Ryan Hugo – painting and drawing, Keegan Blazey – painting, Andre le Roux – painting, Alhyrian Laue – sculpture and drawing, Emma Minkly – sculpture, Janno Scholtz – sculpture.
Tegan sent the following explanation and poem:
In 2010 I won the artEC New Signatures exhibition, the prize being a solo exhibition. Since there are a number of National art competitions that require an artist not to have had a solo exhibition, I decided to invite a group of artists who I have been working with closely, over the past four years. I am interested in how a visual and intellectual conversation has developed within the group and would like to curate this exhibition as a showcase of the various personalities involved. In vindication of an expected conceptual synopsis, I instead present to you this poem:
Haphazardly she speaks,
But, they want to hear a clear explanation.
Yet, we praat and sing, smoking cathartic cigarettes
in an attempt to swallow the ritual head.Oh the headiness of pataphysics,
come now and see a window with a face behind it,
still stretching the projection that far exceeds the expanse.Come and be,
the dream with the streetwise formalism,
where poetry is not an academic configuration
but a confrontation with the right side of your head.Oh the headiness of pataphysics,
All she can say further is ta dada.
Praat runs until 11 February 2012.
