Body of work: The art of being human

03 March 2015 - 02:01 By Aarti J Narsee
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FUMBLING: German performance artist Hilla Steinert collaborates with Elize Vossgatter in the exhibition entitled In the End, We're all to Blame, appearing as a moving sculpture to viewers
FUMBLING: German performance artist Hilla Steinert collaborates with Elize Vossgatter in the exhibition entitled In the End, We're all to Blame, appearing as a moving sculpture to viewers
Image: ADRIAN DE KOCK

Is there an art to being human?

Although there is no single answer to this question, artist Elize Vossgatter explores the nature of humanity in her latest exhibition, In the End, We're All to blame, which opened in Cape Town last week.

"We fumble, we make mistakes, we experiment . What makes us human is our ability to transform," said Vossgatter.

For her, art is a transformative process. She starts with one intention when the first drop of paint falls onto the canvas but often the result is different.

This is a reflection of the human condition, she explained.

''I always go back to questioning what it is that makes us human . We don't always have clear intentions; often it's intuition that guides us."

Vossgatter examines different instances of collectives, groups, gatherings and crowds through the metaphors of the stage and the staged.

She uses old photographs as a starting point for some of her pieces.

"I use them to create a sense of ceremony," she said.

Each of her works draws on the viewer's individual interpretation - no two pairs of eyes will interpret her art in the same way.

"The paintings were created in chaos, which describes our place in the world, how we are broken up by the franticness of life," she said.

Each painting features figures but their "physicality is not a fact": they dissolve, break away or dislocate within the colour of her works. Her art speaks about how individuals see themselves in the world.

Vossgatter believes that this goes to the centre of humanity, both in a South African and a global context.

"The social dislocation of the self in this country is not just a South African pandemic but a global one," she said.

Berlin performance artist Hilla Steinert has collaborated on the exhibition. She uses her body as a performance tool, covering it in clay and silk fabric to create natural movements resulting from the energy around her. She looks like a moving sculpture.

"Each sensual and physical perception is engaging with the world and asking questions - this is my nourishment and inspiration," said Steinert.

''The collaborative element is important to me. These works are about staging, performing and a shared community. It's not about only one person's reaction," said Vossgatter.

  • In the End, We're All to Blame is on at Commune.1, Cape Town, until March 26
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