Out of Africa - Foreword

'OUT OF AFRICA'

Foreword by Ian Courcoux

Early this year my wife Sally and I were in South Africa. I wanted to identify several top artists whose work I thought would present well in the UK and, even allowing for shipping costs, could be offered at reasonable prices.

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The first few days of our trip were spent on the Atlantic coast, a few hours north of Cape Town, and it was here we discovered the lovely studio ceramics of Gerhard van den Heever, one of South Africa's leading potters. Walking into his studio, we were struck by both the quality and straightforwardness of his work.

Gerhard throws his pots in either terracotta or stoneware and then burnishes them with a pebble. They are then smoked to produce a wonderfully rich finish. He was quite astounded when I told him we wanted to buy virtually every piece in the studio!
Van den Heever, 37, has shown widely in South Africa after training at South Africa's leading college for ceramics in Bloemfontein, having had major shows in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. His work is right up there with the best of British potters.

A few days later we came across the stunning painted wood and bamboo wall dishes of Werner Brand. They are among the most impressive pieces of art that I have seen in a very long time.
The process by which they are produced is a long one. Over a number of years Werner has learnt to work and manipulate wood and bamboo to form the dish shapes. Strips are glued together in a steel mould and the dish is cured outdoors for some weeks. Each piece gets up to 15 layers of lacquer, which needs to dry before being sanded down and re-applied. The final finish before getting to 'canvas' level is silver leaf which helps to achieve the deep, rich colour. The dishes are then painted with oils, applied over several days.

Werner Brand's technique is quite unique. He has shown in the United States and Europe but never before in the UK. He lives and works in beautiful country not far from Pretoria at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains. His work has to be seen.

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Finally, we shall be showing sculpture by several South African and Zimbabwean sculptors, but predominantly that of Dominic Benhura.

Benhura is now regarded as the pre-eminent sculptor in Africa with work in many colllections around the world. He has iconic status in Zimbabwe and is seen as a role model for young people far outside the limited sphere of his art.

His pieces, mainly in opal stone and springstone, can be monumental although most of the work shown here is on a smaller scale. 'Acrobats' is a wonderful garden piece in opal stone. At 41, Benhura has carved out a highly successful international career and I am very pleased to be representing him in the UK.

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There are other stunning pieces in this show, including 'Angel Fish' by John Gutsa, 'Protecting Our Young' by Hilary Nkanjo (not illustrated) and Benhura's 'Together Forever', to name but a few. All the work is of the very highest quality and is part of our continued objective to bring new and unusual work to the gallery. Please come and join in the experience.

Ian Courcoux

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