Staying with the Trouble

These works were shown by Church Projects at FNB Art Joburg (2023). This body of work presents a collection of abstract works made from found material. The found plastic is painted with acrylic paint and then ironed or sewn together. Together, they form an ‘alphabet’ of scraps, a language with which to speak. These scraps form the language of our everyday existence, and here they are resurrected. 

The works draw from an anthropological interest of ‘becoming-with’ other materials. Humans are in an ongoing relationship with the daily discarded materials that slip in and out of our lives. 

The use of these throwaway materials trace the entangled relationships between humans and their material world. We live-with these materials - they are our companion species. 

The works are whimsical, implying a sense of material empathy and optimism. The time spent ironing, sewing and tending to the material reflects a practice of care. Through this process, the works move from once being discarded to holding a quiet sense of glamour and value.