SA artist lands debut showing in London

24 April 2017 - 16:13 By Suthentira Govender
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Artist Stanislaw Trzebinski sitting on “Triton’s Table”.
Artist Stanislaw Trzebinski sitting on “Triton’s Table”.
Image: Supplied

A Cape Town sculptor who followed in his slain father’s artistic footsteps to connect with him‚ has landed a debut showing at the iconic Christie’s Auction House in London.

Kenyan-born Stanislaw Trzebinski - the son of artist Antonio Trzebinski‚ who was murdered in Kenya in 2001‚ and celebrated fashion designer Anna Trzebinski - exhibited his marine-inspired “Triton’s Table” as part of Christie’s “Contemporary Living: Art‚ Craft and Design” exhibition.

It showcased the work of contemporary artists‚ designers and craftsmen from around the world.

The 25-year-old sculptor‚ who moved from New York to Cape Town a few years ago to find his “artistic voice”‚ was selected by the Southern Guild Gallery in Cape Town to exhibit at the prestigious art house.

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Trzebinski began creating art as a way of connecting with his father - who was killed by a singe bullet in the driveway of a woman British newspapers reported was his mistress. “A defining moment for me was when I lost my father.

I think that not having him around made it more of an incentive to follow in his artistic footsteps and creating art became a way of connecting with him. “I am a passionate sculptor. However‚ a few years ago‚ my grandmother requested especially that I make her a writing desk for her study. This was my first furniture commission. The table generated a lot of interest and I was prompted to make a few more which were equally well received.”

He said he was “exceptionally excited” about the Christie’s exhibition which hosted art luminaries like Andy Warhol and Picasso. “This was my first entry into the European market. No artist could ask for a stronger platform.” He draws inspiration from nature and the sea in particular.

“The table is meant to be an imitation of what you would expect a table to look like after spending a few decades under the sea - encrusted by marine life and other organisms‚” he said.

Christie’s Zoe Klemme said the exhibition is a new platform for promoting emerging talent. “It offers an exciting new opportunity... and we hope it will inspire new ways of displaying art in the home.”

Trzebinski dropped out of the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York to pursue an internship with Otto Du Plessis‚ the owner of Cape Town foundry in Bronze Age.

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