UNDYING FACES
KZNSA Art Gallery
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This solo exhibition by Michelle Stewart comprises postmortem portraits of unclaimed deceased from the Forensic Pathology Services (Johannesburg), executed in several mediums: including an oil paint-on-glass animation, a series of 3D digital models shown virtually and printed in resin, and a series of 2D oil paint-on-glass digital prints. The exhibition aims, on the one hand, to present a final portrait of an anonymous individual, and to leave an indelible trace of their existence. On the other hand, it aims to acknowledge the commemorative and transcendental roles of the traditions of the final portrait. While the portrayal of the dead is inevitably contentious, artists have long been working in this field of representing one of the very few constants we can understand as being a condition of life.
Acknowledgement: The source photographs used as reference for these artworks were taken by and are copyrighted to forensic photographer Tracey Reindorp.
Peter Stewart - sound composition for the animation, Undying Faces
Limo Velapi - 3D rendering and movement for Death Mask 1,2 and 3.
Opening Night Speaker: Angela Shaw (KZNSA Executive Director)