bead necklaces, wire and cotton thread

Artwork date: 2014
Exhibited: Monument Gallery, Makhanda, ‘When the Dust Settles’, 28 June to 8 July 2018
Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, “When the Dust Settles’, 27 July to 15 September 2018
Iziko South African Art Gallery, Cape Town, ‘When the Dust Settles’, 18 October 2018 to 27 January 2019.
Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery, Bloemfontein, ‘When the Dust Settles’, March to April 2019
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Gqeberha, ‘When the Dust Settles’, 17 April to 19 May 2019
Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg, ‘When the Dust Settles’, June to July 2019.
NWU Gallery, Potchefstroom, ‘When the Dust Settles’, 1 August – 30 August 2019
Blank, Cape Town, 'Parda', 22 January to 28 February 2015.
Literature: Malatsie, K. (ed). (2018). 'Igshaan Adams: When the Dust Settles', Cape Town: Blank and Contemporary Office,, illustrated in colour on p.67 & 68.
Cronjé, C.; Garnham, J., Lewis. (eds). (2015). 'Igshaan Adams', Cape Town: Blank, illustrated in colour on p. 66 & 82.

(1)

approximately 120 x 40 x 40 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Cape Town.

Blank, Cape Town.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

South African artist Igshaan Adams often uses his multi-layered identity as a Muslim, ‘Cape Malay’, and homosexual man as a point of departure in exploring and contesting racial, sexual and religious boundaries. Making use of lightweight wire, plastic beads, metal rods, rope, and textiles – materials that have now become identifiable with his oeuvre – Adams’ 'Neoscope' series is a significant example of his exploration of these boundaries.

Consisting of four ceiling-hung sculptural forms and six banners/tapestries; the series formed part of the artist’s 2015 exhibition titled Parda which refers to a type of veil or curtain used in Islamic culture. These curtains are often used to separate spaces or provide privacy, and they can be richly adorned with intricate designs and patterns. In Islam, ‘Parda’ also refers to the law under which women are required to cover their faces to protect their identity. Ironically, the veil serves as a dual symbol, embodying both concealment and enlightenment, according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad in the Islamic faith – reflecting a duality Adams explores throughout his work.

Adams conceived Plates 1-10 during his participation in the Sommerakademie at the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern in 2014, drawing inspiration from Hermann Rorschach's famous inkblot tests. In the series, Adams applied to his found materials, reproductions of the Rorschach inkblots. In this way, he aimed to explore the notion of uncovering underlying beliefs, ingrained mental patterns, and hidden blind spots. Using himself as the subject, he examined the structure of the Rorschach test itself, including form, colour, movement, and the specific order of the ten plates, while questioning its alleged ability to diagnose mental abnormalities. The series reflects Adams' profound desire to peel back layers and unveil the hidden mysteries within our core selves.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE

• The highest price achieved for the artist’s work at auction is $88 200 for, For Those Who Know, in New York in 2021.
• In 2018, Igshaan Adams was the recipient of the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Visual Art which culminated in, When Dust Settles ­– a solo exhibition that travelled throughout South Africa, including to the Iziko South African National Gallery.
• Major institutional solo exhibitions include Lynloop (2024) at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Igshaan Adams: Desire Lines (2022) at The Art Institute of Chicago; Kicking Dust (2021-2022) at Hayward Gallery in London and the Kunsthalle Zürich In Switzerland; Getuie (2020) at SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, U.S.A and Igshaan Adams: I Am No More (2019) at Akershus Kunstsenter in Norway.
• Important international group exhibitions include, Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art (2024) at the Barbican Centre, London; Soft Power (2018) at Transpalette in Bourges, France and In This Imperfect Present Moment (2018-19) at the Seattle Art Museum.
• Currently, Adams is included in Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstractions, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, on show until 28 July 2024.
• A solo exhibition, Forthcoming: Igshaan Adams: Weerhoud will open at The Hepworth Wakefield, U.K on the 22 June 2024.
• Adams has been included in important biennales, including Choreographies of the Impossible, the São Paulo Biennale (2023); Awwal Bayt, the Islamic Arts Biennale (2023) in Jeddah and The Milk of Dreams (2022) at the Venice Biennale.
• Artist residencies include the Atelier residency at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, A4 Arts Foundation in Cape Town, the Sommerakademie im Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, and the IAAB Pro Helvetia residency in Basel.

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; The Art Institute of Chicago; Baltimore Museum of Art; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Minneapolis Institute of Art and the University of Cape Town Art Collection.