Spier Presents Tamlin Blake At The 2012 Joburg Art Fair
Spier in association with the FNB Joburg Art Fair is pleased to present an exhibition from the Spier Collection by Tamlin Blake. In this exhibition Blake shows her latest body of work – a series of tapestries woven from recycled, handspun newspaper. A new Spier publication ‘Tamlin Blake’ will be available for purchase.
Created by Blake over an extended and labour-intensive period of time, the collection of tapestry artworks are created from sheets of newspaper that are transformed into “…coloured ‘yarns’ by dying the paper, cutting it into narrow strips, joining the strips and spinning them on a homemade drop spindle to create a relatively strong, textured thread.”*
Mirroring this intricate process, Blake’s works explore concepts concerning the many ways in which our lives are shaped by the stories of others. Blake explains her practice, ‘I am interested in working, visually and conceptually, with how stories weave themselves around us, influencing what we do and how we think. Without us being aware, the news,gossip and other peoples’ successes and tragedies form the background fabric of our everyday lives. These stories filter through to us, affect our thinking and form the backbone of our society.
‘Tapestry itself is traditionally a form of story telling. Like the newspaper they are printed on, these used and discarded tales have been reinvented and recycled, woven back and forth in an intricate pattern to form images, which then in turn create a new contemporary narrative.’
This special project offers fair visitors the opportunity to a view Spier’s latest art acquisition, while the many venues at the wine estate in Stellenbosch continue to exhibitart from the estate’s permanent collection.
Jackie McInnes 2011 (author of the ‘Tamlin Blake’ publication).
For further press information and interview opportunities please contact:
Lucy Rayner
Jeanetta Blignaut Art Consultancy Art Director
lucy@jeanettablignaut.com
+27 21 461 2679
Biography of Tamlin Blake: Tamlin Blake works as a fine artist and is based in Riebeek West near Cape Town, South Africa. She is interested in concepts of belonging and alienation, from indigenous versus alien vegetation, to cultural identity and acceptance on a human level. In an ongoing pursuit to annul the accepted boundaries that exist between illustration, craft and art, Blake’s work often engages marginalised art mediums and techniques. Blake majored in sculpture during her undergraduate studies, and then specialised in botanical art and received both her Honours (1999) and Masters Degree (2001) from the University of Stellenbosch.
Exhibition and ‘Tamlin Blake’ Publication curated and produced by the Jeanetta Blignaut Art Consultancy