The city of gold

The city of gold

As an artist I enjoy working with unconventional mediums, as well as exploring various different techniques, participating in unexplored territories. The enjoyable part in making art is to constantly learn new methods and grow within my art making capabilities. My body of work focuses on what people in Johannesburg find as valuable as gold; playing on the idea of how insignificant artefacts carry so much worth.

My current project “The city of gold”- (2020) comments on Johannesburg in its own right, bringing to life the atmosphere of the city, placing specific emphasis on how it got the nickname of city of gold. The work takes on various forms intended to draw a sense of irony in what people find valuable within Johannesburg. As a Joburger myself, I observed what people find valuable- especially during the lockdown period, whether it is cigarettes or collecting plastic bottles for recycling.

As a result of lockdown, I made use of materials I had readily available at home. This forced me to work creatively making art from the smoke of candles, gun powder and till slips in the form of papier-mâché.

“Load bearing”- (2020) is a gauche painting that depicts a mining truck carrying a load of gold – This work alludes to how Johannesburg got its nickname. Being a city rich in resources, especially in the gold mining industry, earned the city its name. This work, the first in my body of work, introduces the theme and topic as a whole.

The smoke series comprises three canvas boards that have physically burnt either through the smoke of a candle or through gun powder. Both methods allow an imprint of the burn onto the page that leave behind the image of the work. All the works in this series highlight the value and importance of cigarettes within the socio-cultural city life of Johannesburg. The work “when people zol”- (2020) reflects back on the time when cigarettes were banned during the level 5 lockdown within South Africa; This ban affected many individuals and this work highlights how smokers were left feeling vulnerable without their fix. “Smoking gun”- (2020) has a sense of irony as the work was created from burnt gun powder and comments on the dangers of smoking, not only during the Covid-19 period but also the health dangers associated with smoking. Last in the smoke series “sharing is caring” captures a scene of a hand slyly offering a cigarette to you; the viewer. This work comments on the under the table distribution of cigarettes that took place during the ban. These works are intended to make the viewer critically consider their own perspectives and role within this context, as well as ponder what the deeper social implications are of prohibitions during a crisis period.

The final work “Fool’s gold” depicts a scene commonly observed on a daily basis on the roads of Johannesburg, of an individual dragging recyclable waste on a make shift carrier. Having sculpted this work with till slips, shows how Johannesburg was built on money and how its inhibitors live in a money driven society. This work again comments on what a resident of Johannesburg finds valuable, and alludes to the familiar phrase ‘one man’s trash is another man’s gold’. 

My goal is to take the viewer on a tour of Joburg without having to physically visit the distinctive city. My work observes the different types of life within Johannesburg, through the use of household objects as literal links to the work. Capturing unique scenes that describe the diverse culture, traditions and norms associated with the city

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