Artists Mongezi Ncaphayi, Lorenzo Nassimbeni and Quinten Williams were in the David Krut Workshop (DKW) recently to create new works in collaboration with the DKW printers.
Ncaphayi created striking new plates – considered abstract compositions in his characteristic soft colours. As recipient of the Gerard Sekoto prize at the 2013 Absa L’Atelier Awards, Mongezi will soon be in residence at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris.
Williams created etchings by experimenting with various techniques including sugarlift aquatint. To make a sugarlift aquatint a syrupy solution of sugar or condensed milk is painted onto the surface of the copper plate prior to it being coated in a liquid etching ground. When later the plate is placed in hot water the sugar dissolves and lifts off leaving the image exposed, after which the plate can then be etched. Through his experimentation with visual forms, Williams continues his reflection on what can be described as the uncertainties inherent in the formation of environments.
Nassimbeni’s work continues to draw inspiration from the urban landscape. In a set of three new plates, Nassimbeni includes the subterranean infrastructure which supports life above ground, with the architectural structures represented by linear lines and the more organic drawings deriving from maps of mines. Nassimbeni also reflected on the liberty of working in a collaborative studio/workshop environment and the value of such collaboration in a place where the disciplines of architecture and fine art meet.
