Gurney's 2nd solo exhibition frugi bonae¹ at Artspace

Bees are reportedly disappearing across the planet as a mysterious 'colony collapse disorder' (CCD) takes hold. But as their numbers decline, these vital pollinators are conversely getting more public attention -- the latest spotlight from Johannesburg-based artist Kim Gurney.

A new documentary Vanishing of the Bees is this month being released in Britain, tracking US beekeepers hit by CCD. It follows the publication earlier this year of books like A World Without Bees amid increased speculation regarding their fate. Bees are also the primary inspiration for Gurney's second solo exhibition, opening at Artspace next month.

This exhibition, entitled frugi bonae, was informed by a series of 1920s lectures on bees by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), a philosopher, social thinker, architect and esotericist. The unconscious wisdom contained in the beehive, and how this relates to the human experience of health, civilization and the cosmos, is amply described in his observations.

The broad theme of the exhibition is to explore relations between humankind and the environment. Gurney says: "It is a potent artistic domain because the fate of human beings, other species and the environment are all inter-linked. It is particularly so at this juncture in world affairs as we are recalibrating fundamental principles in the wake of financial crisis."

This comprehensive new body of work extends the artist's oeuvre from her first exhibition of paintings to mixed media while continuing a broad concern with generational legacies. Thematically, the artworks lay particular emphasis upon mechanisation of natural processes, the consequences of human development on the environment and ecological impact for non-human species.

Among the works on show are 626 Insects: IUCN Red List comprised of honeycomb panel, a structural core material traditionally used in aircraft manufacture. String tags threaded through its hexagonal cells represent the number of threatened insect species as listed in 2008, each plugged with wax and shellac - a resin secreted by an insect.

Crushed honeycomb panel recurs as a metaphor for distorted natural order in two sculptural lightboxes that comment on habitat loss for bees. It also appears in compressed aluminium form in a series of Still Life works on paper.

Dismembered elements of a beehive are assembled on a production line in Labour of Love while beeswax is the primary medium in Disinheritance, a work about the power of personal agency versus collective legacy.

Four paintings describe positive and negative changes to the landscape brought about by human intervention and the passage of time respectively.

Gurney (35) graduated in 2006 with a BA Fine Art from Michaelis at the University of Cape Town, with a Distinction in Discourse of Art. She moved to Johannesburg in 2007 and held her first solo exhibition, Disjecta Membra, at Gordart gallery in 2008. Gurney has participated in various group exhibitions - most recently Absa L'Atelier 2009. She works from an inner-city studio in Doornfontein.

Gurney is also a freelance journalist with over a decade's experience writing for local and international media. She holds an MA in International Journalism from City University in London and a first class BJourn from Rhodes University in South Africa. She has also previously contributed to national arts publications, including as News Editor of Art South Africa and regional editor of ArtThrob, and authored fine art catalogue texts.

The exhibition opens on the 11th November at 18h00 at Artspace, 142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg. A walkabout with the artist will take place on Saturday 14th November at 11h00.

For more information and images contact:

Taryn Cohn
Media Liaison
Artspace Gallery
083 671 5139
taryncohn@artsourcesouthafrica.co.za