Tomorrow two new exhibitions begin at London’s most prolific African art galleries.
Gideon Mendel: Drowning World @ Tiwani Contemporary
The Outskirts of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, 2012
At Tiwani Contemporary a collection of Gideon Mendel’s photographs go on show. Curated by Christine Eyene Drowning World is a selection of photographs, including 15 images that have never been exhibited, documenting flooding around the globe. It also includes a two-part video of people living amongst floodwaters in Bangkok and video portraits of Nigerian inhabitants returning to their flooded homes. The strength of Mendel’s exhibition – which forms part of his long term project on climate change, 5 of the images on featured in Drowning World were seen last year at Somerset House – is in capturing the stillness in once lively environments. Mendel’s who hails from South Africa has taken photographs all over the world including in England, India, Haiti and Australia seen together they demonstrate a shared human experience that erases geographical and cultural divides.
7 June – 27 July
Tiwani Contemporary
16 Little Portland Street,
London W1W 8BP
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 11:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, 12:00 – 5:00pm
Stefan Krynauw @ Jack Bell Gallery
Another South African, a thespian turned artist Stefan Krynauw will be presenting a solo exhibition of new paintings at Jack Bell Gallery. Krynauw works in abstract space, his paintings are both Baroque and expressionist, of the natural and architectural. His canvases are twisted and blurred splashed with dark, scratches made of light. Drawing on his experience as an actor – he holds a degree in Drama from the University of Stellenbosch – Krynauw is keen on showing performance in his painting. He is self-taught and builds his works up over time by layering, washing, drawing and writing on them.
This will be Krynauw’s first exhibition in the UK.
7 – 29 June
Jack Bell Gallery
13 Mason’s Yard, St James’s,
London SW1Y 6BU
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday
11am-6pm
African Art in London 