fried contemporary

EXHIBITION

Talita Swarts, Between Two Silences

 

20 January – 10 February 2007

       

Artist's statement:

Between Two Silences is not only about social commentary, but attempts to bring about positive solutions to existing educational problems. At face value the work consists of four installation artworks representing the space of rural education in South Africa, but through the use of visual metaphors reference are made to four delicate problems experienced in our existing education system. For example, the work Kwere-Kwere (radio installation) depicts the language barrier responsible for illiteracy on many levels. Children are deprived of good education because of their inability to express themselves in their mother tongues. Secondly, the works focus on the lack of resources.  

The video installation metaphorically speaks of the fact that through art one can make mental images, even if you have to draw with your finger on the school desk.

The third installation emphasizes that communication is an essential part of the learning process. For example, by creating a new picture alphabet the difficulty in understanding the meaning of literary text with no meaning to a specific culture group are made evident. Children from a farm school in North West created cattle, which was cast in cement. This forms the first phase of a project through which a mobile library (resource, like cattle to the Tswana) will be created. By investing in this project the above-mentioned initiative will be funded. 

The musical instruments depict the fact that literacy has oral roots. This refers to the protesting power of art in general. Just as a trumpet heralds the entry of somebody or something of great importance, education, with art as an important component of expression will enter rightfully and regain its proper place in society.

Talita Swarts (neé van Tonder) was born in Pretoria and grew up in the small Northwestern town of Ventersdorp. Her interest in community art and the problems experienced by farm schools started during the creation of her work Tshoko Barutswane, with which she won the Sasol New Signatures competition in 2003. This exhibition entailed the research for the MA (FA) degree at the University of Pretoria. Dr Elfriede Dreyer supervised the artist in her Masters studies.