Search Results

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

Paul Emmanuel TRANSITIONS (2011) Rosenberg Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA Exhibition view of Transitions , Rosenberg Gallery, Brown Center, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, USA, 9 September – 2 October 2011 Transitions , Rosenberg Gallery, Brown Center, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 9 September – 2 October 2011 ‘Transitions’ documents shifting male identity. This was the 9th 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 Documentary How the ‘Transitions’ Drawings were Made, 2011, video 2 min 42 sec Artist’s talk Paul Emmanuel Talks to MICA (2011), Falvey Hall, Brown Centre, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA, (Video 34 min 43 sec) Radio interview Marc Steiner Chats to Paul Emmanuel, 2011, The Marc Steiner Show, WEAA 88.9 FM, Baltimore, USA, (Podcast 33 mins) Exhibition ‘Transitions Multiples’, Goya Contemporary Gallery, 2011 Film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, Apartheid Museum, 2008 Publication ‘Transitions’, Art Source South Africa, 2008

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

Interviews and documentaries about works by Paul Emmanuel Commencement speech and honorary doctorate, Montserrat College of Art (2025) (Video 18 min 34 sec) Paul Emmanuel Interview 4/22 (2024) Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA (Video 20 min) Walkabout: Paul Emmanuel and Michelle Constant (2021), Moving Cube, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa (Video 1 hr) Museum Moments: University of Johannesburg Art Collection (2021), Strauss & Co, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 1 hr 15 min 6 sec) The Making of Rising-falling (2021), Moving Cube, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 3 min 53 sec) Paul Emmanuel – Art Exhibition – Substance of Shadows (2021), Hellenic Radio, Spotify AB, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Podcast 16 min 10 sec) Paul Emmanuel: Veil 1954 (2021), Moving Cube, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 8 min 1 sec) Artist’s Talk by Paul Emmanuel on 8 September (2020) SARChi Chair: South African Art and Visual Culture, University of Johannesburg, South Africa , (Video 1hr 22 min 6 sec) Men and Monuments: A Conversation with Paul Emmanuel (2020) Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 1 hr) Hatefree Talk: Paul Emmauel (2020) HateFree Culture, Prague, Czech Republic, (Video 1 hr 21 sec) Cure: Paul Emmanuel (2020), UJ Arts and Culture, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 2 min 44 sec) Paul Emmanuel: Remnants (2017) Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa, (Video 1 min 30 sec) The Weekend Edition (2016), SABC TV, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 6 min) Remnants Opening Speech by André Croucamp (2015) Freedom Park, Pretoria, South Africa, (Video 16 min 10 sec) Paul Emmanuel on Lost Men Project (2015) SABC TV Morning Live, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 6 min 17 sec) Paul Emmanuel Acknowledges Soldiers Who Are Forgotten Through Art (2014) SABC TV Morning Live, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 4 min 30 sec) Remembering a Counter-memorial: Making The Lost Men France (2014) Paul Emmanuel studio, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 10 min 33 sec) The Lost Men France (Promotional video) (2014), Paul Emmanuel studio, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 1 min 47 sec) A Quest for The Lost Men France (2014), Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria & Institut Français, Johannesburg, South Africa, (Video 27 min 52 sec) Paul Emmanuel Talks to MICA (2011), Falvey Hall, Brown Centre, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA, (Video 34 min 43 sec) Marc Steiner Chats to Paul Emmanuel (2011) The Marc Steiner Show, WEAA 88.9 FM, Baltimore, USA, (Podcast 33 mins) How the Transitions Multiples Lithographs were Made (2011) Vimeo, (Video 4 min 48 sec) How the Transitions Drawings were Made (2011), Vimeo, (Video 2 min 42 sec) Paul Emmanuel South African Artist (2010) TRANSITIONS at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, USA Voice of America TV news (Video 3 min 6 sec) Transitions at Oliewenhuis Art Museum (2009), SABC News channel 3 (Afrikaans bulletin), South Africa, (Video 1 min 48 sec)

Paul Emmanuel AFTER-IMAGE (2005) Villa Arcadia, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa After-image (detail), 2004. Original drawing hand-incised into exposed, colour photographic paper, 200 x 480 cm. Hollard Art Collection. Photographed by John Hodgkiss After-image , The Gallery Hall, Villa Arcadia, Hollard House, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa 16 April – 15 May 2005 The fourth 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 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 Exhibition ‘After-image’, US Art Gallery, 2004

Paul Emmanuel THE LOST MEN FRANCE (2014) First World War Centenary, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Picardy, France Installation views of The Lost Men France , WWI Centenary, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Picardy, northern France, 1 July – 1 October 2014 The Lost Men France , World War One Centenary, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Picardy, Northern France 1 July – 1 October 2014 ‘The Lost Men France’ was a once-only counter-memorial and an official feature of the 2014 – 2018 First World War Centenary. It was temporarily installed adjacent to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Picardy, Northern France as an intervention in the Somme Circuit of Remembrance. In the battles that were fought on the Western Front between 1914 and 1918, thousands of South African servicemen took part and died alongside the Allies but white and black South African men were valourised differently. ‘The Lost Men France’ depicted these names alongside those of the Allies and Germans. Supported by La Mission du Centenaire de la Première Guerre Mondiale, Paris, Institut Français Paris / Johannesburg and The National Arts Council of South Africa. Related Content Artist talk Institut Français and Tshwane University of Technology, 2012 Documentary ‘Remembering a Counter-Memorial: Making The Lost Men France’, 2014 Interview SABC TV Morning Live, Johannesburg, 2014 Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men Mozambique’ 2007 Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men Grahamstown’, 2004

Paul Emmanuel REMNANTS (2016) 808 Gallery, Boston University, Massachusetts, USA Remnants , 2016, 808 Gallery, Boston University, Massachusetts, USA 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. Related content Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France, 1 July – 1 October 2014 Publication ‘Remnants’, 2016. Text by Pamela Allara, Boston. Boston University, USA. Bulletin sheet, 4 pp, 280 x 176 mm. ISBN n/a. Out of print

Paul Emmanuel TRANSITIONS MULTIPLES (2011) Goya Contemporary Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Transitions Multiples , Goya Contemporary, Goya Girl Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 8 September – 5 November 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). Art Source South Africa are managers of Emmanuel's ‘Transitions’ project. Related Content Publication ‘Paull Emmanuel: Transitions Multiples’, Goya Contemporary, 2011 Documentary ‘How the Transitions Multiples Lithographs were Made’, 2011 Exhibition ‘Transitions Multiples’, FNB Joburg Art Fair, 2011 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, Maryland Institute College of Art, 2011 Film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008

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

Paul Emmanuel REMNANTS (2015) Freedom Park Museum, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Exhibition views and opening address by André Croucamp for Remnants, Freedom Park Museum, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, 25 June – 31 July 2015 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. Related content Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, 2014 Interview ‘Paul Emmanuel on The Lost Men project’, SABC News, 2015

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

A chronological portfolio of all artworks created by Paul Emmanuel