Craig Cameron-Mackintosh ‘You Are Here’ Oil and Acrylic on Postcards. Work in Progress (detail)

There are often pieces of memories we physically take home with us after engaging with the world – the tiniest material evidence of a moment or person. Seemingly trivial things like ticket stubs, postcards, handwritten notes, dried flowers and candy wrappers often assure us of the existence of things which we want to cherish in an overwhelmingly digicentric world. Artworks are by no means an exception.

The latest selection of visual offerings at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery + Clay Museum in Durbanville includes a wide range of mediums and depictions, all embodying, in their own way, a touch of nostalgia.

This proves to be quite literally the case when considering the ceramic pieces created by Martin Swart for his solo exhibition “Ceramic Explorations: A Journey in Clay”.

Martin Swart in his studio.

One of the first things one learns when making ceramics is that clay has a memory. When you throw a pot, the shape that is created at the beginning is the shape that the clay moves toward as it dries, yielding only reluctantly to the potter’s will.  Martin, an artist working with clay for the past 22 years, leans into this property, shaping pieces that physically and metaphorically consider his own journey with the medium.

In this retrospective exhibition, Martin revisits past creations in his signature style whilst simultaneously ‘moving forward’ by incorporating experimental techniques and glazes in his new wares. He continues to explore the materiality and changeability of his chosen medium; the ceramics presented becoming indicative of his growth as a potter.

All of Martin’s ceramics are handmade on the potter’s wheel, an ancient tradition whose memory has been kept alive by a few. According to him, he doesn’t strive to make his work perfect, but rather to capture a part of human essence in it, showing the ‘touch of hand’ on the clay as it is formed. The work, which is mainly functional, is made to be used, picked up and enjoyed – creating lasting tactile memories along the way.

As Martin reflects on his personal clay narrative, 2019 Portrait Award winner Craig Cameron-Mackintosh revisits moments from his own travels, both locally and abroad. Aptly titled “You Were Here”, Craig continues his exploration of a painted ‘visual journal’ from his 2021 sell-out exhibition, Give Me Space, at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, recreating fleeting, yet memorable moments from these trips. Not all are big or noteworthy experiences but sometimes small, unassuming ones. People, places, things and sometimes simply the changing light are captured on different materials like linen, cotton, paper and found objects like vintage maps and unsent postcards.

Contracting the popular phrase often included on the back of postcards before the digital age, “wish you were here” evokes a sense of travel memories and the idea of succinctly conveyed stories to friends and relatives. The rephrasing also suggests the idea of a distinct self and a documentation of one’s place in the world, literally and metaphorically. A way of stating “I existed”. Postcards are used as inspiration as well as the medium of the artwork itself in the form of tiny portraits of friends and larger scale works where sixteen postcards make up the image, reminiscent of the Instagram grid – a contemporary take on the concept of a visual diary. These stitched-together grids also mirror the effect of latitudes and longitudes on a map.

This series, comprised mostly of small, ‘gem’ paintings and three photographs, is a result of poring through his own archive of photographs and books and the growing pinboard of postcards of artworks and exhibition flyers that have caught his eye at galleries and museums over the years. Always visible from his easel, this patchwork of images tends to bubble its way up from his subconscious mind and inform his artistic choices on a subliminal level as he works.

Martin Swart and Craig Cameron-Mackintosh’s solo exhibitions can be viewed from 10 August to 14 September 2024. These shows are complimented by a group exhibition titled ‘Lounge’, as well as a ceramic sculpture exhibition by Catherine Brennon and Adele Sherlock in the CUBE and Clay Museum titled ‘Vetplant’.

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery + Clay Museum, 10 Wellington Rd, Durbanville

Gallery Hours: Weekdays 10h00 to 16h00 and Saturdays 9h00 to 13h00.

068 457 8589 / gallery@rust-en-vrede.com