Well, it's been a weekend of jeans. Firstly, the Studio 2666 Sundown Lecture by Prof. Jean Mathee on Friday, which was an amazing evening, and the first time I felt moved by theory. Read Lizza's review below, and keep an eye out for the video, which we'll probably put up when we finish it. Then on Saturday morning I dropped by the Goodman Gallery for Lisa Brice's Base One Two Three, which was made up of paintings on stretched denim. Sounds gross, but she had in fact painted with bleach onto the material which, besides from being technically hard, created beautiful tones with soft edges. Combined with the fact that the images were literally part of the canvas surface and contrasty, it sucked at your eye. Like an inverted Turin Shroud. With better definition. And more sex.
Lots more sex, as you could imagine from the title which references the teeny slang for the landmarks of a sexual encounter. (First Base Kissing, Second Base Light Petting, Third Base Heavy Petting, Fourth Base, significantly missing from the title, Home Run). Unlike the press release on the Goodman Gallery website which states: "...Brice questions how one dare speak of love in these times, in a world that is plunged into war and structural violence on so many fronts. But if it is the antidote and armour against dark times, the conclusion of course is: how can one not?", the images are not romantic or political, or for that matter even love. Rather they speak of the anticipation of sex and actually come across as rather violent. Like sex, the most erotic part is the anticipation, and this makes the images very sexy, not visually but conceptually. They wouldn't make decent porn at all.

I liked the denim. Using a material that is the legendary material of youthful rebellion and sexuality, before Woolworths started to make them, brings in a whole layer of adolescence to the work. It's not only the anticipation of sex but also of the first time. The images look like they are caused by friction on the material, like your old pair of jeans which have an imprint of your ass on the back.

Having said all this though, the work is safe, like a broeknaai... no one is going to get pregnant, no one is taking it too seriously, no one is going to get hurt, and in the end you don't get the satisfaction of a good fuck.

Labels: Goodman Gallery, lisa brice