NEL Gallery | The Artist Needs a Hat

NEL Gallery | The Artist Needs a Hat

‘The Artist Needs a Hat’: Steven Sack's Playful Exploration

This exhibition delves into Steven Sack's artistic journey, weaving together playful experimentation, personal reflections, and critical commentary.

At its core lies a question: ‘What does it take to be an artist?’ Sack explores this through diverse mediums, starting with fleeting thoughts captured in balloons (‘Ballonacy’), a whimsical response to Delacroix's challenge of capturing a failing man.

A personal health experience then leads him to encounter West African ‘Colon’ figures, sparking a deeper interrogation of colonialism and cultural exchange. By manipulating these figures, Sack reinterprets them as masked beings, reclaiming their agency and exploring their visual connections to traditional Baule masks.

The act of cutting and transforming becomes a metaphorical ‘colonoscopy’, purging and revealing new perspectives. To protect these altered figures, Suck builds clock-encased boxes, each representing a different observer: The Pilot, The Hunter, The Puppet Master, The Photographer, The Site Manager, and The Inspector.

Through this layered process, Sack acknowledges the original carvers and engages in a dialogue with cultural appropriation. His playful engagement with balloons as thought bubbles further echoes his encounters with Venda sculptor Albert Munyai, whose work explored similar themes.

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  1. Steven Sack
    The Photographer
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    R 13,000.00 ex. vat
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