Notes

Kyle Morland is best known for meticulously crafted abstract sculptures inspired by industrial forms and manufacturing processes. Emerging out of the creative hub of Atlantic House – artists’ studios in Maitland, Cape Town, also linked to the careers of Jared Ginsburg and Igshaan Adams – Morland developed his striking vocabulary of forms through a two-step process of investigation: finding inspiration in the world, and reinterpreting it formally and materially in the studio. A capable photographer, Morland has long used his camera to serially document phenomena like dam walls, commercial venting and trolleys used by junk scavengers. He will deliberate on this source material, using it to create technical drawings and wooden maquettes for larger works.

Morland’s first aluminium sculpture grew out of his fascination with the intricacies and pliable shapes of commercial ducting in the light-industrial suburbs surrounding his studio. Morland worked with a professional welder on this sculpture, a process of collaboration that enabled him to learn a new fabrication skill that he has since mastered and applied to new work. Another innovation of its design and production is the modular assembly. Morland perfected this method on a series of mild-steel sculptures from 2018 that collector Jochen Zeitz acquired for his Segera Retreat in Kenya. A photo in a series documenting words and phrases appearing on minibus taxis suggested the unusual name for this sculpture.