on view from 24/09/2019 – 07/10/2019
Hyde Park Corner, Centre Court, Johannesburg
“The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told. It is the identity of the story that makes the identity of the character.”– Paul Ricoeur, Time and Narrative.
The way in which we experience the concept of time can be deconstructed in two types of successions: linear and cyclical. Experiencing the linear progression from birth to death, like the flow of a river…, and cyclical in the every day. What has been, what is, and what will be… Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
Abé portrays this concept of time through his art by seeing each canvas as a frozen moment in the tale of our everyday lives. The paintings express a particular moment, a moment where time is paused and the narrative is conveyed through playful and fantastical images. Each piece tells a different story in the moment (now) about a tale (past) then leaving the observer to compose the ending (future). This forms the perfect play of how we as humans experience the linear and cyclical passing of time.
Each piece of art gives narrative identity to the various characters portrayed. Within this exhibition are colourful three dimensional shapes that offer a greater tactile experience of his characteristically thickly textured canvases. Linking into the broad concept of ‘time’ Abé’s art speaks visually of his wishes, dreams and memory.
