To Cross One More Sea
Johannesburg
25 January - 20 March
William Kentridge | To Cross One More Sea
Goodman Gallery Johannesburg
William Kentridge
Head-Image
Goodman Gallery presents ‘To Cross One More Sea’, featuring the African debut of William Kentridge's film of the same name, which premiered at LUMA Arles in 2024, alongside a selection of related works. Through a series of drawings, works on paper, small sculptures, puppets and film, the exhibition expands on Kentridge’s recent projects, including the chamber opera ‘The Great Yes, The Great No’ and episodic film series ‘Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot’.
‘The Great Yes, The Great No’ is a Surrealist, part-historical, part-fictional journey that sees figures such as André Breton, Suzanne and Aimé Césaire, Josephine Baker, Frantz Fanon, the Nardal sisters, Léon-Gontran Damas, Joséphine Bonaparte, and others navigating an ocean journey from Marseilles to Martinque, escaping Vichy France. The three-screen film version of the performance, ‘To Cross One More Sea’, unfolds across several chapters of their journey exploring themes of displacement and forced journeys of past and present.
‘Drawing for Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (Still Life: Her Sleep Was Everything)’, is a new unique piece that enters into dialogue with Kentridge’s film series which debuted during the Venice Biennale in spring 2024 and is now streaming on MUBI. ‘Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot’ is an invitation into the artist’s studio, offering a glimpse into the key processes and methods that define it.
William Kentridge
Drawing for Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (Still Life: Her Sleep Was Everything), 2024
Charcoal and coloured pencil on paper
Work: 160 x 230 cm (63 x 90.6 in.)
Unique
William Kentridge
Four Songs for Autumn (Silent, Rapid, Almost Self-Acting), 2024
Lithograph, Collage and Chine Collé of pages from The Illustrated London News, Sept. 2, 1876, printed on Somerset book and attached to Somerset Satin, 300 gsm paper
Image: 40.2 x 28.9 cm (15.8 x 11.4 in.)
Work: 50.8 x 38.2 cm (20 x 15 in.)
STD 16/30
William Kentridge
Four Songs for Autumn (il Capo Canaco), 2024
Lithograph, Collage and Chine Collé of pages from L'Esposizione di Parigi del 1878 Illustrata printed on Kitakata and Somerset book and attached to Somerset Satin, 300 gsm paper
Image: 37.7 x 37.7 cm (14.8 x 14.8 in.)
Work: 50.8 x 47 cm (20 x 18.5 in.)
STD 16/30
William Kentridge
Four Songs for Autumn (Questa Importante Modificazione), 2024
Lithograph, Collage and Chine Collé of pages from L'Esposizione di Parigi del 1878 Illustrata printed on Kitakata and Somerset book paper and attached to Somerset Satin,300 gsm paper
Image: 42 x 29.7 cm (16.5 x 11.7 in.)
Work: 50.8 x 38.2 cm (20 x 15 in.)
STD 16/30
William Kentridge
There Is So Little Wind, 2024
Paint, Indian ink, charcoal and collage on canvas
Work: 159.5 x 178 cm (62.8 x 70.1 in.)
Unique
William Kentridge
Duo: Eudrydice & Orpheus, 2024
Bronze
Work: 21.2 x 18 x 11.5 cm (8.3 x 7.1 x 4.5 in.)
Work: 22 x 15.6 x 10 cm (8.7 x 6.1 x 3.9 in.)
Edition of 10
William Kentridge (b.1955, South Africa) is known for his drawings, films, theatre and opera productions. Kentridge’s largest survey exhibition, first seen at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2022, traveled to Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 2024. Recently in Venice, Kentridge premiered a new nine-episode video series ‘Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot’ - a site-specific installation curated by long-time collaborator and curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev at the Arsenale Institute for Politics of Representation. The films are now available to stream on MUBI. 2024 also saw the artist premiere the theatrical production ‘The Great Yes, The Great No’ at LUMA Arles in July alongside a substantial solo exhibition.
Kentridge’s work has been seen in solo exhibitions in museums across the globe since the 1990s, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musée du Louvre, Paris; Reina Sofia, Madrid; the Kunstmuseum Basel; and MUDAM Luxembourg. The artist has also participated in biennials including Documenta in Kassel (2012, 2002,1997) and the Venice Biennale (2015, 2013, 2005, 1999, 1993).
Collections include: MoMA, New York; Guggenheim, New York; MFA Houston; Tate, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; and Zeitz MoCAA, Cape Town.