Tara Deacon | Salon Ninety One Contemporary Art Collection

THE ISLAND

15.01 - 12.02.2022

Group Exhibition

Exhibiting Artists:

Chloe Townsend
Joh Del
Kirsten Beets
Lucy Stuart-Clark
Tara Deacon

Salon Ninety One is pleased to present The Island; a group exhibition featuring Chloe Townsend, Joh Del, Lucy Stuart-Clark, and Tara Deacon. The exhibition will open on the 15th of January and conclude on the 12th of February 2022.

The concept of an island is one that has fascinated and captivated our collective imaginations. From deserted sandbars to large land masses teaming with life, islands are so enticing because of their capacity for endless possibility. An island is defined by its isolation; however, islands are not alone in the expanse of the sea. Under the waves, each island is connected, and their birth is a triumph of destructive creation.

Each island holds the opportunity for nature to experiment almost without limitation; birds of paradise with feathers and beaks of all colours and shapes, schools of tropical fish in unexpected hues and patterns, impossibly ancient turtles and tortoises, menacing coconut crabs, the strange architecture of shells, coral gardens below and lush jungles above, reef shark nurseries and cleaning stations for manta rays, treasures shaped by nature or lost at sea, stinging jellyfish glowing gently in the dark, gigantic spotted whale sharks with gaping mouths, improbable fauna which can be both beautiful and deadly, and endless shades of blue. Untouched and self-contained, the island can explode into a riot of fantastical life in almost alien forms that the boundaries of the real and impossible seems to shimmer and almost disappear.

What does that sliver of land out on the horizon hold? That question has inspired myths and folklore, influenced humans to leave the safety of the shore on a voyage of discovery, and caused us to reflect on the very nature of our humanity and our relationship with the natural world. The allure of an exotic, near-utopian escape which is physically separated from our daily lives by an ocean is especially potent after the long months of lockdowns and travel restrictions. Even the idea of white sandy beaches, pristine turquoise water, ripe and juicy tropical fruit, coconuts, and palm trees swaying in the breeze seems like a fantasy now.

The notion of an island creates a setting where our societal structures are stripped away, and our more primal nature is laid bare. Their fragile and wonderous beauty captivates our imagination and exemplifies the power of the natural world. Our human curiosity cannot help but be enchanted by an unknown island’s promise. However, the nature of their very existence leads us to make landfall cautiously; for the beguiling beauty of the island can ensnare and bewitch those who dare to wash ashore.

If you would like to sign up to receive the catalogue or book a viewing slot, please click on the respective buttons below. Please note that the catalogue will only be released on the evening before the opening.

WHEN IT’S HOT OUT AND YOU WANNA HAVE A GOOD TIME

16.01 - 20.02.2021

GROUP EXHIBITION

Salon Ninety One is thrilled to present its first show of 2021, When it’s hot out and you wanna have a good time.

This all female-collection is inspired by the heat and freedom of long, colourful summer days, balmy evenings, and the strange summer we now find ourselves in; a summer which has seen restrictions on festivities, curfews, and the closure of many of South Africa’s beaches.

When temperatures soar above 29 degrees, we become lethargic about our responsibilities and the allure of leisure becomes almost too much to bear; sitting on the beach, surfing, sunbathing, a friendly game of tennis, going to pool-parties, sun-downers, the welcome gust of air-conditioner as you walk into cool museums or galleries in foreign cities, outings with friends, the tang of salt on your skin after a swim in the ocean, and other activities which seem so much more vibrant in the heat of summer. This colourful, quirky, and playful exhibition is a wistful yearning for a long, hot, normal, summer – where a good time can be had at any moment.

When it’s hot out and you wanna have a good time features the very latest works by Berry Meyer, Emma Nourse, Lené Ehlers, Jessica Bosworth Smith, Marolize Southwood, and Tara Deacon. Berry Meyer constructs detailed, and delicate collage works, which combine disparate and discarded paper artefacts to develop thoughtful and arresting narratives on time, nostalgia, race, sexuality, and popular culture. Emma Nourse works with thick oils applied to paper and canvas to render flower arrangements and still lifes which seem to melt and reconstitute over and over again on the picture plane. Lené Ehlers creates intricate abstract and wild botanical shapes in paint, collage and mixed media to explore themes of journey and self-rediscovery. Through the depiction of highly patterned and detailed scenes in bright, flat, colour, Jessica Bosworth Smith expresses her desire to capture fantastical inner worlds which pay homage to her new-found sense of place. Marolize Southwood’s work demonstrates her deep fascination with the human condition and our proclivity to construct our own reality using bold, joyful, and textured brushwork. And Tara Deacon’s playful and bright paintings explore the often-overlooked moments of daily life, where her love of solid colour and simplified shapes give expression to the beauty in the mundane.

