Clive van den Berg
14 Oct - 04 Nov 2006
Clive van den Berg’s new solo exhibition entitled ‘Skin and Ghosts’ will open on 14 October 2006 at The Goodman Gallery.
This latest body of work incorporates some sculptures that were part of the Personal Affects exhibition (New York 2004 – 2006) which was hosted concurrently by the Cathedral of St John Divine and the Museum for African Art before traveling to other venues in the States.
The works on this exhibition explore some of our most persistent vulnerabilities, the recognition of physical frailty and the humbling effects of ageing, with their attendant re-negotiations of desire, beauty and strength. He scrutinizes the body on a micro and macro scale, describing it in two extremes - from recognizable, realistic renditions of form that delight in bodily beauty, and other views that probe the interior of the body.
Some of Van den Berg’s artworks explore different ways of materializing skin, speculating on lost notions of our skin as a protective layer. Interior and exterior, the body and the space surrounding it are given physical form in these artworks. He has rendered the body as violently porous, rather than cohesive or contained. Other works delight in the sensual qualities of skin and muscle. Van den Berg’s sculptural bodies speak of age, wounds, and experience, but in the midst of this they are still images of strength, and indeed, of beauty.
The artist has used a variety of different media to give form to these ideas and themes, ranging from large-scale mixed media sculptures and sculptures carved in soft wood, to smaller paintings and monoprints. Van den Berg’s artworks explore the tactile and visual qualities of materials, ranging from elegantly carved works to rough assemblages. Choice of media is a very important aspect of van den Berg’s work, which can be seen in his use of light, space, and structure.
The exhibition will run at The Goodman Gallery from 14 October through to 4 November 2006.
This latest body of work incorporates some sculptures that were part of the Personal Affects exhibition (New York 2004 – 2006) which was hosted concurrently by the Cathedral of St John Divine and the Museum for African Art before traveling to other venues in the States.
The works on this exhibition explore some of our most persistent vulnerabilities, the recognition of physical frailty and the humbling effects of ageing, with their attendant re-negotiations of desire, beauty and strength. He scrutinizes the body on a micro and macro scale, describing it in two extremes - from recognizable, realistic renditions of form that delight in bodily beauty, and other views that probe the interior of the body.
Some of Van den Berg’s artworks explore different ways of materializing skin, speculating on lost notions of our skin as a protective layer. Interior and exterior, the body and the space surrounding it are given physical form in these artworks. He has rendered the body as violently porous, rather than cohesive or contained. Other works delight in the sensual qualities of skin and muscle. Van den Berg’s sculptural bodies speak of age, wounds, and experience, but in the midst of this they are still images of strength, and indeed, of beauty.
The artist has used a variety of different media to give form to these ideas and themes, ranging from large-scale mixed media sculptures and sculptures carved in soft wood, to smaller paintings and monoprints. Van den Berg’s artworks explore the tactile and visual qualities of materials, ranging from elegantly carved works to rough assemblages. Choice of media is a very important aspect of van den Berg’s work, which can be seen in his use of light, space, and structure.
The exhibition will run at The Goodman Gallery from 14 October through to 4 November 2006.