Not Waving But Drowning

This Tuesday (19:30) sees an unusual exhibition opening in Kloof Street - Jake Aikman ventures out of Stellenbosch into the city, Salon 91 hosts an exhibition by a relatively well-known young contemporary, and curator to the stars, Andrew Lamprecht curates a solo show of paintings - having direct experience of artist, curator and gallerist, I'm equally curious and excited about what Sirens will bring.

The Aikman/Lamprecht collaboration is particularly interesting when considering many of Lamprecht's previous projects - group exhibitions that particularly focused on non-traditional modes of art production by South African up-and-comers, however, I think it's important to remember that Lamprecht's curatorial practice has always shied away from the 'Pick 'n Mix' mode of curating popular in this city (and others undoubtedly), rather creating meaningful relationships with the artists' own working processes and products. Certainly, I would imagine that this outside influence on Aikman's malegeniusmakingbigpaintingsinastudio artist's profile is bound to bring something fresh to the painter's work.

I'm going to wait till after the show to discuss the content of the paintings. Of course boy painting big oils of BeautifulEvil women who lure sailors to their doom sets off all sorts of alarm bells, however, looking on the fragile and tragic painting on the flyer (above) and generally liking and trusting both Jake and Andrew, I'm looking forward to a sensitive and complex deconstruction of the myth, and an honest, drowning engagement with the frailty of masculine identity (something I have seen in Jake's paintings all through the seven years that I studied with him).

Salon 91
Tuesday
19:30