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  • Works | Paul Emmanuel

    A chronological portfolio of all artworks created by Paul Emmanuel

  • After-image (US Art Gallery) | Paul Emmanuel

    Paul Emmanuel AFTER-IMAGE (2005) US Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa Twelve Phases of Orange , 2002 Manière noire stone lithograph watercolour pigments on 285 gsm Fabriano Rosaspina Avorio paper, 56 x 76 cm. Edition 35 After-image , University of Stellenbosch Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa 3 – 26 August 2004 The first showing of this touring solo exhibition comprising early etchings and lithographs, photographs from ‘The Lost Men Grahamstown’ (2004) and a major drawing also titled ‘After-image’ (2004). This drawing is permanently housed in the main reception room of Villa Arcadia as part of the Hollard Collection of South African Contemporary Art. ‘After-image’ was exhibited in South Africa at the US Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, The Old Fort at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, Gauteng, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein, Free State and Villa Arcadia, Hollard House, Johannesburg, Gauteng. An illustrated, colour catalogue with essay by Julia Charlton was printed and published by US Art Gallery. Related Content Publication ‘Paul Emmanuel: After-image’, US Art Gallery, 2004 Interview ‘Paul Emmanuel’, MNet TV, Kyknet, (Afrikaans & English), South Africa, 2004

  • Transitions (KZNSA Gallery) | Paul Emmanuel

    Paul Emmanuel TRANSITIONS (2009) KZNSA Gallery, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Transitions 5 (detail), 2008. Original drawing hand-incised into exposed, colour photographic paper, 78 x 305 cm. Spier Collection. Courtesy of Art Source South Africa Transitions , KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA Gallery), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa 2 – 21 June 2009 ‘Transitions’ documents shifting male identity. This was the 4th showing of this touring solo museum exhibition comprising an installation of 5 original drawings, courtesy of the Spier Contemporary Collection and the short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’ (2008). ‘Transitions’ premiered at The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa in 2008 and debuted internationally at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA in 2010. Art Source South Africa are managers of Emmanuel's ‘Transitions’ project. Artists statement In late 2004 I was exploring how the military influenced and perpetuated notions of masculinity in South Africa. One morning, while thinking about moments of change, I decided to photograph an actual military recruit head shaving while it was happening – to witness to an unfolding drama. After some research, I discovered that there were only two remaining military bases in South Africa which still perform this obligatory ‘rite of passage’ on their premises, one in Oudtshoorn and the other, Third South African Infantry Battalion (3SAI) in Kimberley. I phoned the Kimberley base, spoke to the Officer-in-Command and arranged a visit to photograph head shavings from the January 2005 intake. I remember feeling apprehensive of what I would find. I did not do military service. I only had references to military experiences told to me by my older brother and friends, who described their head shaving experiences of the apartheid military regime of the 1980s – their stories of feeling dehumanised, lots of shouting, indifference, bigotry and fear. Instead, I found a very different setting ... quiet lawns with well tended flower beds full of roses. Lines of recruits waiting patiently. No shouting. No authoritarianism. No evidence of the violent breaking down of the human spirit. Compared with the horror stories related to South Africa’s past, the equanimity of the scene was arresting. I was spellbound. These liminal moments of transition, when a young man either voluntarily – or is forced to – let go of one identity and take on a new identity as State Property with an assigned Force Number, prompted me to ask many questions: What was I actually witnessing? What is a “Rite of Passage” and how have similar “rituals” helped to form and perpetuate identities and belief systems throughout history? Why was I so powerfully drawn to and transfixed by these dramatic spectacles of subtle change and moments of suspended possibility and impossibility? And so began an intensely reflexive outward and inward journey, in and beyond my studio, which was to last four long years ... Related Content Publication ‘Transitions’, Art Source South Africa, 2008 Short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008 Documentary ‘How the Transitions Drawings Were Made’, 2011 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, Apartheid Museum, 2008 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, 2010

