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Johan van der Schijff
E: Lucas.VanderSchijff@uct.ac.za
POWER PLAY
a solo exhibition by Johann van der Schijff
Venue:
Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art Gallery
89 Bree Street, Cape Town
25 April ? 20 May 2006, Weekdays 08h30 ? 17h30, Saturdays 10h00 ? 13h00
Opening: Tuesday 25 April at 18:00
Opening speaker: Pippa Skotnes
Power Play is Johann van der Schijff's first solo show since completing his
post-graduate studies in The Netherlands nine years ago. A six-month
sabbatical from his position as lecturer in new media at the Michaelis
School of Fine Art results in this thought-provoking and playful exhibition.
New media theorist Lev Manovich suggested that making a choice involves a
moral responsibility, and Van der Schijff takes this as his cue to examine
power relationships in society. What he is aiming at in this exhibition is
for the viewer to be forced into a position of choice in their engagement
with the work ("shall I hit the blow-up doll / punch bag or not?").
The meticulous workmanship and finishes are important in the reading of the
work, and are aimed to emulate and appeal in the same way as objects in
designer-lifestyle shops or motorcar display floors. Production of the work
has been facilitated by computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques
with its roots in the military-industrial complex.
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