Open until May 21, 2022 at Loo & Lou Gallery in Paris, South African artist Andrew Ntshabele’s first exhibition in France, « Paintings » features an exceptionally private technique, mixing collage and acrylic on huge paper-covered surfaces, large, stunning figures unfolding.
Through « Paintings », contemporary Andrew Ntshabele paints over everything he notices. His figures are as if picked from the roads, to be placed on his works. His work is essential for a deeper reflection on the negative physical, financial and political changes of the racially segregated city of Johannesburg as a result of its rapid urbanization.
Through his paper backgrounds, he depicts the tensions and resulting demands on the people who live and work in the city on a daily basis, mired in contamination and garbage. Encounters with these characters led him to examine these social challenges and try to understand the key drivers of debasement.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, he felt that people wanted to (re)confront art and (re)find happiness in these troubled times. From his new creations, a happier inclination is born. For this new series presented in the exhibition « Paintings », he has focused on large and medium scale work, using contemporary papers related to articles on Covid-19 as material.
Johannesburg-based artist Andrew Ntshabele is offering « Paintings » to the Parisian public through May 21, 2022, contributing to Loo & Lou Gallery’s opportunity to bring different imaginative perspectives and to propose new ways of approaching a work and initiating exchanges.