Michael Stevenson

2005-6
27 pieces
Mixed media on paper, framed
Various dimensions

Click on titles below to view other letters of the alphabet

Kannemeyer, along with Conrad Botes, has been at the forefront of introducing a comic and satirical aesthetic to South African art. They were the co-founders and are the ongoing co-editors of the Bitterkomix series, which started in 1992 and has become revered for its subversive stance and dark humour. The gallery recently hosted the launch of The Big Bad Bitterkomix Handbook (Jacana, Johannesburg, 2006) which offers an overview of the past 15 years of the series and of the artists’ works.

Kannemeyer completed an MFA at the University of Stellenbosch in 1997 and lectured there periodically until recently. During 2006 he undertook a residency at Art Omi in New York. His work has been exhibited extensively in South Africa and internationally, and is included on the current exhibition, Africa Comics, at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.

The artist has been working on the Alphabet of Democracy for the past year, and this is the first time the full A to Z has been exhibited (although different versions of letters will continue to be added). In this series Kannemeyer subverts the narrative, history and myth of the ‘rainbow nation’ with acute humour and critique.

A is for Aids
B IS VIR BOKKE!
C is for Complaining
D is for dancing ministers
E Electro-man says: Live better electrically
F is for (crying) Farmer
G is for God
H is vir Hansie
I is for INNOCENT! (I’m innocent!)
J is for Jack Russell (lying with dead farmer)
K is for Kissing
L is for Leader
M is for Mugabe
N is for nincompoop
O is for Orlando Pirates
P is for Premier Morkel
Q is for Qantas
R is for rainbow nation
S is for suicide
T “Tjorts, manne, hier gaan hy!”
U is for unexpected growth in the property market
V is for victim of vigilante justice [two pieces]
W is for wet-bag suffocation technique
X is for xenophobia
Y is for yobs
Z is not for Zuma, but for Zapiro