2024092600021351
Monotype
51,5 cm x 73,5 cm
Artist’s Statement
My work interrogates the intersection of the geological and biological, exploring the unseen narratives embedded in these interactions. By drawing on themes of abstraction, Escapism, and performative mark-making, I investigate the therapeutic and meditative aspects of creation. This journey critiques the dynamics of historical preservation, challenging the role of archival practices in constructing and erasing cultural memory. My artistic process aims to provoke dialogue about the shifting contexts of history and the human imprint on natural and cultural landscapes. Furthermore, placing the focus on rock art and a call for mark making, my subject matter is largely influenced by South African art. My connection to rock art is informed by critiquing the parameters of preservation in archival institutions. Revisiting South African Rock Art for me is also a calling (through tracing genealogies) to understand the innate urge to make a mark. I think the fact that we dig up history to retell newer and decontextualised stories defeats the whole purpose of recording it. To reiterate, I view the excavation of historical matter as a form of erasure and misplacement in the timeline of history. So, excavated material takes on newer contexts when placed in their next location for viewing and educational purposes, not to say I would like to leave everything untouched (humans are too curious). So we only consume history in fragments and clues, and translating that makes it more and more inaccessible. The faster we move into the future, the more we lose the essence of history, and no amount of preservation can diminish that.