For the solo exhibition Things appear and disappear Johan Thom presents a new series of artworks, including a three-channel video installation titled Autportrait (2022/3), a number of process-based drawings and a performative, sculptural installation, Time after time (2023) .

The central sculptural installation, Time after time (2023) features a brick and a bronze replica of a human skull mechanically automated to swing through the gallery space in a circular motion. The two objects fill the room as they float through the air, nearly colliding as they pass each other. This formal conceit sets in motion a series of conceptual associations with the passing of time, progress and the ever-present reality of violence and death in South Africa. The countless memories of loss, violence and trauma historically written into human bodies become a dormant repository of energy that may yet be unleashed upon the world. Throughout the exhibition, Thom will enter the the sculptural installation as part of a series of live performances or ‘lesser miracles’.

Walkabout video: https://youtu.be/aiNMP3Bk-Is?si=Yts3m9xhKBzckVUY

Photographic Credits: Alet Pretorius: Performance photographs, Space & Installation photographs: Kalashnikovv Gallery and Johan Thom