Glen Baldridge (in grey cap)

The mood was joyous last Friday at David Krut Fine Art in NYC, as artists, art lovers, and law students (who had been present at the New York City Bar for the launch of the new book Art and Justice from David Krut Publishing) gathered for the opening of “With Hidden Noise”. The show, organized and curated by Phil Sanders, and inspired by the Marcel Duchamp work of the same name, drew an enthusiastic crowd. Featured artists Alex Dodge, Glen Baldridge, Joseph Hart, and Tatiana Simonova were in attendance among an eclectic mix of quests that included noted sculptor Chakaia Booker.

By turns sly, dark, perverse, and wistful, the show includes silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut prints, unique collages, original drawings, and multi-media sculpture. Although not able to attend, Jason Jägel’s gouache-and-pencil works drew plenty of attention with their splashes of color and cartoon-like figures. Alex Dodge’s wickedly tinkering skeletons, rendered in layers of oil wash on canvas-stretched silkscreen linework, generated much commentary, as did Glen Baldridge’s glittery print with “The End’s Not Near, It’s Here” written out in bullet holes. Quieter, but just as absorbing were Joseph Hart’s tactile collages in intaglio, gouache, and gold leaf. Tatiana Simonova’s delicate puffs of graphite on a vast sheet of paper had viewers spellbound. Not least were the works of Phil Sanders, the most prominent of which were two sculptures, one a small box, and the other a boat emerging from the gallery wall. Made of burnt wood, porcelain coins, and sand, Insurance and Liminal Point chronicle the journey of life from the white coins given in trust at birth, to the spent coins given to Charon, the boatman, to ferry a soul to its final rest.

(L to R) Phil Sanders, Chakaia Booker, and Bronwyn Law-Viljoen

Smiling and surrounded by well-wishers, Sanders related the origins of the show’s name and theme. “With Hidden Noise” is taken from the name of a famed 1916 readymade collaboration between Marcel Duchamp and friend Walter Arensberg. Duchamp presented Arensberg with a ball of twine clamped between two steel plates and asked that he place an object in the coil and tighten the screws without revealing whether the choice was a coin, a nail, or a diamond earring. Duchamp himself never knew what Arensberg had placed in the twine, a secret that has been passed from curator to curator, and continues to mystify everyone who handles the object with a hidden noise.

Citing the collaborative aspect of the original With Hidden Noise, Sanders described the process that led to the show as “democratic”, saying that, in lieu of commissioning or gathering work with a specific idea in mind, the theme was developed through a series of e-mails between the participants about the common ground they shared. Though the many of the works were not prints, Sanders felt that all of the artists had utilized the combination of technique and exploration essential to a printmaker’s approach.  The importance of Duchamp’s With Hidden Noise, he said, lay in an appreciation of the work “without having to understand exactly what the work is”. Without a doubt, this essential part of the Dada spirit is alive and well in this exciting group of fresh and established voices.

Tatiana Simonova (at L)

“With Hidden Noise” will be showing at David Krut Fine Art, located at 526 W26th St #816, through April 4, 2009. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 00-18 00, by walk-in or appointment.

The year started off with a very successful collaboration with the Joburg Artbank and a solo exhibition Sleep Depot by Andrzej Nowicki.  The Joburg Artbank project was the second one we have collaborated on and is a lovely exchange of ideas, techniques and introduction of new artists to the studio.  Andrzej Nowicki’s solo exhibition featured his first body of printed work that left no doubt there will be more from this talented artist.

Next were two “firsts” for the workshop; our first DKW Editions exhibition in our gallery and the Joburg Art Fair.  DKW Editions featured new works coming out of the studio from the end of 2007 and early 2008 by Colbert Mashile, Diane Victor, David Koloane and Deborah Bell (all of whom we have continued working with throughout the year).  The Joburg Art Fair was an exciting experience for us and a great way for us to show new and archived work from the studio and to gain a larger audience.

Bronwen Findlay arrived for a week in May to produce a series of works that involved pressing flowers (Irises) through the press.  Brush stroke and colourful layering produced beautifully rich images on paper that contributed to her large canvas works for a rich and vibrant exhibition.

