Notes

This lot is number 27 of 60 prints donated by the artist to artthrob Editions in 2007 and did not feature on the exhibition Surveys (from the Cape of Good Hope).

Most famous for her sculpture The Butcher Boys made in 1985/6, Jane Alexander explores the hybrid form in her work, manipulating the body by combining the human (innocent) and animal (savage) forms together. The sight of these sculptural works can be compelling yet fearsome, evoking strong emotion. This is the iconic motif carried through her work which lead to her first photomontage series from 1981 to 1995.¹

The work Harbinger in Correctional Uniform, Lost Marsh, reminds one of the series Surveys: From the Cape of Good Hope. The series tracks the historical sites of the postcolonial environment in Cape Town from the rural to the city areas. The central theme forms around the environment, land and living creatures. The term ‘vulnerability’ comes up frequently when discussing the work of Alexander as this can be seen in the sculptures represented in the photomontage as well as the landscape which reflects the history of space.

1. Artthrob. (2018). Jane Alexander, Harbinger in Correctional Uniform, Lost Marsh, [Online] Available: https://artthrob.co.za/product/janealexander-harbinger-in-correctional-uniformlost-marsh/ [7 December 2018].