  • The Lost Men Mozambique | Paul Emmanuel

    Paul Emmanuel THE LOST MEN MOZAMBIQUE (2007) Catembe Ferry Jetty, Maputo, Mozambique Installation view of The Lost Men Mozambique , 24 April – 12 May 2007. Counter-memorial, Catembe Ferry Jetty, Maputo, Mozambique. Photographed by John Hodgkiss. Courtesy of Art Source South Africa The Lost Men Mozambique , counter-memorial, Catembe Ferry Jetty, Maputo, Mozambique 24 April – 12 May 2007 For this once-off counter-memorial it was intended to depict the names of Mozambican and South African combattants who had died in the Mozambican Civil War between the Frelimo and Renamo political movements. During the 1980's, South Africa's apartheid government supported Renamo. In 2007 however, Mozambican authorities placed a moratorium on releasing any names to the public and consequently, Emmanuel's skin was embossed with the words Unknown Soldier repeated in Shangaan and Portuguese languages. Two printmaking workshops were conducted at The National School of Visual Art in Maputo and an exhibition of participant’s prints was installed at the French-Mozambican Cultural Centre. Supported by Pro Helvetia Arts Council of Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Centre Culturel Franco-Mozambicano, French Institute South Africa and The National School of Visual Art. In memory of John Hodgkiss. Related Content Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men Grahamstown’, 2004 Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, 2014

  • Transitions (Smithsonian Institution) | Paul Emmanuel

    Paul Emmanuel TRANSITIONS (2010) Skylight Gallery, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA Exhibition view of Transitions , National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 2010 Transitions , National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA 12 May – 22 August 2010 ‘Transitions’ documents shifting male identity. This was the 7th showing of this touring solo museum exhibition comprising an installation of 5 original drawings, courtesy of the Spier Contemporary Collection and the short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’ (2008). ‘Transitions’ premiered at The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa in 2008. Art Source South Africa are managers of Emmanuel’s ‘Transitions’ project. Artists statement In late 2004 I was exploring how the military influenced and perpetuated notions of masculinity in South Africa. One morning, while thinking about moments of change, I decided to photograph an actual military recruit head shaving while it was happening – to witness to an unfolding drama. After some research, I discovered that there were only two remaining military bases in South Africa which still perform this obligatory ‘rite of passage’ on their premises, one in Oudtshoorn and the other, Third South African Infantry Battalion (3SAI) in Kimberley. I phoned the Kimberley base, spoke to the Officer-in-Command and arranged a visit to photograph head shavings from the January 2005 intake. I remember feeling apprehensive of what I would find. I did not do military service. I only had references to military experiences told to me by my older brother and friends, who described their head shaving experiences of the apartheid military regime of the 1980s – their stories of feeling dehumanised, lots of shouting, indifference, bigotry and fear. Instead, I found a very different setting ... quiet lawns with well tended flower beds full of roses. Lines of recruits waiting patiently. No shouting. No authoritarianism. No evidence of the violent breaking down of the human spirit. Compared with the horror stories related to South Africa’s past, the equanimity of the scene was arresting. I was spellbound. These liminal moments of transition, when a young man either voluntarily – or is forced to – let go of one identity and take on a new identity as State Property with an assigned Force Number, prompted me to ask many questions: What was I actually witnessing? What is a “Rite of Passage” and how have similar “rituals” helped to form and perpetuate identities and belief systems throughout history? Why was I so powerfully drawn to and transfixed by these dramatic spectacles of subtle change and moments of suspended possibility and impossibility? And so began an intensely reflexive outward and inward journey, in and beyond my studio, which was to last four long years ... Related Content News story Voice of America TV News, 2010 Publication ‘Transitions’, Art Source South Africa, 2008 Publication ‘Paul Emmanuel: Transitions’, Smithsonian National Museum for African Art, 2010 Short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008 Documentary ‘How the Transitions Drawings Were Made’, 2011 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, Apartheid Museum, 2008

