Dan Halter is one of the artists in the groupshow
Broken English
18 Sep — 28 Oct 2015 at Tyburn Gallery in London, United Kingdom
Carpetbaggers, 2015.
About:
Sculptural works in the exhibition explore social, political and economic concerns in the post-colonial era. Zimbabwe born, Dan Halter’s work explores ideas of a homeland and the myths and according to him, ‘fabrications’ that exist in search of it. He employs the language of craft using materials ubiquitous to South Africa and Zimbabwe, such as hand woven fabric to investigate issues of dislocated national identities. (text website gallery Tyburn)
Given Another Chance, 2014.
Statement 1
Over time there has been a shift in my work from dealing more specifically with issues pertaining to Zimbabwe, to a broader context of migration, and the legacy of migration, around the world. This has coincided with my family leaving Zimbabwe in a form of self-imposed exile not long after being attacked there.
The Past is a Foreign Country, 2015.
Statement 2
I think the issues facing Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean migrants are not just relevant to Africa, but touch on global concerns. The focus of my work is expanding to encompass more of the world as I grapple to understand it. Perhaps like zooming out with a camera lens to get an overview. Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot at one extreme, which I refer to in one of my works, suggests an image of the earth seen from the edge of our solar system, 6 billion kilometres away.
The ease of the Hippo, 2013.
I like to work with concepts, materials and labour. I have worked with refugees on several projects, and in the case of the woven pieces, I have been working with Bienco Ikete a refugee from the Congo, for 8 years now. The excessive labour that goes into something like weaving the South African identity document in New Identity, can be seen as a metaphor for the process of getting one in real life, and it is no coincidence that Bienco, as a dispossessed refugee, is making this work.(quotes from interview with ArtThrob, november2013)
