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Untethered/Retethered , 2025, (تائه في العدم/مستعيد جذوره) (detail) Decommissioned, model T-10, U.S. military personnel parachute with severed suspension lines, detached harness with risers, 550 para-cord. High-definition video projection, stereo soundtrack, 7 min 26 sec. Parachute diameter: 35 feet. Harness dimensions: 30 x 30 inches (excluding suspension lines). Photographed by Russell Smith Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art , National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA, 23 January – 23 August 2026 Artists across Africa and the diaspora whose artworks connect to their identities and experiences as LGBTQ+ people are featured as the first continental and diasporic survey of its scale and scope outside of Africa. The show assembles artists whose work has implicitly or explicitly challenged local and global legacies of homophobia and bigotry, offering imaginings of alternative futures as well as celebrations of intimacy, faith, family and joy. Untethered/Retethered (2025) (تائه في العدم/مستعيد جذوره) was selected by curators, Serubiri Moses and Kevin Dumouchelle for this exhibition. Artist statement At present, the United States finances, trains and arms soldiers in the Lebanese Armed Forces. My mixed European/Lebanese heritage has compelled me to spend the last three years interviewing retired and active duty U.S. and Lebanese soldiers, deployed to the ‘Greater Middle East’ region. In these exchanges, I was struck by each soldier’s account of the camaraderie between ‘battle buddies’ and surprised that the older veterans from both countries spoke of a profound sense of loss when returning to civilian life. This traumatic experience of detachment resonated strongly with me when a U.S. paratrooper gave me his parachute. He recounted how he had acquired it after retiring from active duty in 2008, only to discover that all 30 of its suspension lines had been severed. The accompanying original drawings on 2 cotton rags, comprise a ‘hand portrait’ of a Lebanese, active duty infantryman and a ‘foot portrait’ of a U.S. paratrooper. I was driven to record the intimacy of our conversations in some way and they both allowed me to draw their hands and feet, so as to protect their anonymity. The Lebanese infantryman’s hands are scratched by hand with a steel blade into a layer of gunpowder residue because he uses an M16 assault rifle and ammunition supplied by the United States. The U.S. paratrooper’s feet however, are scratched into a layer of black boot polish because to this day, airborne troops use it to buff their leather, ceremonial ‘jump boots’ to signify excellence and professionalism. Related content Civic engagement project ‘The Veteran’s Memorial to the Living’ (ongoing) Civic engagement project ‘Talking with Monuments: What they don't say and the stories being missed’, 2024–2026 Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, 1 July – 1 October 2014 Archive post Process Views: Untethered/Retethered at NMAfA, installation-stage projection, Paul Emmanuel Studio, 2026 ←Previous Next→

‘Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art’, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA, 23 January – 23 August 2026 ‘If You Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future’, Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 10 March – 20 June 2025 ‘MICA Grad Show 3’, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 12 – 28 April, 2024 ‘In Uncertainty We Trust’, Sheila and Richard Riggs and Leidy galleries, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 27 September – 13 October 2023 ‘Cartographies of Becoming’, The Sylt Foundation, Sylt Island, Germany. 24 December 2021 – 30 December 2022 ‘Holding Tension’, Sheila and Richard Riggs and Leidy galleries, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 2 – 10 December 2022 ‘Reviewing the Past’, Carol Schlosberg Alumni Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 18 January – 19 March 2022 ‘Cure’, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa 14 September 2020 – ‘Bag Factory 30 Years: So Far, The Future’, FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 June – 4 July 2020 ‘Ampersand Foundation 21 Years Celebration Exhibition’, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa 11 September – 9 October 2019 ‘Regards: Photographie Camerounaise / Digital Africa’ – Casablanca Biennale Internationale de Casablanca Project Space, Morocco. 