Wits Art Museum (WAM), Johannesburg is holding an exhibition of tapestries by William Kentridge 19 November – 14 December 2014. This is one of three current exhibitions in the city presenting work by the South African artist, the others being The Refusal of Time at Johannesburg Art Gallery to 1 February 2015 and a series of landscape drawings, showing at The Goodman Gallery to 20 December 2014.
Kentridge’s works span multiple artistic disciplines. He has produced some 40 tapestries in collaboration with the Marguerite Stephens weaving studio, based on his collage-drawings over the past 24 years. Around half of these are on show at WAM. Although there have been dedicated shows of these textiles in Italy, Spain and Philadelphia, this is the first time that an extensive group is being shown in Africa. WAM is part of the Wits University Cultural Precinct and holds an extraordinary collection of contemporary and historic African art. Images courtesy of Galleria Lia Rumma Napoli, Italy and WAM.
L’incidente è Chiuso, 2009, tapestry, 385 x 432cm, edition of 6
Augustine’s Empire, 2008, tapestry, 413 x 442cm, edition of 6
Promised Land, 2008, tapestry, 382 x 430cm, edition of 6
City of Moscow, 2009, tapestry, 335 x 370cm, edition of 6
Marguerite Stephens creating the cartoon for a William Kentridge tapestry
