Imperfect librarian - ARC activists, 2012

Imperfect Librarian: 12 - 26 March 2012 at the Michaelis Galleries

Clare Butcher
Andrew Putter
Jessica Brown
Joanne Bloch
Brenton Maart
George Mahashe
Jon Whidden

Presenting works-in-progress that have been developed over the past year, the group enters into 'the library' a set of unorthodox practices and materials which challenge the notion of archival practice. Taking its title from Jorges Luis Borges's short story, Library of Babel, the exhibition reflects on the unusual research paths, unruly classificatory systems and multiple dimensions operational in the production of history.

'What we hope you find as you meander through the maze of this exhibition is a set of care-full responses, manoeuvres, unfaithful facsimiles and commentaries upon commentaries which expose the support structures of history - the moments we catch sight of ourselves in the archive's mirror', reads the exhibition text.

Curator Clare Butcher's research focuses on the history of curating contemporary art in South Africa, beginning with a case study from an international exhibition exchange between Britain and South Africa in 1948. By foregrounding some of the usually unseen logistics and logics at play in the making of a contemporary art show, Butcher seeks to raise awareness of the historical mechanisms used to display 'the spirit of the now'.

Images from the exhibition.

More about the exhibition and the publication here.