18 April – 15 June 2019 ‘Sway: A Photographic Exhibition’, Now Gallery, The Open Window, Irene, South Africa, 27 March – 30 June 2019 ‘Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts Opening Exhibition’, Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 March – 30 June 2019 ‘Wounds and Relics’, Gallery 2, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 – 22 September 2018 ‘Turbine Art Fair 2018’, Art Source South Africa Booth GH4, Turbine Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa, 12 – 15 July 2018 ‘Recent Acquisitions: UNISA – University of South Africa Permanent Art Collection’, UNISA Art Gallery, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, 5 – 31 August 2017 ‘Material Gains: Contemporary Art from the Spier Collection’, Stellenbosch University Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 25 July – 15 November 2018 ‘The Art of Reading from William Kentridge to Wikipedia’, Meermanno Museum, The Hague, The Netherlands, 18 November 2017 – 5 March 2018 ‘I Am Because You Are: A Search for Ubuntu with Permission to Dream’, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa. 2 February – 31 March 2018 ‘International Printmaking Alliance Exhibition’, Taimiao Art Gallery, Imperial Ancestral Temple, Beijing, China 25 September – 10 October 2017 ‘Rethinking Kakotopia’, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa, 6 September – 4 October 2017 ‘Booknesses: Artists’ Books from the Ginsberg Collection’, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, 25 March – 5 May 2017 ‘In Plain Sight: Social Life in South Africa and Romania Before and After 1989’, ApARTe Gallery of George Enescu University of Arts & Borderline Art Space, Iasi, Romania 25 November – 8 December 2016 ‘Foundations and Futures: Celebrating 25 Years of the Bag Factory’, Fordsburg Artists’ Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 October – 10 December 2016 ‘Rites of Passage: Between Light and Shadow’, Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa, 11 – 18 June 2016

Paul Emmanuel, contemporary artist. Creator of ‘Rising-falling’, ‘Substance of shadows’ and ‘The Lost Men’. Untethered/Retethered (تائه في العدم/مستعيد جذوره ) (detail) 2025, featured in Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art , Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, 23 January – 23 August 2026. See more→ Untethered (detail) 2024, featured in MICA Grad Show III , Maryland Institute College of Art, 27 September – 13 October 2024. See more→ Parade of shadows featured in If You Look Hard Enough You Can See Our Future, Newcomb Art Museum, 10 March – 20 June 2025. See more→ Substance of Shadows, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery. 11 September – 2 October 2021. See more→ The Lost Men Mozambique featured in Cartographies of Becoming, The Sylt Foundation, 24 December 2021 – 30 December 2022. See more→ Rising-falling, General Louis Botha Monument, 15 June 2021. See more→ Paul Emmanuel, published by Wits Art Museum, 2020. See more→ Men and Monuments, Wits Art Museum, 3 – 18 March 2020 and 6 – 30 April 2021. See more→ Impermanence, Fried Contemporary Gallery, 8 March – 7 April 2018. See more→ The Lost Men France, Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, 1 July – 1 October 2014. See more→

‘Road signs’, 2014. Original drawing hand-incised into exposed colour photographic paper, 38 x 53 cm (framed). Private Collection Turbine Art Fair 2015 , Art Source South Africa, Booth, Turbine Hall, Johannesburg, South Africa, 16 – 19 July 2015 Turbine Art Fair is a platform for galleries, artists, curators and other art organisations to promote emerging and established talents in an accessible and enjoyable way. In doing this the fair aims to promote new work and talent and to create a new art audience and collector base. Two photogravure etchings, Scar (2015) and Lesion (2015) were exhibited by Art Source South Africa. Related content Exhibition ‘Remnants’, 25 June – 31 July 2015 Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, 1 July – 1 October 2014 ←Previous Next→

