Reception and performance in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach: December 5, 7-10pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
Extended gallery hours for Art Basel Miami Beach: December 2 - 7, 9am-5pm
Locust Projects is pleased to present Intethe (Sketch for an Opera), South African sculptor Nicholas Hlobo’s first major project in Miami. Hlobo is known for creating theatrical environments and sprawling organic sculptures made of materials such as leather and rubber, intricately stitched with ribbon and lace. This installation will incorporate the large-scale sculptures into a multifaceted performance space and video installation. For the first time, he will collaborate with Miami-based Haitian band Papaloko and Loray Mistik on a sketch for an opera entitled Intethe (“Locust” in the Xhosa language), exploring notions of shared identity throughout the global African diaspora.
Through his work, Hlobo expresses an interest in the commingling of cultural dichotomies: traditional vs. colonial, rural vs. urban, child vs. adult, straight vs. queer, which are stitched together to form unexpected new tapestries. The performance will explore cultural and spiritual hybridity to which the Haitian musicians’ identities add a new layer. The experimental opera will be set amongst the installa-tion, and part of the gallery will function as a dressing room for the performers, whose costumes will remain in the space when they are not present. The live performance will be presented twice during the exhibition and the original score, written collaboratively by the artist and musicians, will be incor-porated into the installation.
ABOUT NICHOLAS HLOBO
Hlobo was born in Cape Town in 1975, and lives in Johannesburg. He has a B Tech degree from the Wits Technikon, Johannesburg (2002). Solo exhibitions have taken place at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (2011); in the Level 2 Gallery at Tate Modern, London (2008), and at the Boston ICA as part of the Momentum series (2008), among other institutions. In 2011 he showed newly commissioned work on ILLUMInations, the 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale; his work also appeared in Venice on The World Belongs to You, works from the Pinault Collection at the Palazzo Grassi, and the Future Generation Art Prize exhibition at the Palazzo Papa-dopoli. Other notable group exhibitions include Touched, the Liverpool Biennial (2010); the third Guangzhou Triennial, China (2008); and Flow at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2008). He was the Tollman Award winner for 2006, the Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art 2009, and the Rolex Visual Arts Protégé for 2010/11, working with Anish Kapoor as his mentor. Hlobo was awarded the Tollman Award for Visual Art (2006) and has held residencies in Amsterdam and New York. Intethe (Sketch for an Opera) is Nicholas Hlobo’s first exhibition in Miami.
ABOUT PAPALOKO AND LOURAY MYSTIK
Led by Jude Thegenus, this ten-piece band mixes traditional vodou rhythms with West African percussion, rock and roll, blues, and hip-hop. With Loray Mistik (Mystic Thunder), Papaloko released Ti Moun Yo in 1998, a collection of politically inflected tunes addressing issues ranging from the plight of children in Haiti to police brutality against black men in the United States. Considered “the hardest-working band in the Haitian roots business,” Loray Mistik plays festivals throughout the Caribbean.
Special thanks: Private Collection, London; Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town.
ABOUT LOCUST PROJECTS
2013 marks the 15th anniversary of Locust Projects, a not-for-profit exhibition space founded by three Miami artists in order to provide contemporary visual artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas and methods without the limitations of conventional exhibition spaces. Artists are encouraged to create site-specific installations as an extension of their representative work, and Locust Projects offers them a vibrant Miami experience to develop their ideas. Locust Projects is committed to offering an approachable and inviting venue for the Miami and international art community to experience the work and meet the artists.
Locust Projects’ exhibitions and programming are made possible with the support from: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Cowles Charitable Trust; Cultural Advancement Program; Florida Department of State; Foundation for Contemporary Arts; Funding Arts Network; Galt & Skye Mikesell; Hannibal Cox Jr. Foundation; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor, and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners; Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority; Youth Enrichment Program.
- Tags: NICHOLAS HLOBO INTETHE Locust Projects Miami Art Basel Miami Beach South African_sculptor Haitian band_Papaloko Louray Mistik Cape Town Johannesburg Wits Technikon National Museum of Art_Oslo Gallery at Tate Modern_London Boston ICA 54th International Art Exhibition_Venice Biennale Pinault Collection_Palazzo Grassi Palazzo Papa-dopoli Liverpool Biennial Guangzhou Triennial_China Studio Museum_Harlem Tollman Award_2006 Visual Art 2009 Rolex Visual Arts Protégé Anish Kapoor Tollman Award_Visual Art Amsterdam New York Private Collection_London Stevenson Gallery_Cape Town Jude Thegenus West African percussion Mystic Thunder Ti Moun Yo Haiti United States Haitian_roots_business
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