Notes

Norman Catherine was born in East London, South Africa in September 1949. He studied at the East London Technical School of Art and held his first solo exhibition in 1969. The following year he began his career as a commercial artist in Johannesburg. In 1969, Catherine began collaborating with Walter Battiss on the project ‘Fook Island’. This project involved the building of Fook Manor at Hartebeespoort Dam, designing murals and merchandising.

As both a sculptor and painter, Catherine works in an assortment of media, ranging from oil, acrylic, watercolour and airbrush; as well as wood, fibreglass, wire, and metal. He incorporates surrealistic elements into his work, and uses humour with a dark overtone to confront the horrors of apartheid. This work was used in the poster for the theatre production; There is no sugar left in 1980 at the Market Theatre Johannesburg.