The Lost Men Project (Grahamstown) , 2004. Digital program, touch screen, headphones, pedestal. Dimensions variable. Edition 3 Navigating the Bookscape: Artists’ Books and the Digital Interface , Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa, 25 – 30 September 2006 Curator David Paton invited five artists to produce a work for a show of traditional and contemporary ‘artists books’ to “... open up questions around what the digital interface can bring to the conventions of the codex.” – (Robyn Sassen). The exhibition featured an interactive work, The Lost Men Project (Grahamstown) (2006) – a digital program running on a computer concealed within a custom-designed pedestal supporting a touch sensitive monitor and headphones. A soundtrack entices the viewer to touch the screen depicting a photographic close-up of the artist’s skin bruised with embossed names. Each successive touch induces a change of image as the names slowly disappear. Related content Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men Grahamstown’, 1 – 10 July 2004 ←Previous Next→

Press writings about exhibitions of artworks by Paul Emmanuel 2025 Judkis, M. SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART DELAYS LGBTQ PRIDE EXHIBIT , Washington Post, Washington D.C. USA, May. 2021 Ntwasa, T. ARTIST QUESTIONS OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD – USING FASHION AS THE CANVAS , TimesLive in Sunday Times Newspaper, Johannesburg, South Africa, October. 2021 Delmont, L. PAUL EMMANUEL SUBSTANCE OF SHADOWS AT UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG ART GALLERY UNTIL 2ND OCTOBER , Lizatlancaster Guest House , Johannesburg, South Africa, September. 2021 Myburg, J. SUBSTANCE OF SHADOWS: ONTHOU SKYN SOOS LIG DEUR , Netwerk24 , Johannesburg, South Africa, September. 2021 Auslander, M. ALTERED CARBON: DRAMAS OF DETACHMENT, Moving Cube , University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, September. 2021 Ngidi, S. JUNE 16: REDEMPTION THROUGH NEGATION , Mail & Guardian , Johannesburg, South Africa, June. 2021 Delmont, L. PAUL EMMANUEL’S MEN AND MONUMENTS , Lizatlancaster Guest House , Johannesburg, South Africa, May. 2021 Khumalo, A. REVIEW: WAM EXHIBITION A GHOSTLY MEMORIAL TO MEN LOST TO WAR , Wits Vuvuzela , Johannesburg, South Africa, April. 2020 Hart, G. PAUL EMMANUEL’S MEN AND MONUMENTS: A TENDER PERSPECTIVE ON MASCULINITY AND THE MILITARY MACHINE , Bubblegumclub , Johannesburg, South Africa, March. 2020 Allara, P and Auslander, M. BETWEEN MEN AND MONUMENTS: THE ART OF PAUL EMMANUEL , Art Beyond Quarantine , Blogger, Google, California, USA, March. 2020 Auslander, M. VEIL 1954: PAUL EMMANUEL , Art Beyond Quarantine , Blogger, Google, California, USA, April. 2020 Allara, P. CARBON DAD 2017: PAUL EMMANUEL Art Beyond Quarantine , Blogger, Google, California, USA, April. 2018 Sassen, R. YOUR NAME, MY BODY in My View: The Arts at Large , online blog at WordPress.com, Automattic Inc., San Francisco, California, USA. April. 2018 Sluiter, M. THE LOST MEN PROJECT , in Fonts in Use , Fonts in Use LLC, Oakland California, USA, March. 2017 Emmanuel, P. PAUL EMMANUEL: ARTISTS AT WORK in Creative Feel magazine, DeskLink Media, Johannesburg, South Africa. April. 2017 Britz, E. PAUL EMMANUEL SE AANGRYPENDE ‘REMNANTS’ IN ROSESTAD in Volksblad , Media24, Bloemfontein, South Africa. May. 2016 McQuiad, C. MEMORIALS, ETHEREAL AND ELEGIAC, AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY in The Boston Globe , Boston Globe Media Partners LLC, Boston, USA. February. 2016 O'Rourke, J. A GHOSTLY TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN OF WORLD WAR I in BU Today , Boston University, Boston, USA. February. 2016 Werbe, S. 'REMNANTS' – REVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST'S SOMME EXHIBITION IN BOSTON in Centenary News: First World War 1914-1918 , Centenary Digital Ltd, London, UK. March. 2015 Stehle, R. OORBLYFSELS VAN 'ANTIMONUMENT' NOU IN VRYHEIDSPARK UITGESTAL , in Beeld , Media24, Johannesburg, South Africa, June. [PDF] 2014 Jones, J. WHY NUDES ARE A FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE SOMME'S FALLEN SOLDIERS , in The Guardian , Guardian News and Media Limited, London, August. 