Artist:
William Kentridge
Curator:
Azu Nwagbogu, assisted by Tammy Langtry, Curatorial Assistant
Why Should I Hesitate: Putting Drawings to Work is a major exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist, William Kentridge. The exhibition of the artist’s work is the largest held in Africa in over a decade and is hosted simultaneously in two parts, alongside Norval Foundation‘s Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture.
Why Should I Hesitate: Putting Drawings To Work at Zeitz MOCAA offers a wide survey of Kentridge’s work, including early works, as well as newer pieces on view for the first time in South Africa. It will cover over 40 years of artistic production (1976 – 2019) in drawing, stop-frame animation, video, prints, sculpture, tapestry, and large-scale installation.
The title references Kentridge’s primary practice of drawing and how this core activity informs and enables his studio practice. It also references the impact of individual action on history and the reverse – how history shapes the contemporary and the future – and works as a commentary on various shifting hegemonies of power politics, economies, language and the authority to narrate history.
Both exhibitions include major works from Kentridge’s extensive oeuvre and are accompanied by two new publications, conceived in collaboration between Zeitz MOCAA, Norval Foundation, and the artist. The exhibitions are also accompanied by a series of talks and performances with the artist, and leading voices in the cultural sector.
Listen to the AfriSam Art Audio Tour for this exhibition below: