Rites of passage mark any event of major consequence in our life cycle, particularly any change in our social or sexual status. Birth, baptism, confirmation, puberty, coming-of-age, loss of virginity, courtship (if such still exists), engagement, marriage, old age and finally death are the most significant rites of passage. Are such events empty, outmoded formalities? Or do they still possess social, cultural, psychological and spiritual relevance? The brief is inclusive raising all the perennial and most fundamental questions about the nature of human life.
Curated by Lloyd Pollak, the roll call of participating artists includes Anastasia Nikolsky Petrauskas, Andrew Verster, Annamieke Engelbrecht, Anton Kannemeyer, Anton Kartsel, Arlene Amaler, Catherine Ocholla, Cathy Layzell, Clare Menck, Cobus van Bosch, Connor Cullinan, Daniel Halter, Iaan Waldeck, Isabella Kuijers, Jan Barend Wolmerans, Joanne McGilvray, Johann Louw, Laresa Perlman, Verna du Toit, Lize Hugo, M.J. Lourens, Luan Nel, Malcolm Dare, Pierre Fouche, Sulette van der Merwe, Theo Kleynhans, Henk Serfontein, and Werner Ungerer.
The brief to the artists could not be more broad and inclusive. It raises all the perennial and most fundamental questions about the nature of human life, death, and the beyond.
The participating artists were given free reign and invited to work in any medium of their choice, be it painting, drawing, graphics, sculpture, installation, intervention, or video. We urged them to strive for emotional authenticity and be true to whatever they felt. As such key events are recorded in the family album, we urged all participants to avoid the bland factuality of the “happy snap” and unleash their imaginations, push the boundaries and invent the new...