NOVUS
16 - 30 November 2010
iArt Gallery, 71 Loop Street
The Latin word novus can be translated into a number of different concepts, among them: new, fresh, unprecedented, youthful, extraordinary, novel, unusual. For this unique project 7 artists from iArt Gallery have teamed up with 7 groups of children, ranging between the ages of 6 and 13, on special art projects.
Artists taking part are Liza Grobler, Clare Menck, Beth Armstrong, Jan du Toit, Alex Emsley, Matthew Hindley and Sandra Hanekom. Each artist has chosen a project that speaks to their own artistic practice. For instance, Matthew Hindley, a figurative painter who draws on elements of surrealism, has chosen to play the classic 1920s parlour game, “cadavre exquise”, with the children: each child drawing a portion of a body onto a folded piece of paper – one section for the head and shoulders, one or two for the torso, and one for the legs and feet. The drawings that result are fascinating mash-ups of the imaginations of the young artists. Beth Armstrong, a sculptor in wire and wood, has made wire trees with her group, while Alex Emsley, a still life painter, has chosen to explore the “world behind the object”, so that each painted object tells a story.
For the final exhibition, running for the last two weeks of November, the fruits of the children’s work will be shown alongside the work of their mentors. The motive of the project is to emphasise the importance of imagination and open up the world of creativity for children from a young age.
