Neon Paradise
By zolile phetsane and Anton Burger
Neon Paradise is a collaboration between Zolile Phetsane and Anton Burger, with Burger interpreting Phetshane’s work through his signature beaded antelope skull work.
Zolile Phetshane explores with his new body of work the concept of time, and with an array of bold colours, he draws influence from the city around him.
“This body of work is the continuation of my concept of calculation and numeracy and the spaces we occupy that is informed by size or number; I too am inspired by the life span of a butterfly.
Ponte City is a perfect case study in terms of the calculation of materials used to build a structure; it forms part of the Johannesburg landscape and has become a national landmark.
Numbers have always been intertwined with life and our surroundings and numbers informs us of what we see consciously and sub-consciously. It forms part of our every-day life and of our existence.”
Burger travels South Africa and after seeing the beadwork of especially the Ndebeles, he became interested in experimenting with beads on skulls, which he sourced from street vendors near Bela Bela in the Bushveld. These skulls and bones are collected from animals that naturally die in the bushveld. All skulls are cleaned by taxidermists before he proceeds with the beading. The beading is painstakingly done by applying the beads one-by-one, with glue, onto the objects. He uses mainly very small imported Miyuki glass beads, which enables him to do subtle shading and intricate designs. Depending on the size of the object, it takes between 40 and 120 hours to complete a single work.
“The idea of interpreting Zolile’s abstract two-dimensional works using beads on skulls was very exciting. I respect him as an artist and although very challenging, I do believe that I have achieved what we set out to do. These three-dimensional artworks of mine reflect and embody the work of Phetshane”.
The show is available to view digitally on our website.
More details on the official opening to follow soon.