I was then off to London to work with Deborah Bell at 107 Workshop in Bath with master printer Jack Shirreff. Jack has been working with David Krut for over fifteen years and it was an absolute pleasure working with him. Working with Jack means working very large scale and this visit was no exception.  We created two new works with Deborah, the largest at 1.6 x 1 meter.  Handpainting and colourful washes bring the beauty of Deborah’s drypoint to the surface.  We are looking forward to introducing the work at Deborah’s show at Goodman Gallery Cape in early January and highlighting others from the series throughout the year.

Canada and a visit home were next for me, while back in Johannnesburg Niall Bingham and Mlungisi Khongisa were editioning all the new work from the year’s activities.

Upon my return in July, we had the opportunity to work with master printer Phil Sanders from the Robert Blackburn Workshop in New York.  Phil was here to work with a number of artists, to further our knowledge of multiple plate printing and to re-establish our steel-facing tank. All of this and more was accomplished in his visit.  To say the least, his time in the studio was very inspiring and it opened up a whole new world of colour combination and techniques to us.  We are looking forward to seeing him again in 2009.

Wilma Cruise’s solo exhibition Split: NY LON JHB opened in our gallery at the time of Phil’s visit, featuring work Wilma and I began in 2007 when we went to New York to collaborate with printmakers from the Lower East Side Printshop.  The show was a wonderful exploration of ideas, techniques and mark-making through silkscreen, monotype (both water-based and oil based) as well as multiple-plate etchings.

A large body of this year’s work in the studio has been featured in solo and group shows in our gallery.  The workshop and the three printers, myself, Niall and Lungi, have been challenged and inspired by the projects. The last few months are no exception.  Ryan Arenson’s Book of Ruth was a solo exhibition that was dedicated almost entirely to print.  The time that Ryan devoted to the medium and to perfecting it made the project a wonderful one to work on and the show a great success.

Next was Bruce Backhouse’s Mirror (currently on show in the gallery) which highlights a new medium for us in the studio and for the artist, that of watercolour monotypes.  Bruce’s ability to work with watercolour and Lungi’s sensitivity to printing these difficult monotypes produce a subtle yet intriguing body of work.

This month I am please to announce the release of a long-awaited series of work in collaboration with William Kentridge.  On view at Goodman Gallery Cape for his exhibition I am not me, the horse is not mine, will be a series of thirteen new etchings that develop ideas for the artist’s upcoming opera The Nose and a series we began in December 2006.  The project is ongoing and we are looking forward to developing it further next year.

The other highlights of the year were creating a book edition with Austrian artist Friedrich Danielis; having Trasi Henen in the studio again working on monotypes; David Koloane’s regular visits; Pat Mautloa’s recent visit and the start of Sean Slemon’s new carborundum project.

Many thanks to everyone we have worked with and who has supported us throughout the year.  Many personal thanks to Niall Bingham and Mlungisi Khongisa for another great year. Without their hard work we wouldn’t be where we are.

And finally, I am happy to announce that DKW will be opening a new workshop in the Johannesburg CBD, at the development Arts on Main in early 2009.  It will be a very exciting new venture for us and we are looking forward to all the possibilities.

Thank you for a very inspiring year and we wish you a very happy festive season.

Jillian Ross
Workshop Manager

David Krut Projects is pleased to host an exhibition of watercolour monotypes – created in the David Krut Print Workshop (DKW) with longtime DKW collaborator and esteemed artist, Bruce Backhouse. The show, titled MIRROR, runs from Saturday, November 15, into the new year. We look forward to seeing you there.

Colbert Mashile at DKW (1)

Colbert Mashile at DKW (2)

Colbert Mashile at DKW (3)

Note the fluid texture of the watercolours, unaffected by the grain of the paper.

Colbert Mashile at DKW (1)

Colbert Mashile at DKW (2)

Colbert Mashile at DKW (1)

Mashile drew his image onto the copper plate before working into the metal with a dremel tool and other drypoint tools to create a variety of line strength and tone.

(Deborah Bell at DKW – August (1))