HORSE

MULTIPLE VIEWS OF A SINGULAR BEAST
An exhibition of 60 South African artists curated by Ricky Burnett.
8 September - 30 October 2011
Everard Read Gallery and CIRCA on Jellicoe

The horse carries many stories on its back. It appears as a potent symbolic and iconic presence in many cultures from deep antiquity to the present day. This is testament to its variety of energies that the horse holds for us both socially and psychically. Harnessed for war, peace, agriculture, travel and transport the horse is also a powerful expression of both domesticity and wildness and, indeed, overt and covert sexuality.

This is an unusual topic for a ‘serious’ South African art show; our cultural life often appears to be obsessed with self conscious concerns about identity race and gender.

The exhibition has been actively curated rather than selected from pre-existent works. In other words artists are making unique and particular work for the show. This is not a competition, there are no winners and losers and no judging panel. In short, the work will have been coaxed and the exhibition will be constructed to form a complex and reflective essay about the horse in our life and times. And also, of course, it will essay varieties of creative language and attitudes.

the exhibition ranges from ‘realism’ to abstraction, from conceptual and minimial to ‘hot’ and expressionist. Some work will be large and will embrace significant production value and some will be small and intimate and reflect private thought processes. The exhibition will embrace many established names and will also include many young emerging talents.