Remy Jungerman’s solo exhibition “Still Waters” is on view until July 11, 2024, at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg. [The gallery is located at 163 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.]
Description: Goodman Gallery is delighted to present Remy Jungerman’s first major solo exhibition on the continent, Still Waters.
The show continues the artist’s exploration of the visual, historical and psychogeographical connections between West Africa, Surinamese Maroon culture and 20th century Modernism.
Over the past 30 years Jungerman has woven thematic threads that are deeply connected to his birthplace, Suriname, placing fragments of Maroon textiles and other materials found in the African diaspora in direct contact with materials and imagery drawn from more “established” art traditions. Through this the artist presents a peripheral vision that enriches our perspective on art history. At the core of his practice, Jungerman uses kaolin clay and gridded textiles employed for rituals in the Afro-Surinamese Winti religion, harnessing their symbolic presence in his work. Winti people use the clay on their bodies for purification and wear specific fabric colour combinations that correlate with the four key elements: water, earth, air and forest.
Still Waters sees a new body of work where Jungerman presents a looser use of the kaolin clay, dripping the substance down panels covered in fabric. This produces multiple layers on the surface and points to the artist’s process in the studio as a libation.
Titles for works come from sonic influences and geographical locations of Surinamese Maroon settlements. The ADIGA series is guided by the low tone, 2 metre-long drum that is played for a ritual that is connected to the Earth. This animates each panel, encouraging the viewer to see the tempo in each line.
Born within this framework, the works become the consequence or “leftovers” of this spiritual offering. The water used in the clay mix also alludes to a to the ocean between the continents, invoking the story of how African peoples were taken as slaves to the Americas.
“Even though it is a gridded textile, the lines are not straight because once you put it on the body, it follows the shape of the wearer. This is something I wanted to connect in these works, that the body is very important; the movement of my hands, rubbing the clay on the surface, the carving of the lines, the dripping of the clay. The final layout of the lines creates a rhythm on the surface of the work.”
–Remy Jungerman
Remy Jungerman (1959, Moengo, Suriname) explores the intersection of pattern and symbol in Surinamese Maroon culture, the larger African diaspora, and 20th century Modernism.
In 2022 Jungerman received the A.H. Heineken Prize for Art, the biggest visual art prize in the Netherlands. From November 20, 2021-April 10, 2022 he was the subject of a career survey show at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam titled Remy Jungerman: Behind the Forest. In 2019 he represented the Netherlands at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019. In 2017 he was nominated for the Black Achievement Award in The Netherlands. In 2008 he received the Fritschy Culture Award from the Museum het Domein, Sittard, The Netherlands.
Jungerman is co-founder and curator of the Wakaman Project, drawing Lines – connecting dots. Wakaman, which means “walking man,” was born out of a desire to examine the position of visual artists of Surinamese origin and to raise their profile(s) on the international stage. [. . .]
For more information, see https://www.goodman-gallery.com/exhibitions/location/2 andhttps://goodman-viewingroom.exhibit-e.art/viewing-room/remy-jungerman-still-waters#tab:slideshow;tab-1:thumbnails
[Shown above: 1) Remy Jungerman’s Hortizontal Obeah MAISA, 2020. Cotton textile, kaolin (pimba) tar, beads, yarn, acrylic, wood (yellow poplar, plywood). Work: 167.6 x 39.9 x 8.9 cm (66 x 15.7 x 3.5 in.) 2) Pimba AGIDA SUSA V, 2022-2023. Cotton textile, kaolin (pimba) on wood panel. Work: 190 x 240 x 4.5 cm (74.8 x 94.5 x 1.8 in.) Both unique.]
Remy Jungerman’s solo exhibition “Still Waters” is on view until July 11, 2024, at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg. [The gallery is located at 163 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.] Description: Goodman Gallery is delighted to present Remy Jungerman’s first major solo exhibition on the continent, Still Waters. The show continues the artist’s exploration of
