Political play at Artspace gallery

Artist Susan Woolf poses some challenging political questions in her latest solo exhibition, Jacob’s Ladder, which opens at Artspace on the 5 November 2008.

Like much of her works, Jacob’s Ladder is controversial, politically loaded exhibition, layered with symbolism. In the current political climate Jacob’s Ladder is opportunely positioned to provoke thought and debate around what we expect from our political leaders.

Jacob’s Ladder will be opened by Beauty Ramepelepele, the alter ego of comedienne Ben Voss.

The work centres around the biblical story of Jacob’s Ladder . In his dream Jacob envisioned a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens. We are all at different levels on the rungs of the ladder. Being on earth at the lower part of the ladder also means that we have to constantly do good amongst our fellow man as we strive upwards. The title ‘Jacob’s ladder’ is open to a variety of interpretations. It may encourage questions about how we view each other, especially politicians and famous people who we personally judge as either extremely good or bad.
An aspect of Jacob’s Ladder  can be seen as an element of prayer where the rungs of the latter going up lead to more intense prayers, leading to a closer relationship with G-d. No matter where you are on the ladder, either going up or down, you can better oneself - and that applies to everybody. “

“Woolf has juxtaposed this with the ancient Hindu morality game of Moksha-Patamu, (known to Westerners as Snakes and Ladders). In this game. ladders symbolise the positive actions that lead up to heaven and the snakes symbolise the negative actions that lead down to torment.

Woolf has created seven sculptures (of silicon, steel, aluminium, jacaranda wood and sharp blades) and several paintings (pastel on paper, Rooibos teabags and ink) as well as graphic digital edition artwork.

Each sculpture is a different coloured hand mounted on a steel ‘ladder’. They are based on a carved wooden sculpture of Jacob Zuma’s hand as he exited court during his rape trial, where he raised his arm and made a hand sign as a show of power. This hand sign is considered both a sign of triumph, and a commonly understood zap sign. Woolf has taken this contentious, politically and socially charged gesture and applied it to six major controversial African figures: Jacob Zuma, Evita (Pieter Dirk Uys), Winnie Mandela, Robert Mugabe and P. W. Botha.

Says Woolf, “These individuals were chosen because they are people in the public arena who have both powerful viewpoints and many supporters as well as many vocal detractors. The Jacob Zuma work is carved from Jacaranda wood and was the basis for all the others, which were each cast in various silicones, adjusted and hand-worked.  Zuma’s ladder contains a snake and a ladder The question as to which direction he is going is, is one for the viewers to decide .

The artwork representing ‘Evita’ emphasises the importance of imagination and wit in communication and highlights the artist admiration for the courage that Pieter Dirk Uys has had in exposing controversial issues, during a turbulent political time as well the work that ‘she’ has done regarding AIDS.

Two kinds of stylised flames are used to represent Winnie Mandela. The hand holding the torch symbolises the hope and courage she brought to so many people, who regard her as ‘The Mother of the Nation’. Below the hand, there are more flames. This fire stands for the ‘necklacing’ which started around   1975, the terrible execution method that Winnie been associated with in the media.

P.W. (Pieter Willem) Botha is represented as his nickname Die Groot Krokodil (Afrikaans for ‘The Big Crocodile’), as the visual basis for this steel, aluminium and silicon work. Wheels are used as a symbol of the Ossewabrandwag (Afrikaans for ‘Oxwagon torch guard’), an organisation that Botha belonged to (although he later left the group).

Photographs in the media also show Mugabe using the ‘zap’ sign. It is also ironic that the dove, which is the Zimbabwean national bird and which is watermarked on the ‘Zim’ dollar, is also the international symbol of peace. Woolf has used stylised elements of the dove as a bird of oppression, throttling the economy, in all of the Mugabe artworks.

Woolfs prolific career has spanned several decades and continents.

She has had numerous solo art exhibitions in galleries and museums in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Atlanta, Washington and New York. Her work appears in corporate and private collections in South Africa, England, Italy and America.

Susan Woolf is presently documenting taxi hand signs in South Africa for sighted and blind people, which will be the subject matter both for an exhibition in 2010 and her current doctoral thesis in Anthropology and Art at Wits University. It was these hand signs that precipitated and inspired the sculptured hand in the artworks for this exhibition. She has already published a Taxi Hand Book and her taxi sign artwork has been chosen for the National Stamp of South Africa for 2010.

Jacobs Ladder will run from the 4 – 27 November 2008.

Artspace is open from 10h00-17h30 Tuesday – Friday, 10h00- 15h30 on Saturdays.
www.artspace-jhb.co.za

ENDS
For more information and images contact

Taryn Cohn
Media liaison
0836715139
taryncohn@acenet.co.za