'Countenance' 1/3
'Countenance' 2/3
'Countenance' 3/3
detail, 'Countenance' 1/3
detail, 'Countenance' 1/3
detail, 'Countenance' 2/3
detail, 'Countenance' 2/3
detail, 'Countenance' 3/3
Countenance
Collage, mixed media
300 x 300mm
Series of 3
2023
All 3 frames available for purchase at R250 each
"Countenance is a piece focusing on the overwhelming need I have for control, how it has been a vital aspect of myself and my life, and my attempt to make it palatable to others. I had started by honouring traditional Chinese and Japanese ink artists, whose focus was on the depiction of landscapes – this led to my use of flowers and plants; femininity and palatability.
The first panel introduces the viewer to this overwhelming yet palatable scene. The second is a transition, confusion – the ink drawings end and usage of other, more tactile materials, begin. The third is the reprieve, a to-do list.
To use ink - a free-flowing medium – to depict control is steeped in irony, as, over time, ink artists learn how to hold their brush to get their desired effect, signifying my need for control. The teabags have been torn, carefully cut or ripped, refilled, left empty or open with leaves remaining, sealed or unsealed, showing an exertion of control over the smallest elements. The flowers degrade and rot overtime, embodying the unsustainability of this overarching need for control."