2014 Castro, P. THE LOST MEN, CONTRA-MEMORIAL DE PAUL EMMANUEL EN LOS CAMPOS DE BATALLA DE SOMME, in Catálogodiseño , Inversiones Diseño Medios, Colombia, Chile, August. 2014 Azzarello, N. PAUL EMMANUEL INSTALLS COUNTER-MEMORIAL ON FRANCE'S SOMME BATTLEFIELDS , in designboom , designboom magazine, Milan, Italy, August. 2014 Stehle, R. KUNS WAT WAPPER, in Beeld , Media24, Johannesburg, South Africa, July. 2014 Watterson, L. (editorial). THE LOST MEN OF FRANCE , in Classicfeel , DeskLink Media, Johannesburg, South Africa, August. 2014 Malexis, S. DIX QUESTIONS POUR UN CENTENAIRE , in Le Monde , 14-18 Les leçons d'une guerre, Les enjeux d'un centenaire, Le Monde, Paris, France, February-March. 2013 IFAS-Culture & Research. PUBLIC INSTALLATION AS PART OF THE OFFICIAL COMMEMORATION OF THE WORLD WAR ONE CENTENARY IN FRANCE , in Extra! magazine, Institut Français, Johannesburg, South Africa, December. 2013 Alhadeff, P. SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST'S WORK "THE LOST MEN FRANCE" TO REMEMBER SOLDIERS KILLED ON THE SOMME , in Centenary News online news bulletin, Centenary Digital Ltd. London, UK, December. 2013 Michel, N. AFRIQUE DU SUD: UNE EXPOSITION SUR JOHANNESBURG À LA MAISON ROUGE DE PARIS , in Jeune Afrique online news bulletin, DIFCOM, Paris, France, July. 2012 Emmanuel, P. PAUL EMMANUEL IN FRANCE , in Classic Feel magazine, Desklink Media, Johannesburg, South Africa, December 2012 Corbier. C, A LA QUÊTE DES HOMMES PERDUS in L'Est Républicain , Verdun, France, September 2012 Art Source South Africa, PAUL EMMANUEL SELECTED FOR 2012 FRENCH RESIDENCY , in South African Art Times , Global Art Information, Cape Town, South Africa, February 2011 Watermeyer, N. MORTALITY, VULNERABILITY, MUTABILITY , in Classic Feel magazine, Desklink Media, Johannesburg, South Africa, December 2011 Van Rensburg, W. SA ART HIGHLIGHTS , in South African Art Times newspaper, Global Art Information, Johannesburg, South Africa, December 2011 van Wyk A. BITES OF ART , in Life , Sunday Independent newspaper, Independent News & Media, Johannesburg, South Africa, October 2011 Bester, R. MAKING A LASTING IMPACT WITH FIRST IMPRESSIONS , in Mail & Guardian , M&G Media Limited, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2011 Smith, M. LABOUR INTENSIVE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FNB JOBURG ART FAIR'S FEATURED ARTIST PAUL EMMANUEL in ArtThrob , Cape Town, South Africa, September 2011 Bosman, N. MOMENTS OF CHANGE: JOBURG ART FAIR FEATURED ARTIST PAUL EMMANUEL ADDS YET ANOTHER INTRICATE LAYER TO HIS 'TRANSITIONS PROJECT' , in CityVibe , The Citizen newspaper, The Citizen, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2011 Ober, C. LIGHT FROM DARK: TWO NEW EXHIBITS AT GOYA CONTEMPORARY GALLERY HIGHLIGHT CONTRASTING VALUES , in Urbanite magazine, Tracy Ward, Baltimore, USA, September 2011 Minors, D. WITSIE IS FEATURED ARTIST AT AFRICA'S ONLY ART FAIR , in Wits Alumni magazine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2011 Myburg, J. BEKROONDE EMMANUEL SE LITOS OF ART FAIR , in Beeld newspaper, Nuus24.Com, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2010 Weaver, A. M. PAUL EMMANUEL, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART, WASHINGTON DC , in Art South Africa , Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, South Africa, Spring 2010 McKenna, A. PAUL EMMANUEL: TRANSITIONS: IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA in California Literary Review , California Literary Review, Carlsbad, California, USA, June 2010 Harvey, A.L. SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART in The InTowner , Intowner Publishing Corp., Washington DC, USA, June 2010 O'Sullivan, M. AT SMITHSONIAN'S AFRICAN ART MUSEUM: RITE OF PASSAGE and DRAWN PRECISELY in The Washington Post , The Washington Post Company, Washington DC, USA, May 2010 Cavenaugh, A. TRANSITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA: PAUL EMMANUEL'S 'TRANSITIONS' AT SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART in Express Night Out , The Washington Post Company, Washington DC, USA, May 2010 O'Sullivan, M. SMITHSONIAN AFRICAN ART MUSEUM'S 'TRANSITIONS' EXHIBIT INCLUDES FILM ON INFANTRY in The Washington Post , The Washington Post