The things we make, the stories we tell and the threads that bind them.

"As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find,-nothing."

Lizamore & Associates will be hosting the opening of Mandy Coppes-Martin's debut solo exhibition, Killing the goose on 2 November 2013. Acclaimed writer, Andrew Miller, will open the exhibition.

The name of this exhibition draws it's title from a proverb - "Killing the goose that laid the golden egg" - that refers to the destruction of something that is profitable, in this case the destruction of natural resources on which we depend for our survival. Killing the goose finds form in a variety of organic mediums, ranging from paper and pulp using fibers such as hemp, sisal, cotton rag and silk. With this exhibition, the artist joins the widespread tradition of environmental art. The term environmental art is used in two different contexts: it can be used generally to refer to art dealing with ecological issues and/or the natural, such as the formal, the political, the historical, or the social context. This eclectic collection of works refers to the many contradictions in popular conversations around the environmental crisis. In focusing on myths and metaphors, Coppes-Martin has avoided an apocalyptic body of work. Instead, these conversations are a personal attempt at fully understanding her own place in the physical universe. She explains: "I want to live simply, without negative impact on the environment. Yet, in the context of the society in which I function in, this seems practically impossible. Can I, as an artist, encourage awareness towards an integrated, more mutually beneficial relationship between man and Earth?"

Through "drawing" with raw silk, Coppes-Martin creates (often) surreal landscapes and figures, like bears and bulls in suits. These images, as well as the mediums they are created in, comment on the greedy nature of our contemporary society and the ways in which this greediness affects nature. "The silk and paper threads I use to draw are delicate and ethereal like the stories we spin to explain our lives. They suggest a fragility of the line that exists between denial and the ability to adapt to new circumstances." The artist also makes intricate, three dimension tree rings (or life rings) that are made of crochet paper thread. "Crocheting tree rings is a whimsical and ironic attempt to heal the cycle. I have de-fleshed the living specimen and physically re-made it by hand, to force myself to look beyond what meets the eye."

Coppes-Martin studied Photography at the Vaal Triangle Technikon and began a diploma in Fine Art in 1993 at the former Technikon Witwatersrand (now the University of Johannesburg). In 2004 she completed het Masters Degree in Fine Art (cum laude). The artist has been a programme manager for several initiatives linked to the Phumani Paper Project, (a poverty alleviation programme based at the University of Johannesburg), namely the UNESCO "Artists in Development Programme, The UJ Archival Paper and Collaborative Mill, the MAPPP Seta Learnership Programme as well as creative direction in paper and pulp for the commercial design market. In 2012 Coppes-Martin became a full time artist producing work in paper and silk. Her works "Trembling Giant" and "Virgin Pulp" were awarded the runner-up prize in the 2012 Sasol New Signatures competition. These 2 works are currently housed in the Sasol collection. She has exhibited in numerous group shows in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, as well as in Belgium and the Philippines.

The exhibition opens at 11h00, Saturday 2 November 2013 and closes on 27 Novemeber 2013 at Lizamore & Associates gallery, 1 Chester Court, 142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Rosebank.


Gallery hours: Tues- Fri 10h00-17h30

For more information about the exhibition:
Artspace
011 880 8802
[email protected]
www.artspace_jhb.co.za

For media enquiries please contact:
Suen Muller
Media Liaison for Artspace Gallery
011 880 8802
[email protected]