Sanell Aggenbach

30 April - 31 May 2008

Sanell Aggenbach’s work deals primarily with the intricate intersection of history and private narratives, by considering the process of recall and interpretation. For the past two years her focus has mainly been on found images of formal portraiture and ghostly archived negatives. In this new body of work she investigates translucent film as a medium for recounting half-truths by referencing tampered photographic film, intimate portraiture and the ever-eluding grasp of sensation.

Instead of focusing on the ‘accurate’ form of photography, as a mimetic form of representation, Aggenbach prefers to contemplate paintings’ inaccurate and misleading record of reality. The tactical function of intimate photography as sensual trigger, as opposed to pragmatic rendering, becomes paramount. The paintings which form part of Sub Rosa are not depictions of individuals, but rather images of images. Distortion becomes an essential part of the process where the muffled identity of the sitter dilutes into abstraction.

This is Sanell's first solo exhibition in Cape Town since the critically acclaimed Fool's Gold in 2005. Her explorative work has secured her many achievements; the winner of the 2003 ABSA L’Atelier, selected for the 3rd Brett Kebble Award 2005 and more recently as a finalist of the Spier Contemporary Art Awards 2007. Sanell participated in Turbulence: Art From South Africa in Austria in 2007. Her work forms part of numerous public collections: Absa Collection, Spier Collection, Anglo Gold South Africa, Hollard Collection, Sasol Collection, Didata, SABC, and the Red Bull Collection, Salzburg, Austria.

Opening reception: Wednesday 31 April at 6pm

To view work on exhibition, please click here

listing of past exhibitions with links to details & images