Company, Washington DC, USA, May 2010 Dodd, A. LOST & FOUND in Wanted , Business Day, Johannesburg, South Africa, March 2010 Dobson, W. IDENTITY IN FLUX: THE TRANSITION TO NEW PERSPECTIVES in The Cape Times , Cape Town, South Africa, March 2009 Dodd, A. SOUNDSCAPES PAINSTAKINGLY CREATED in Business Day Arts , Business Day, Johannesburg, April 2009 Dias, J. LOST MEN MOÇAMBIQUE , in Arte em Movimento , Muv'art, Maputo, February 2009 Britz, E. KUNTSENAARSOOG BEKYK MANLIKE IDENTITEIT in Volksblad , Bloemfontein, February 2009 Roßkothen, K. VERLORENE MÄNNER IM WIND in Sylter Spiegel , Rantum, June 2009 Roßkothen, K. THE LOST MEN IN RANTUM in Hallo Sylt , Rantum, June 2009 Retzlaff, C. FRAGILE ZEICHEN GEGEN GEWALD in Sylter Spiegel , Rantum, June 2009 Sassen, R. EMMANUEL EXPLORES EVOLUTION OF LIFE in Cue , Grahamstown, July 2009 Sassen, R. FESTIVAL'S HALF – 'ARTED ATTEMPT in Cue , Grahamstown, July 2009 Myburgh, J. TRANSITIONS NA DIE SMITHSONIAN IN DIE VSA , in Beeld , Johannesburg, September 2008 van Schalkwyk, K. IDENTITY IN FOCUS in ScreenAfrica , Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, September 2008 Corrigal, M. FINE ARTIST SHOWS A FLARE FOR VIDEO in The Sunday Independent , The Sunday Independent, Johannesburg, September and in SA Art Times, Global Art Information, Johannesburg, October 2008 Bosman, N. INTRICATE OBSESSION in The Citizen , The Citizen, Johannesburg, October 2008 Dodd, A. ART PIG in SA Art Times , Global Art Information, Johannesburg, November 2008 Cohn, T. TRANSITIONS in Classic Feel , DeskLink Media, Johnannesburg, November 2008 Kaganof, A. PAUL EMMANUEL APARTHEID MUSEUM in Art South Africa , Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, December 2008 Dodd, A. TRANSITIONS PAUL EMMANUEL in Business Day Arts , Business Day, Johannesburg, December 2008 Buys, A. TRANSITIONS in The Guide-Visual Arts , Mail & Guardian, Johannesburg, December 2007 Strauss, G. CHUTZPAH AND A SOLID PLAN TO REALISE A DREAM in Business Day Arts , Business Day, Johannesburg, June 2007 Myburg, J. KUNSLESSE IN MAPUTO in Beeld , Beeld, Johannesburg, June 2007 Humbelino, C. O SOLDADO DESCONHECIDO in Canal de Moçambique , Imprel, Maputo, May 2007 O’Toole, S. NO THANK YOU in Art South Africa , Volume 6 Issue 2, Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, December 2006 Doherty, C. NAVIGATING THE BOOKSCAPE in @Joburg, Art and Technology , Wits School of the Arts, Johannesburg, October 2006 Dodd, A. HOLLARD ENTERS THE ART WORLD WITH A BANG in Business Day Arts , Business Day, Johannesburg, March 2006 Lampbrecht, B. PAUL EMMANUEL AFTER-IMAGE in Beeld , Beeld, Johannesburg, January 2006 Sassen, R. PAUL EMMANUEL AT THE OLD FORT in Artthrob , Artthrob, Cape Town, February 2005 Cohn, T. PAUL EMMANUEL, OLD FORT, CONSTITUTION HILL in Art South Africa, Volume 3, Issue 4, Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, June 2004 Greslé, Y. WARS INCARNATED in Cue , Rhodes University, Grahamstown, July 2004 Tipping-Woods, D. HANGING ON THE HILL in Cue , Rhodes University, Grahamstown, July 2004 Gurney, K. NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL in Artthrob , Artthrob, Cape Town, September 2004 Greslé, Y. PERFORMANCES OF MASCULINITY in Art South Africa Volume 3, Issue 2, Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, December 2004 Greslé, Y. /PAUL EMMANUEL in Art South Africa Volume 3 Issue 1, Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, September 2003 Lampbrecht, B. PAUL EMMANUEL BY DIE STANDARD BANK GALERY in Beeld , Beeld, Johannesburg, March 2003 Dodd, A. PAUL EMMANUEL PERFECTS THE FINE ART OF TURNING ODDNESS INTO TRANSCENDENCE in The Sunday Independent , The Sunday Independent, Johannesburg, March 2002 Smith, K. WAX LYRICAL in Art South Africa , Volume 1 Issue 2, Bell Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, March 2001 Lampbrecht, B. PAUL EMMANUEL BY DIE BIG BAG SHOW BY THE GOODMAN GALLERY in Rapport , Rapport, February 2000 Warrington, R. THE EMERGENCE OF SOMETHING INTO BEING: PAUL EMMANUEL AT THE OPEN WINDOW , in ArtThrob , Issue No. 33, May

