Delicate/Tendency/Response
A solo exhibition by DuduBloom More (2019 Cassirer Welz Award winner)
1 - 22 FEB 2020
The Bag Factory is excited to present Delicate/Tendency/Response, a solo exhibition by DuduBloom More, the winner of the prestigious 2019 Cassirer Welz Award, presented by the Bag Factory in partnership with Strauss Education and Kalashnikovv Gallery.
In this newly created body of work, Bloom uses mixed materials of thread, paper, wool, perspex, inks and more, to explore the delicacy of trauma and the tendencies of personal traumatic memories. The colours blue and orange are used as a lethargic response to these memories and traumas. “Whether you have or have not healed from them or received help for them, traumas need to be delicately handled”, says the artist. “Through a word, action, smell, taste, touch and/or sight, a memory can be reignited and bring back a traumatic experience”.
For Bloom trauma comes with tendencies. “The tendency of how it [trauma] is triggered may change but usually stays the same. In addition, the factors ‘What, Why, Where, When and Who’ may act as catalysts that remind one of the lived experience of the event. The environment you’re placed in, the time frame, your mental state and those who surround you may activate a traumatic memory”, she says.
From trauma, also comes response or how people deal with and work through their trauma. In an exploration of human response to trauma, Bloom poses questions such as whether people are aware of their traumas or not, if people heal from trauma, possible ways of healing and ways to manage trauma and triggers.
Viewers will also have the opportunity to meet the artist and discuss the exhibition further at an artist-led walkabout on 8 February 2020 at 11am at Kalashnikovv Gallery in Braamfontein.
Exhibition Opens: Saturday, 1 February 2020, 11am, Kalashnikovv Gallery
Artist Walkabout: Saturday, 8 February 2020, 11am
Runs till: 22 February 2020
The exhibition is made possible by Strauss & Co. Fine Art Auctioneers and Kalashnikovv Gallery.
Duduzile (DuduBloom) More (b. 1990) is a visual artist from Soweto, Johannesburg, currently working from Artist Proof Studio completing her 4th year in Professional Practice. She has been participating in various art competitions and her work has been included in varios group exhibitions and art fairs including the FNB Joburg Art Fair. In 2018 she was selected as one of two Artist Proof Studio women artists to do an art residency in Italy through the Artist Proof Studio and the Italian Embassy. DuduBloom recently participated in the RMB Talent Unlocked Program and is currently participating in the one month Co-Create Residency, hosted by The Project Space.
Now in its ninth year, the Cassirer Welz Award honours two doyens of art auctioneering in South Africa: Reinhold Cassirer and Stephan Welz. The award acknowledges excellence in emerging artists (under 35) specialising in sculpture, drawing and painting, and provides an opportunity to showcase their talents to a broader audience. “Since its inception, this award has helped the winners launch their careers and really start making a name for themselves within the South African art market,” says Susie Goodman, Executive Director, Strauss & Co Johannesburg. Previous winners include artists such as Blessing Ngobeni, Nompumelelo Ngoma, Tshepo Mosopa, Asanda Kupa, Thato Nhlapho, Richard “Specs” Ndimande, Keneilwe Mokoena and Olivia Botha.
The award provides the recipient with studio space, a contribution towards material costs and transport stipend, as well as the opportunity to interact with the resident artists at the Bag Factory. Through the exchange of ideas, mentorship and skills development, the artist has an opportunity for substantial creative and professional growth.