This group exhibition, hosted by Stevenson Gallery, is curated by Sisipho Ngodwana and Sinazo Chiya.
The title of this exhibition is drawn from a quote by Sun Ra, in which the American artist, musician and thinker describes a moment of abduction and renewal. Ra states that, in a pivotal journey between Earth and Saturn, his tangible form and personal history were metamorphosed, allowing him to continue existence in a truer mode: as an alien brought to preach peace.
In pursuing the questions raised by this assertion, this exhibition probes individual and collective ideas of bodily experiences and processes of transformation, using works from 1950 to present day. The participating artists attend to the challenges presented by history, the dictates of commerce, the sensory borders between how matter is experienced, and the perceptions of binaries and opposition – ranging from geopolitical conflicts to the tensions between humanity and the natural world in which we live.
Participating artists: Aziz Hazara, Monilola Olayemi, Erkan Ozgun, Ruth Ige, Frida Orupabo, Dada Khanyisa, Neo Matloga, Léonard Pongo, Pieter Hugo, Rahima Gambo, Belinda Blignaut, Precious Okyomon, Thami Kiti, Penny Siopsis, Moshekwa Langa, Serge Alain Nitegeka, Paulo Nazareth, Jane Alexander, Natasja Kensmil, Ajamu X, Kaylin Moonsamy, Ernest Mancoba, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Ben Enwonwu, Feelings Radio Project, Bonolo Kavula, Meleko Mokgosi, Thandiwe Msebenzi, Simphiwe Ndzube, Wura Natasha Ogunji, Farah Al Qasimi.
The exhibition is on view in Cape Town and Johannesburg but you can also visit online.
Another exhibition at Stevenson’s Amsterdam studio also opens on 8 July, 2021. It is simply called ‘paintings made in Cape Town’ and presents the works of Zander Blom, Jared Ginsburg, Georgina Gratrix, Ian Grose, Mawande Ka Zenzile, Dada Khanyisa, Kaylin Moonsamy, Richard Mudariki, Simphiwe Ndzube, Asemahle Ntlonti, Deborah Poynton, Cinga Samson and Penny Siopis.
