When you see a mc donalds you know your safe

Gradex 10' 

Last night I went to Stellenbosch University’s Gradex show- a final exhibition of their forth year fine art students.

It was quite nice.

First off I somehow always forget how far away Stellenbosch is from Cape Town, and took a wrong turn (like the movie) because I ended up driving 15km through the middle of Khayalisha, where my passengers felt the need to remind me of the recent couple hijacking incident in gugs- im not paranoid.

Anyway eventually I get into an area with a Mc Donalds (when you see a Mc Donalds you know your safe). We drive around Stellenbosch looking for die kuns building I ask some students where to find it and their convinced Stellenbosch doesn’t even have an art department oh dear, we pick up Michaela’s bro on the way and eventually (an hour after the exhibition starts) we arrive.

We walk in and admire the mod architecture of the stellies art department, and check everything out, there’s some black and white photographs, with titles announcing that the artists disappointment at their failed attempt to kill their younger brother, and their desire to chow human flesh before they die- slightly disturbing but then I read the last one, “I’m gay” it all makes sense. In the next room there’s a cute vintage car installation which got viewers to sit in the back seat of a cute little number while watching a projected video in the front part of the once car, reminds me of teenagers at a movie- drive- in or drive- in- movie, romantic art is so nice.

There seems to be a rather strong design element to many of the works – we joke that some pieces could pass for the art section at mr price home. Shame, but really there is some good design pieces- I ponder and realize these are the people who will probably get real jobs after they finish their art degree, lucky them.

The one name I remember is Stuart Buttle – he made a series of colourful collage works, they were bright and full of naked people, vag’s and penis everywhere – I liked these a lot,  cut and paste works make me happy in an anti- photoshop way- been very into this lately ever since Dada South at Iziko.

Upstairs is some of the only painting pieces, they are those kind of paintings when you have a big canvas throw paint on in large amounts and let the different colours engulf each other- as my grandmother would say this is the illusion of the lazy artist- but I can see its appeal and how people would like those pieces for their home.

There are some sweeet wood pieces on the floor upstairs- a couple I really like and wish I was rich enough to buy.

At this part of the night I also find myself yet again attempting to answer a logical and naïve exhibition viewers’ questions about what the fuck these pieces of wood are and what it means…I must say its hard to explain when somehow it just makes sense in my head, I attempt but alas the logical mind often fails to allow absurd theory to enter, I give up too easily.
Oh yes loads of jewelry on display some nice stuff- but I’m going through an anti – accessory phase so didn’t take too much notice, a few nice rings which I wouldn’t mind owning though, like the cute chair rings damn I wish I  took photo’s this would sound less retarded. Nice to see conceptual jewelry though I spotted a fish hook range, sweet someone’s daddy likes fishing.

I hear a strange noise, sounds like it could be music but I hope its not, my guess was a shit sokkie treffer student band, but then I realize its just art. But the other thing I notice near the band is the wine- finally.. I pray that these beverages are free unlike last year at the Michaelis grad show. On the way down there’s and upside down Christmas tree with smashed Christmas decorations at the bottom of a stairwell I love it ordinary cliché’s made into meaningful art puts a smiles op my gesig.

Get not half bad free wine – and notice there’s no food left only strawberries which like 500 people have now touched no thanks, but I have one anyway. We chat about how it might be rather nice to work on this campus- I spot a Mexican? Well a drunk Mexican (there’s a name for these people) but basically he looked like the character on the beeg corn bites packet- I arrived late so I’m not 100% sure but I get the feeling it may be art – you know those drunk performance pieces- something Maurizio Cattelan or Ed Young might do. We get a little bit lost then eventually make our way to more sculpture and ahh a pink room with a sexy disco beat, the floor is covered in bubble wrap hehe, its kind of ugly but the pink light is haaat I actually have a picture –I get that little ahh huh! Thing I get when something familiar is placed in an art context- why do humans find pleasure in popping bubble wrap, 13^th wonder of the world. I do like popping bubble wrap-definatley one of the sexier works on display. There’s some more design stuff and some cute illustrative type paintings in white box frames- makes them look yummy.

I wish I had taken a photograph of this and I will now proceed to do so at every exhibition, and that is take a photo of left of wine glass’s strategically placed on ledges, the odd sculpture, point being that one can judge the success of an exhibition by the amount of empty wine glass’s- I havn’t resolved this theory but I think its nice. I will draw a picture it’s not very good but this is kind of what it looked like, quite beautiful.

(it kind of looked like this, use your imagination

i also could'nt quite figure out if these sculptures were part of the show or if they were permanent architecturial structures? )

We decide to leave the exhibition and stop at boho for a  drink then realise we’re too broke to get drunk- and I’m driving, so we head home I get lost again and we all agree that art students are shit at navigation and that a gps unit should be included in our 1^st year art kit. We ask the trusty mc donalds for directions  and find our way home.

Overall a good exhibition with some lovely contemporary pieces, interesting to see the amount of design pieces which makes me think I should take more interest in contemporary design – as I said those are the people who look like they can get jobs at the end of their degree. I feel their could be a lot more active art school collaboration in the western cape and it would be rad to do some kind of exhibition or community project involving fine art students from other institutions coming together and sharing idea's and practises.