SOUNDS IN SOLITUDE Andrew Ntshabele and Stompie Selibe
28 July – 30 September 2020
Curated by Karen Cullinan and Lynette van Tonder
www.Artyli.com
Life has forced us to be silent and listen with new ears. Noisy routines numb the senses obscuring obvious problems or solutions. In solitude the inner voice becomes clearer, freeing pictures, poems and songs from the demand to perform, allowing them to just be.
During isolation Andrew Ntshabele and Stompie Selibe produced diverse yet complimentary artworks for this exhibition.
Andrew Ntshabele | There is room for hope 3, Acrylic, enamel, contemporary newspaper on canvas. Andrew Ntshabele used current events in newspapers to create the background for ‘There is room for Hope 3’. News on paper will soon disappear in favour of digital platforms. A little girl is portrayed dancing on the ‘news of the day’ spreading a message of hope that even the most terrible news will soon be a thing of the past. Technology may also bring about new ways to combat current problems.
Andrew Ntshabele reflected inwardly during the period of solitude in order to reset and realign his life. Optimistic images of a happy young girl are superimposed over backgrounds, revealing society’s changing modes of communication, music creation, navigation and the news. He has been positively impacted by the lockdown.
Andrew says: “The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted how we interact and socialize. I’ve had time to reflect and to improve spiritually, physically and mentally. Solitude can be positive: a time to reset and refresh your life. The artworks presented show how COVID-19 has caused the world to let go of old ways and prepared it for a digital future.
Solitude has caused me to listen, to think of the past and prepared me for the future. I believe there is still hope.”
Andrew Ntshabele | There is room for hope 2, Acrylic, enamel, vintage world maps on canvas, Vintage maps once used to navigate one’s way form the backdrop to a little girl who appears ready to leap into the landscape, towards her future. The work highlights how old methods give way to a new digital age as printed maps are replaced by digital navigation systems such as GPS
Andrew Ntshabele | There is room for hope 1, Acrylic, enamel, vintage music sheets on canvas. Andrew created a background of vintage sheet music to reflect how the world is changing. Soon music scores on paper will disappear in favour of digitized music.
Stompie Selibe | In between
Music plays an essential part in the inspiration of Daniel Stompie Selibe’s art. Selibe’s studio practice is not silent but initiated by music with an spontaneous approach to his paintings. Abstract, free and vibrant, his art defeats lock-down depression. The same unscripted process
used during musical improvisation is used to ignite Selibe’s playful self-expression. Using a variety of materials and mark making in his artistic process, which is therapeutic for artist and viewer alike.
Selibe improvises freely between audio and visual to produce rhythmic outbursts of colour in combinations of collage, abstract mark making and delicately placed textures. He purposefully deconstructs and reconstructs to create a fresh perspective. Stompie embraces new outcomes from old patterns with success. His work influences and shifts communities and so shapes the world. Selibe’s artworks are widely exhibited and appear in many prominent collections.
Stompie Selibe | Dance Ghost
Stompie Selibe | Dance Mama
Stompie Selibe | Before the war
Sounds in Solitude is a painterly duet by these two African Contemporary Artists, presented by Artyli.com as an exclusive online exhibition on Artsy.
Physical exhibition at: Artyli.com Gallery,
6 Stanley Studios, Milpark, Johannesburg –
29 July – 30 September 2020