Spring Awakening is a multi-sensory exhibition by more than 20 artists and designers that will occupy the Southern Guild gallery, opening on 13 April 2022 until 15 June.
The exhibition will encompass painting, sculpture, photographic work, ceramics, wearable art, textiles and sonic pieces by artists from Southern Guild’s stable alongside recently joined emerging artists and invited guests.
Image by Hayden Phipps: Green Circle IV by Navel Seakamela
The concept for Spring Awakening arises from the idea of spring as a time of intense ecological, physical and psychological change. Curator Lindsey Raymond invited artists to consider the role of renewal and growth in their work, as well as their opposite – loss and decay.
“In springtime, the future is a thing that gleams within palpable reach like a ripe fruit ready to be plucked from a tree. It signifies the starting growth of a new harvest, while occupying the liminal space between a year almost passed and a year yet to come. In this way, it is a time of reflection in as much as it is a willingness for a future ideal,” Raymond notes.
Image by Hayden Phipps: Untitled (Drift Series) by Jeanne Hoffman
Image by Hayden Phipps: Resisting Change, Shipwrecked Cargoes III & Balancing Act by Jeanne Hoffman
“This showcase beckons the more intriguing questions of what boils beneath the surface too. Spring is as much a rebirth as it is a resurrection; particularly in light of the pandemic’s dormancy of the past two years,” Raymond says.
This exhibition borrows its title from the play written by Frank Wedekind which tackles the fervent sexual desire and angst of four teenagers as they wrestle the difficulties of abortion, depression, rape, suicide and queerness. First performed in Germany in 1906, the play is acknowledged for the macabre spirit of comedy which underpins its tragedy. Erotic fantasies play out through hedonistic behaviours, revealing the rawness and unquenched thirst of sexuality and the curiosity, shame and vulnerability accompanying it.
A number of Southern Guild artists will present work that explores new threads of interest. These include a ceramic vessel inspired by a traditional African udu drum by Andile Dyalvane, a dramatic chandelier made from glazed stoneware by ceramic designer Chuma Maweni, and a series of large enamel paintings on glass by Jozua Gerrard depicting scenes of intimacy and comfort between young lovers.