Paul Emmanuel Artist Statement I would like to say that I try to portray the body as a site of metaphorical and literal struggle; and that I explore the way mental and physical landscapes interact in their construction of memories and identities. I would like to say that I am committed to deconstructing limiting cultural assumptions concerning masculinity. But the truth is there is no such cleverness. My explanations are all retrospective. I am not sure if my work comes from a profound intellectual grasp of social realities. It comes out of being a sensual participant in the world and sometimes it feels as if I have only a tenuous grasp of reality. It is inspired by feelings and aesthetics rather than words and ideas. When I do have ideas, they are not grand literary constructs, profound philosophies or urgent political messages. My ideas are simple frameworks within which I can move. They act as a kind of scaffolding, not as descriptions, explanations or maps. They allow me to perform my feelings through the labour of intense, rigorous, time-consuming mark making. The photographic references I work from are devices that allow emotionally laden textures to emerge on a surface. The obsessive mark making is the only real control I have over confusing feelings about my own identity, gender, sexuality and power. Categories blur and it feels as if I dissolve into the spaces between the marks. The only thing that is certain is change. I hardly ever know where I am going – it is a wonder that forms appear at all. When I was younger, I was seduced by the potential of something emerging out of the soft, velvety blackness. I have always worked reductively from dark to light. The process feels insubstantial and tenuous and often leaves me feeling scared and uncertain about what is trying to emerge and whether I can keep going. The viewer may embed meaning in these surfaces and they can never be right or wrong as I do not assume to know the meaning myself.

Lesion , 2015. Hand-printed, Chine-collé photogravure etching on 300 gsm Hahnemühle paper. Paper size 40 x 71,5 cm. Edition 8 Reviewing the Past , Carol Schlosberg Alumni Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 18 January – 19 March 2022 Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Samuel Bak and the Art of Remembrance, the group exhibition, Re-Viewing the Past , highlights the work of artists who explore ideas of history and memory as part of processes of re-writing or re-imagining. Creating in diverse media, including painting, printmaking, animation, and the graphic novel, participating artists consider their connection to history — whether personal or collective — as it resonates with or is interpreted through the present moment and current socio-political and cultural issues. Artists include Paul Emmanuel, Maya Erdelyi, Dell M. Hamilton, Dave Ortega, and Jordan Seaberry. Scar (2015) and Lesion (2015) were selected by curator Dr. Lynne Cooney for this exhibition. Related content Counter-memorial ‘The Lost Men France’, 1 July – 1 October 2014 Exhibition ‘Impermanence’, 8 March – 7 April 2018 ←Previous Next→

Still from Remember-dismember , 2015. Hi-definition, single-channel video, stereo soundtrack, 3 min 45 sec (looped). Edition 5 4th Africa-In-Motion International Film Festival , Edinburgh International Film Festival, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, 22 October – 1 November 2009 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008) was shortlisted by a selection committee of film specialists for the Africa in Motion Short Film Competition. The Festival received over 60 entries from 22 African countries. All the shortlisted films were screened as part of the 4th Africa in Motion Film Festival 2009 on Monday 26 October, at the Edinburgh Filmhouse Cinema. The winner was selected by a jury, consisting of acclaimed Algerian filmmaker Amor Hakkar; filmmaker, presenter and writer Zina Saro-Wiwa; director of the Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle; and high profile film critic, writer and producer Mark Cousins. 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008) was officially selected for this festival and competition, and won first place and the jury prize. Related content Short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, 27 September – 31 December 2008 ←Previous Next→