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Transitions , Spier Old Wine Cellar Gallery, Spier Estate, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, 26 November 2009 – 15 February 2010 25 February – 31 March 2010 Transitions documents shifting male identity. This was the sixth showing of this touring solo museum exhibition comprising an installation of 5 original drawings, courtesy of the Spier Contemporary Collection and the short film 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008). Transitions premiered at The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa in 2008 and debuted internationally at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA in 2010. A full-colour publication with writings by André Croucamp and Robyn Sassen was published by project managers, Art Source South Africa. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Transitions Multiples , FNB Joburg Art Fair Special Project: Featured Artist, FNB Joburg Art Fair in association with Gallery AOP, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 – 25 September 2011 Transitions Multiples formed part of Emmanuel’s Transitions project in which he explores the way society constructs perceptions and performances of a masculine identity. The exhibition comprised a suite of hand printed, hand coloured ‘manière-noire’ stone lithographs as well as the short film 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008). The show was presented by FNB Joburg Art Fair in association with Gallery AOP. A 4 page publication was produced and published by Gallery AOP and project managers, Art Source South Africa. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Remnants , Freedom Park Museum, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, 25 June – 31 July 2015 In WWI, white South African servicemen fell alongside the Allies fighting against the Germans. Their black comrades, who were not allowed to carry weapons, died as labourers in camps located on the English Channel. The names of black servicemen who died were left off memorials, while those who survived were denied medals to honour them. In Remnants , Emmanuel presented the remains of the silk banners from The Lost Men France (2014) counter-memorial and the casts used to press the names of fallen servicemen into his skin. The video Remembering a Counter-memorial documented the process. Photographs of previous installations in The Lost Men series, The Lost Men Grahamstown (2004) and The Lost Men Mozambique (2007) were also on view. Project managed by Art Source South Africa. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back After-image , University of Stellenbosch Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, 3 – 26 August 2004 The first showing of this touring solo exhibition comprising early etchings and lithographs, photographs from The Lost Men Grahamstown (2004) and a major drawing also entitled After-image (2004). This drawing is permanently housed in the main reception room of Villa Arcadia as part of the Hollard Collection of South African Contemporary Art. After-image was exhibited in South Africa at the US Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, The Old Fort at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, Gauteng, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein, Free State and Villa Arcadia, Hollard House, Johannesburg, Gauteng. An illustrated, colour catalogue with text by Julia Charlton was printed and published by US Art Gallery. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Transitions , National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA, 12 May – 22 August 2010 Transitions documents shifting male identity. This was the seventh showing of this touring solo museum exhibition comprising an installation of 5 original drawings, courtesy of the Spier Contemporary Collection and the short film 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008). Transitions premiered at The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa in 2008 and debuted internationally at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA in 2010. A full-colour publication with writings by André Croucamp and Robyn Sassen was published by project managers, Art Source South Africa. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Remnants , 808 Gallery, Boston University, Massachusetts, USA, 28 January – 20 March 2016 This solo, museum exhibition features artworks related to Emmanuel's counter-memorial, The Lost Men France , which was installed adjacent to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme in 2014. The Lost Men France , the 3rd in his The Lost Men series, comprised 5 large silk banners depicting the artist's body bearing names of WWI servicemen from all nations pressed into his skin. Paul Emmanuel: Remnants underscores concepts of loss, memory and memorialisation in an installation centred around the ‘remnants’ of The Lost Men France banners, torn and battered by the winds of the Somme. The banners are complemented by videos, drawings, prints and plaster casts of the artist's body. An artist talk and panel discussion were presented at Boston University in conjunction with this exhibition and a 4 page publication was produced and published by Boston University Galleries. Related content ←Previous Next→

  • Related content | Paulemmanuel

    ← Back Transitions , Rhodes University Alumni Gallery, Albany History Museum, National Arts Festival, Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown), Eastern Cape, South Africa, 2 – 11 June 2009 Transitions documents shifting male identity. This was the fifth showing of this touring solo museum exhibition comprising an installation of 5 original drawings, courtesy of the Spier Contemporary Collection and the short film 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008) Transitions premiered at The Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg South Africa in 2008 and debuted internationally at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA in 2010. A full-colour publication with writings by André Croucamp and Robyn Sassen was published by project managers, Art Source South Africa. Related content ←Previous Next→

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