24 Corners of a Cross 2002 | Grime - Bell-Roberts Gallery Cape Town

PRESS RELEASE

BROADLY INTERPRETED, YOUR WORK SEEMS TO DEAL WITH FAITH, FAITH AS A HUMAN NEED?

Yes, but more specifically it is about faith in a truth. I can't however say that it only deals with faith. it is merely a part of it. I would prefer to say that my work deals with faith as well as a science. I do not believe that science and faith are necessarily enemies.

THIS STATEMENT WOULD HELP EXPLAIN WHY YOUR CURRENT WORK INCORPORATES ELEMENTS OF BASIC SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND NUMEROLOGY. CAN YOU DISCUSS THIS A BIT?

Multiples have always interested me. Numbers are important because they speak of essentials, because they are absolutes. Mathematics is the foundation of existence. In the context of 24 Corners Of The Cross, there is something profound about the meeting place of two different lines in directions, be it North and West headed for their opposite poles, or a vertical line or plane crossing a horizontal line or plane. This quintessential place or part of everything in existence is possibly where absolutes can be found.

IS THE SEARCH FOR AN ABSOLUTE TRUTH AN IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF YOUR WORK?

Yes, although my work is not strictly about the representation of truth. It can't be. If you look at my work on GRIME, the key idea is searching. 24 Corners Of The Cross offers a close up view of my search for a truth, of trying to get to a place of truth.

TRUTH, SINGULAR OR PLURAL?

Truths come from a truth so you could say my work deals with an absolute truth in the singular.

HOW DO YOU COUNTER CYNICISM TOWARDS THE RELIGIOUS PERSUASIONS/LEANINGS OF YOUR ART?

I do not need to. When I was studying I encountered a lot of antagonism from people saying how can I put myself in a position to say that I know what truth is. But I never did that. Believing that there is an absolute or a truth is quite an arrogant thing to say, but I never claim to know what that absolute is. I will never do that. How can I claim to know more than anyone else?

ARE YOU NOT HESITANT ABOUT PUBLICLY ENGAGING DEBATES REGARDING FAITH AND YOUR WORK, ABOUT ALWAYS HAVING TO VALIDATE YOUR PERSONAL POSITION?

Of course. I think about it all the time. I think I am heading towards a position where I will leave the works to validate themselves. I don't really believe one should manipulate people into believing something, and I am therefore sometimes uncomfortable stating my beliefs publicly. I know what most people feel towards Christianity. I suppose it has a lot to do with historical baggage, the church.

IF YOU HAD TO SELECT A RANDOM SERIES OF WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR WORK ON 'GRIME', WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

Clean - Unclean. Truth - Untruth. Innocent - Corrupt. Healthy - Infected. Purified - Stained. Redeemed - Back Slidden. Healed - Leprosy. Righteous - Sinner. Good - Bad. Forgiven - Forsaken. Saved - Uncircumcised. Life - Death. Alive - Dead. Preserve - Sacrifice. Free - Bound. Indemnity -Guilty. Integrity - Hypocrisy. Holy - Immoral. Accept - Reject. Monogamy - Adultery. Sweet - Bitter. Perpetuate - Decay. Solemnity - Entropy. Justified - Condemned. Grace - Cursed. Honest - Deceived. Perfection - Defiled. Loved -Despised. Health - Disease. Approval - Disgust. Friend - Enemy. Unleavened - Ferment. Save - Murder. Abstain - Lust. Spiritual - Carnal.

THAT IS QUITE A LIST BINARIES. IS YOUR WORK ALWAYS FRAMED BY THE WORKING OF OPPOSITES,OR IS THIS JUST SOMETHING SPECIFICD FOR GRIME?

Conceptually I always work with opposites. Not to say that the final artwork necessarily shows this up, or even contains it. Sometimes the works take a turn in a direction that I never necessarily intended. I slow the work to take an amount of control of itself, let it say what it needs to say. So to answer the question, it doesn't just describe the work on GRIME. It relates more to the thinking behind all my work, the issues that I wrestle with in my mind. Issues of what truth is, whether there are absolutes or not and what they might be I don't for one minute think that I know what truth is, but I believe that by looking for it one can get closer to understanding what it is.

I also strongly believe that no single discipline, profession or belief system has all the answers. I believe that we can arrive at understanding by leaving "no stone unturned", by being tolerant and accepting of others, of their belief systems, of their lifestyles, even their intolerances.

cross -n. 1 upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion. 2 a (the cross) cross on which Christ was crucified. b representation of this as an emblem of Christianity.

c = SIGN OF THE CROSS... 4 thing or mark like a cross, esp. two short intersecting lines (+ or x)... 6 a hybrid. b crossing of breeds etc. 7 (foll. by between) mixture of two things ... 9 trial or affection.

crossover -n. point or place of crossing. 2 process of crossing over, esp. from one style or genre to another.

Corner -n. 1 place where converging sides or edges meet... 3 internal space or recess formed by the meeting of two (or Three) sides, esp. of a room. 4 difficult position, esp. one with no escape. 5 secluded place... -v 1 force into a difficult or inescapable position...

Cornerstone -n 1a stone in the projecting angle of a wall. b foundation-stone. 2 indispensable part or basis ...