ARTWORKS

BERRY MEYER

EMMA NOURSE

JESSICA BOSWORTH SMITH

LENÉ EHLERS

MAROLIZE SOUTHWOOD

TARA DEACON

A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER

08.08 - 05.09.2020

A Hazy Shade of Winter is a salon-style group show including works by represented, associated, and exciting new artists. Exhibiting Artists include Adele Van Heerden, Alexia Vogel, Amber Moir, Andrew Sutherland, Black Koki, Elléna Lourens, Keya Tama, Ello Xray Eyez, Emma Nourse, Gabrielle Raaff, Heidi Fourie, Jade Klara, Jeanne Hoffman, Jessica Bosworth Smith, Joh Del, Katrin Coetzer, Katrine Claassens, Keneilwe Mothoa, Kirsten Beets, Kirsten Sims, Laurinda Belcher, Lené Ehlers, Lili Probart, Linsey Levendall, Mareli Esterhuizen, Marolize Southwood, Matthew Prins, Mona Haumann, Natasha Norman, Nicole Clare Fraser, Nina Torr, Paul Senyol, Sarah Pratt, Tara Deacon, and Zarah Cassim.

The group exhibition inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name, seeks to explore subject matters, palettes, and imagery which capture and express the varied emotions, colours, memories, and atmosphere, which this season brings. For some artists, winter evokes icy vistas, cool palettes of blues and whites, and the change to colder and shorter days. For others, the changing season elicits a longing for warmer times, the comfort of staying indoors close to the fire, the use of warm and jewel tones, and the desire to capture nature in full bloom.

Winter provides a milestone for the passage of time through the year. For many, 2020 has felt somewhat surreal; time has moved on and the seasons have changed and yet there is a feeling that normal life was a lifetime ago.

Throughout the collection, the viewer is invited to contemplate the artists’ relationship with the season of winter and how something as simple as a change in weather can have a profound impact on the kinds of work they produce.

ARTWORKS:

ADELE VAN HEERDEN

ALEXIA VOGEL

AMBER MOIR

ANDREW SUTHERLAND

BLACK KOKI

ELLÉNA LOURENS | KEYA TAMA

ELLO XRAY EYEZ

EMMA NOURSE

GABRIELLE RAAFF

HEIDI FOURIE

JADE KLARA

JEANNE HOFFMAN

JESSICA BOSWORTH SMITH

JOH DEL

KATRIN COETZER

KATRINE CLAASSENS

KENEILWE MOTHOA

KIRSTEN BEETS

KIRSTEN SIMS

LAURINDA BELCHER

LENÉ EHLERS

LILI PROBART

LINSEY LEVENDALL

MARELI ESTERHUIZEN

MAROLIZE SOUTHWOOD

MATTHEW PRINS

MONA HAUMANN

NATASHA NORMAN

NICOLE CLARE FRASER

NINA TORR

PAUL SENYOL

SARAH PRATT

TARA DEACON

ZARAH CASSIM

THINGS BEHIND THE SUN

20.05 - 27.06.2020

Group Exhibition

Things Behind the Sun is a group exhibition featuring the latest works of Bruce Mackay, Jean de Wet, Kirsten Beets, Maaike Bakker, Nina Torr and Tara Deacon.

This exhibition, inspired by the lyrics of Nick Drake’s song of the same name, is a playful exploration of vivacious colours, decisive lines, and undaunted expression. Things Behind the Sun as a collection of artworks, is a foil to the uncertain times the artists, and the entire world, find themselves in. Each artist, in their body of work, seeks to explore the familiar and the comforting. This group of artists has endeavoured to embrace their signature visual language and find outlets for expression during the strangeness of the current global crisis.

In Bruce Mackay’s work, the artist explores the role of boundaries as demarcations of either safety or restriction through the use of crisp lines and the depiction of cairns and other boundary markers. Jean de Wet’s works look to reflect the strangeness of our reality in works which are fantastical and, yet, familiar. In her work, Kirsten Beets seeks to express the dream-like qualities of the sun which softly illuminates scenes of longing and solitude. Maaike Bakker’s works traverse the razor edge between that which can be controlled, and that which cannot. In her work, Nina Torr looks to the cryptic world of alchemy to express a sense of mysticism. And, Tara Deacon creates seemingly familiar domestic scenes which unsettle as they intrigue.

ARTWORKS:

BRUCE MACKAY

JEAN DE WET

KIRSTEN BEETS

MAAIKE BAKKER

NINA TORR

TARA DEACON

WILDFLOWERS

07.12.2019 - 18.01.2020

Year-end group salon in aid of Ilitha Labantu, celebrating the diversity, beauty and resilience of women.

