Kendell Geers

KENDELL GEERS (South Africa, 1968).
"Mutus Liber," 2016.
Indian ink and gesso.
Measurements: 50 x 15 x 15 cm.

This sculpture is inspired by an African fetish, which Kendell Geers imbues with notorious political charge by combining white primer and dripping in black ink, alluding to the silent tears that have been shed for decades in Africa, due to the suffering of the natives caused by colonial practices in the different countries of the continent, but above all, referring to apartheid in South Africa, the author's country of origin. In aesthetics and concept, in Geers' work African animist practices merge with European avant-garde traditions. The titles of his sculptures belonging to the series "Mutus Liber", which means "Dumb Book", are sufficiently explicit. Kendell Geers describes himself as an "AniMystikAKtivist", weaving together diverse Afro-European traditions, spirituality, activism and mysticism.

Geers was born in Germiston (South Africa) and currently lives and works in Brussels. At the age of fifteen he ran away from home to join the anti-apartheid movement, eventually fleeing the country for London and then New York. At the 1993 Venice Biennale she officially changed her date of birth to May 1968, a momentous year in world history for political protest and equality. This act represented Geers' rejection of the cultural heritage that had shaped her upbringing and her rebirth as an artist and activist. Geers' paintings, sculptures and interventions, spanning a wide range of media, employ wordplay and densely layered motifs to expose ideological structures. Using diverse references-from art history, linguistics, poetry, protest, and play-his works question artistic value and mock notions of originality. His work reveals a sharp humor, combining the raw energy of punk with the spiritual philosophy of poets such as Arthur Rimbaud, William Blake and William S. Burroughs. Art can "change the world, perception by perception." Geers exhibited at the 2022 Setouchi Triennale and the 2021 Bruges and Kortrijk Triennales in Belgium. Love, By Any Means Necessary," the artist's sixth solo exhibition at Stephen Friedman Gallery, opened in February 2020. A major retrospective of his work curated by Okwui Enwezor was held at the Haus der Kunst in Munich in 2013. He participated in Documenta 14 in 2017 and Documenta 11 in 2002 in Kassel, Germany. Geers' work was included in the Venice Biennale in 2019, 2007 and 1993. Some works in public collections: "Brick" 1988, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa "T.W. (I.N.R.I.)" 1994, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. "Tears for Eros" 1999, Art Institute of Chicago, USA "T.W. (Scream)" 1999, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent, "Akropolis Redux (The Directors Cut)" 2004, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece . "Monument to the Unknown Anarchist" 2007, BPS22 Collection, Charleroi, Belgium. "Mutus Liber 953" 2014, Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp, Belgium.