Anton Kannemeyer / Claudette Schreuders / Crucible
Anton Kannemeyer and Claudette Schreuders need no introduction. Bursting onto the art scene during South Africa’s volatile 1990s, each established an impressive career over the following years, becoming internationally revered in their respective disciplines.
In the 50ty/50ty studio, working with each of them as individual masters of their craft is always a pleasure. But on this occasion, we were in for a particular kind of treat: a collaboration with a collaboration (you know how we love a collaboration) – with Kannemeyer and Schreuders joining forces for our latest screen print release.
Titled Smeltkroes (“Crucible”), this limited edition is inspired by another Kannemeyer/Schreuders collaboration – a public sculpture recently unveiled outside Stellenbosch University’s Endler Hall, as part of a university-commissioned sculpture series interpreting the word “think”.
About the artwork
The concept for Smeltkroes started with a public bench: the kind one would typically find in a park, at a bus stop or train station, at a memorial site or simply at a rest point. In South Africa, however, the public bench is historically weighted with racial hatred and division, as Kannemeyer explains: “Historically, it’s an explosive symbol that we wanted to depict without the human figure, white or black.”
Additional inspiration came in the form of St. Francis of Assisi, promoter of peace, simplicity and harmony; and patron saint of animals, ecology and the poor. Referencing the myriad images of St. Francis throughout art history that depict him surrounded by animals – and especially birds – the unlikely gathering of diverse bird species in Smeltkroes alludes to the idea of harmony or reconciliation. What’s more, this improbable group “serves as a metaphor for knowledge and, in particular, the preservation of this knowledge, a central purpose or function of any university.”
Finally, the unlikely group also points back to the title of the work and inevitably to the creative process of the sculpture behind the screen print. A smeltkroes is literally a crucible or melting pot, wherein different metals are melted and fused together (to form bronze for sculpting, for example). But the word also connotes the difficult trials that can purify and transform. “Our hope is that the artwork will convey a sense of harmony to everyone, regardless of race, colour or gender,” concludes Kannemeyer.
Smeltkroes is a limited edition of just 40, with 10 prints already sold to Stellenbosch University’s collection. So don’t dawdle; get clicking.
About the artists
Anton Kannemeyer (b. 1967) is known, revered and also berated for his work in Bitterkomix – an anti-establishment, satirical comic magazine publication started in 1992 with fellow student Conrad Botes. Over the years, his provocative take on South African politics, sex and race has continued to attract critical acclaim.
Kannemeyer has exhibited extensively, both locally and abroad. His impressive career highlights include solo shows in New York, Paris, Vienna and Lisbon; and solo booths at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, USA, Australia, Germany, DRC and the Netherlands, and his work is housed in several prestigious collections including the V&A Museum (London), the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Leridon Collection (Paris). He has also published a number of books including Pappa in Afrika (2010), which won the 2015 prize for best foreign graphic novel at Amadoras International Comic Festival in Portugal.
– – – – –
Claudette Schreuders (b. 1973) is a sculptor and printmaker best known for her wood-carved and painted figures: short, stout, reserved, deadpan; born of personal–political experiences and usually engaged in private, everyday acts. A deliberate open-endedness reflects ambiguities of identity, particularly in a post-Apartheid South Africa, and elicits from the viewer a projection of their own meaning onto the work. Ambiguity is further entrenched by her visual references, which are drawn from confluences of African and European art traditions.
Schreuders has enjoyed international acclaim since the earliest years of her career, with numerous solo shows in the USA and notable group exhibitions at institutions including the MOMA (NYC), the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.) and the British Museum (London). Her work is held in prominent museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MOMA (NYC), and she has been represented by New York’s Jack Shainman Gallery since 2001.