Opening Saturday 07 December 2019 at 11am.
Concludes 18 January 2020 at 2pm.

Exhibiting Artists:

Adele Van Heerden
Alexia Vogel
Amber Moir
Andrew Sutherland
Berry Meyer
Black Koki
Bruce Mackay
Chloe Townsend
Craig Smith
Emma Nourse
Gitte Moller
Heidi Fourie
Jade Klara
Jean de Wet
Jeanne Hoffman
Jessica Bosworth Smith
Joh Del
Katrin Coetzer
Katrine Claassens
Kirsten Beets
Kirsten Sims
Lara Feldman
Lara Meintjes
Laurinda Belcher
Lili Probart
Maaike Bakker
Mareli Esterhuizen
Marolize Southwood
Mona Haumann
Nicole Clare Fraser
Patricia Fraser
Paul Senyol
Sarah Biggs
Tara Deacon
Zarah Cassim

Since our gallery was established in 2008, we’ve maintained the tradition of hosting our annual December show, held in aid of a local charity, whereby 10% of all artwork sales have been donated to our chosen cause. This year we’ve decided to support Ilitha Labantu, an organisation which was started in Gugulethu, Cape Town, during February 1989. At that time it was the only organisation in any township of Cape Town providing emotional support, practical advice and education around the serious issue of violence against women.

Visit their website for more information.

PREVIEW:

REGARDING WINTER

12.06 -13.07.2019

A mid-year group show

We are delighted to be sharing works by our regular Salon Ninety One favourites, extremely talented associated artists, as well as some exciting new signatures. Participating artists include: Alexia Vogel, Amber Moir, Andrew Sutherland, Chloe Townsend, Gabrielle Raaff, Heidi Fourie, Jade Klara, Katrin Coetzer, Katrine Claassens, Kirsten Beets, Kirsten Sims, Lara Meintjes, Laurinda Belcher, Linsey Levendall, Mareli Esterhuizen, Michael Amery, Natasha Norman, Nicole Clare Fraser, Paul Marais, Paul Senyol, Rico, Sarah Biggs, and Tara Deacon.

ARTWORKS:

ALEXIA VOGEL

AMBER MOIR

ANDREW SUTHERLAND

CHLOE TOWNSEND

GABRIELLE RAAFF

HEIDI FOURIE

JADE KLARA

KATRIN COETZER

KATRINE CLAASSENS

KIRSTEN BEETS

KIRSTEN SIMS

LARA MEINTJES

LAURINDA BELCHER

LINSEY LEVENDALL

MARELI ESTERHUIZEN

MICHAEL AMERY

NATASHA NORMAN

NICOLE FRASER

PAUL MARAIS

PAUL SENYOL

RICO

SARAH BIGGS

TARA DEACON

FOLKLORE

01.12.18 – 16.01.2019

SALON NINETY ONE End-of-year salon-style group show in aid of True North

Accessible, affordable artwork across a broad range of mediums by some of Salon Ninety One’s favourite emerging and established creatives. This year our Gallery and Exhibiting Artists will be donating ten percent of all artwork sales to the True North Organisation. Spoil yourself or a loved one with that special one-of-a-kind artwork and make a difference to the life of someone much younger and less fortunate. True North is a non-profit organisation that is pioneering Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives within marginalised communities.The historical lack of adequate provisioning of basic services to poor communities manifests itself within all spheres of society, ultimately resulting in a vast loss of human potential. The long-term ripple effects of inequality includes increased rates of unemployment, disease, substance abuse and the fragmentation of family units, and unfortunately young children are the most at risk. An incredible developmental window of opportunity exists within these early years, and it rapidly diminishes with age. This potential for growth into a “whole” person is not limited to academic development, but encompasses every part of the child’s world. As we celebrate ten wonderful years of Salon Ninety One, we recognise the light, love and hard work that has gone into building the True North organisation since 2007. Join Salon91 and our generous young artists this festive season in our quest to give the Vrygrond community and the youth of our country a brighter future.

For more information about the True North Organisation, please visit their website.
For any enquiries pertaining to the exhibition, please contact the gallery on 021-424-6930 or email enquiries@salon91.co.za

ARTWORKS:

ADELE VAN HEERDEN

AMBER MOIR

ANDREW SUTHERLAND

BERRY MEYER

BLACK KOKI

BRUCE MACKAY

CATHERINE HOLTZHAUSEN

CATHY LAYZELL

CHLOE TOWNSEND

CORA WASSERMANN

DONNA SOLOVEI