This show is a collection of fantasies and imagined narratives centering round the character Sophie, a maid.  Sibande is not looking at the negatives of being a domestic worker, but rather the humanity and commonalities of people despite the boxes we find ourselves in.  The modern fabric is moulded into many forms that are combined with Victorian references, making the pieces completely foreign and at the same time Sophie’s own. By subverting the simple maids’ uniform in the creation of Sophie’s hybrid dress she/it has become the canvas for storytelling.

The exhibition runs until 3 August 2009.

Gallery MOMO
52 7th Avenue
Parktown North
Johannesburg

Tel: 011 327 3247
E-mail: info@gallerymomo.com
Web: www.gallerymomo.com

Ransome Stanley is committed to nomadism. His work reflects cultural developments rooted in modernism, which are based on ethnological and African elements.  Images in his artwork depict symbols of mythology, but they also deal with aspects of eroticism, beauty and decay.

“Art history, history itself and images of every day media are the inspirations for me to select from.  By using these items I can create different images and redefine them, allowing new ways of thinking and viewing.”

“Since the linear act (straight story) is not being told in my paintings the viewer is offered a space to create his/her own composition of complex experiences. As a traveller between two worlds I decidedly toy with different forms of consciousness.  I emphasize the discontinuity of time and space.”

“One important statement in my work is to point out the different influences and inconsistencies working in humans. Often the associations of foreign cultures, exoticism, and wanderlust, surface and are contradictory to the objectivity of constructive style which is a strong representation of European art history. “

“The titles of the paintings frequently refer back to memories from stories and books that are based on my own impressions from the mass media. The viewer will experience various feelings and associations that will ultimately result in an overall impression and a sequence of fragments. These will break with traditional imagery to redefine sole aspects of contrary styles and techniques that create a whole new entity.”

Stanley, who today lives in Munich, was born in 1953 in London, the son of a Nigerian journalist father and a German mother. From 1975 to 1979, he studied at the Merz Academy in Stuttgart and soon became “master student” under Professor Merz. He has presented in numerous exhibitions, most recently in Brussels as part of the large exhibition project, Black Paris – Black Brussels.

Please feel free to contact Gallery MOMO on +27 11 327 3247, or e-mail karen@gallerymomo.com

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