Installation view of 3SAI: A Rite of Passage , 2008. High-Definition, single-channel video, stereo soundtrack, 13 min 58 sec Les Écrans de la Liberté: Digital Anthropology Festival 2013 , Le Cube, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris, France, 20 – 21 March 2013 Le Cube and Les Écrans de la Liberté propose two days of discoveries and meetings centred on anthropology and new media with film projections and round-table discussions with authors and anthropologists. Today, digital technology is opening up numerous possibilities for driving all possible forms of association between images, sounds and texts. In this way, they are forging a new instrumental reason that today raises the need for new creations at the crossroads between digital art, anthropology and social science in conjunction with other disciplines such as neuroscience. More and more frequently, realities addressed by anthropologists are often crossed by geopolitical tensions, economic and social crises, emergencies, migratory flows and discriminations which confront a large number of communities and people. This idea of 'interculturality', which is progressively becoming a more core part of investigations and studies, promotes and necessitates new areas of research and expression. But also, and maybe even above all, 'interculturality' tends to create its own field where one's views undergo profound changes thanks to others’ views, moving us towards other methods for universalism. The aim of these two days is to promote the taking into account of these unique writings which integrate interactions, multiple points of view and collective creations, and even a sensory approach to all types of personal accounts. By giving form to their sensory apprehensions, they develop these elements which are essential to contextualising the subjects in question. 3SAI: A Rite of Passage (2008) was selected by Les Écrans de la Liberté to be screened at Le Cube for this festival. Related content Short film ‘3SAI: A Rite of Passage’, 2008 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, 27 September – 31 December 2008 ←Previous Next→

Unravelling , 2017. Original drawing hand incised into exposed colour photographic paper. 52 x 75 cm. Spier Collection Material Gains: Contemporary Art from the Spier Collection , Stellenbosch University Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 25 July – 15 November 2018 Material Gains showcases more than 50 works from Spier's diverse collection of contemporary art. The pieces are by emerging and estabished artists working across the African continent – including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Congo and Nigeria. Unravelling (2017) was selected by the curators for this exhibition. Related content Exhibition ‘Men and Monuments’, 3 – 18 March 2020 and 6 – 30 April 2021 Publication ‘Paul Emmanuel’, 2020 Exhibition ‘Transitions’, 12 May – 22 August 2010 ←Previous Next→

Number 05000674PV , 2009. Manière noire stone lithograph, hand printed, hand coloured, signed, numbered and dated by the artist. Black lithographic ink and watercolour pigment on 285 gsm Fabriano Rosaspina Avorio paper. 80 x 156 cm. Edition 35. Courtesy of Art Source South Africa My Joburg , La Maison Rouge: Fondation Antoine de Galbert, Paris, France, 20 June – 23 September 2013 La Maison Rouge continues the series of exhibitions focusing on the arts scene in major provincial cities. After My Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), an exhibition presented during the summer 2011, the second of the cities will be Johannesburg (South Africa). An event on the occasion of the Seasons South Africa 2012/2013 in France in partnership with Institut Français. My Joburg , toured to the Staatliche Kunstammlungen, Dresden, Germany, 26 October 2013 – 5 January 2014. My Joburg was organised by La Maison Rouge – Fondation Antoine de Galbert, Paris, with the support of the National Art Council (NAC) of the Republic of South Africa and the Institut Français, under the curatorial direction of Paula Aisemberg and Antoine de Galbert. number 05000674PV (2009) was selected by the museum's curators for this exhibition. Related content Exhibition ‘Transitions Multiples’, 2011 Exhibition ‘Transitions Multiples’, 2011 Publication ‘Transitions Multiples’, 2011 Publication ‘Transitions Multiples’, 2011 ←Previous Next→