David Krut Podcast |Stian Deetlefs – Fragments of our Identity| Listening time 21 min
In this episode, Britt Lawton gets to know Stian Deetlefs in light of his first solo exhibition with David Krut Projects titled ‘Fragments of our Identity’ – which opened online in partnership with Artsy, 10 April 2020. In this podcast, Stian elaborates on his discovery of the arts world; the influences he draws from to create his art; the materials and processes that inspire him; life in Richard’s Bay; how he met David Krut and what he thinks it means to be an artist.
Stian Deetlefs is a contemporary South African artist who was born and raised in Richard’s Bay, a major industrial port city on the North Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, and much of his work reflects on his experience of this heavily industrialised environment. In late 2019, Deetlefs was introduced to David Krut Projects by Armand de Montbron, who is a long-standing friend of the organisation and who discovered Deetlefs’ work on the 2019 Joburg Fringe. Following the positive attention Deetlefs‘ work received while hanging in the David Krut Projects space at THE BLUE HOUSE, 151 Jan Smuts Avenue, and a number of successful studio visits to Deetlefs’ temporary studio space in Parkview, a decision was made to pursue a collaboration that included a short-term residency at THE BLUE HOUSE, during which Deetlef’s produced a number of paintings and sculptures. Deetlefs has also spent some time working on monotypes with David Krut Workshop printers, Roxy Kaczmarek and Sarah Hunkin. These works, along with a number of earlier works produced by Deetlefs in his own studio space, form the exhibition Fragments of Our Identity. Initially planned as Deetlef’s first solo show with DKP, owing to the South African national lockdown, which was announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fragments of Our Identity transformed into a virtual exhibition in partnership with Artsy, on view from mid-April 2020.
The David Krut Podcast is a production of David Krut Projects. Episode hosted and produced by Britt Lawton.