Kentridge… Now with 20% More Meaning
Friday, January 09, 2009
Sometimes Sannie wakes up and wonders if she has completely lost it. Today was one such morning. I’ve been looking at out second or third greatest living artist for some time now – William Kentridge and have always respected the old thespian but never really had the same levels of excitement that seem to precipitate the writing of very large cheques for his work. But today was different. Today I woke up really liking his new work. I don’t know if you’ve seen it: both at The Goodman Cape and at The National Gallery (many apparently haven’t since they assume it’s all just the same) but if not do so because I think he’s really turned the corner here.
This is really good and meaningful work, not just the rehashing of jaded European ideas with a thin veneer of African symbolism – well all that yes – but so much more. Ever since his production of The Magic Flute which Sannie uncharacteristically was quite nice about there seems to be a freshness and vitality in his work. Maybe it has something to do with him returning to his first love of the stage or maybe the fact that his life has become more complicated but whatever the reasons the results are clear: Kentrudge has proven that he is no mere construct of overseas curators and critics: he is a genius, like it or not.
The video projections (except for the La Fenice piece) at the Goodman showed some disturbing signs of under-editing but I guess we all have our moments. But this is a much more humble, humanist Kentridge: one who is unsure of the future but projects towards a place and time where things will be better. Even Sannie can say, “Amen to that!”
Labels: william kentridge
posted by sannie prinkle at 2:39 PM
20 Comments:
But one vital question remains: is Ms Prinkle a hottie?
at some point someone will actually have to seriously look at kentridge's work and the way in which it has literally become an untouchable force in sa art. where critique is leveled it seems to immediately become either infantile or jaded (as in, "why does he make so much money and i do not?"). it seems to me that sa keeps on failing its artists here, and kentridge is no exception. but in a country where a chip-on-the-shoulder-stupidity and we-are-so-hot-because-we-dont-actually-know-what-is going-on-outside-our-fishbowl attitudes dominate, this does not surprise me...
Right on, Luther Vandross.
I think if he wasn't so busy rolling around in the piles of cash strewn on his Sealy Posturepedic Ming Dynasty Collection bed, even Kentridge (Sprinkle called him 'Kentrudge': hahahahaha; and then accuses him of poor editing: WHHHHAAAAhahahaha) would be embarrassed by the absolute lack of meaningful critique of his work in SA.
We do still suffer from a shocking case of European-Endorsement-Induced-Myopia-Syndrome (Thabo says its not a syndrome, but a bacteria), whereby we become blinded by success at a global level, and become critically paralyzed in the face of it.
Mawkish consensus spells disaster for any art scene.
I imagine, "Ken-trudge" was intentional.
"Ken-trudge" = international traveler then? Should be "Count Ridge" as regards his status in stuck-in-the middle-ages-art-scene of SA.
omg, don't look now, but the language geeks have gotten hold of it...
Cunt-ridge?
Sannie, jy moet asseblief vir ons 'n bietjie meer skryf. Agge nee man, shampies!
shuttup johan
ed is hairy
penis penis penis
vagina vagina vagina
lets all say it together now...
thom thom thom
oink oink oink
this conversation seems to have veered off the topic
bit of a pity - back to the young art hoggers in sa then...
(serious case to be made for 'add anonymous')
twee dinge ed:
1. jy het meisietieties
2. jy moet jou kosblik by die kantoor kom haal want jou ma se jy het dit alweer by die huis vergeet
tim noble and sue webster...huh?
sympine
prosiash
trotos
hoorratt
okay okay, i promise i'll write more. now stop it!
yawn.
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