May 21, 2022 - July 02, 2022
6 Spin Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
ESCAP3 Gallery in proud collaboration with 6 Spin Street Gallery are delighted to host the Debut Solo Exhibition by South African Artist Daniël Hugo: 'Camissa Alterna', Curated by Andrew Lamprecht, Saturday 21 May – Saturday 02 July 2022. The Vernissage & First Thursday June 2022 is generously supported by the Muratie Wine Estate of Stellenbosch.
Address: 6 Spin Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00 (GMT+2)
Please note the Gallery will be Closed on Saturday 04 June 2022
The exhibition title alludes to an alternative history of the the Cape of Good Hope ('Camissa', meaning ‘sweet waters’, being a KhoeKhoen word for the river that flows from Table Mountain into the bay). Hugo envisages and presents a legendarium of enormous scope and magnitude.
Many years in the making, and originally appearing in independent comics in South Africa, Hugo has produced a major (wordless) graphic novel that explores the world of 'Oneironaut' which features 'Die Strandloper', a female protagonist's adventure/journey stretching a hundred pages long. Emerging from this rich tapestry, the paintings and prints on 'Camissa Alterna' present moments in the alt-history of a Cape Town that could have been.
Hugo’s artistry is realistic but fantastical and deeply embedded in a complex universe of symbol, legend, dreams and make-believe. The realism of his style only adds weight to the believability of this mythography. Produced in a wide variety of media, including acrylic paint, charcoal, pen amongst others, the painting and prints on this exhibition show a glimpse of the wide-ranging talent a major comic book artist in a gallery context for the very first time.
About The Curator
Andrew Lamprecht is Curator of Historical Paintings and Sculpture at the Iziko South African National Gallery. For over 20 years he worked as an art historian and theorist at the Michaelis School of Fine at Art at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He has over 40 local and international exhibitions to his credit and has published widely on his speciality, contemporary African and Diasporic art.
Muratie's rich history is captured in every nook and cranny and wherever you are on the estate you cannot help being moved by the many generations that have lived and worked here. The buildings, the artifacts and even the shrubs and trees exude an aura of the colourful past reaching towards an even more fruitful future. Muratie Wine Estate is tucked into the exquisite Knorhoek Valley north of Stellenbosch, and is under the stewardship of Rijk Melck. With his family’s desire to protect a centuries-old wine experience it is a magnet for wine lovers around the world. The farm itself dates back to 1685 when it was granted by Governor Simon van der Stel who was Governor of the Cape of Good Hope at the time. This makes Muratie one of the oldest estates in South Africa and along with that age comes many characters and a truly fascinating history. The Melck family has revived this rich heritage in an updated yet classical evolution of the brand, naming its range after many of these colourful characters. One of them is the love story of a slave girl who married a German soldier.
