Noise / Texture is Lorcan White / Mark Kannemeyer’s second solo exhibition at GALLERY AOP. The exhibition consists mainly of ink on paper drawings, with some mixed media works included, and also features the first screening of a short animation film, Skrauuaarxk (90 seconds, 2010, illustrations Lorcan White, animation Elbow Grease, noise Make Overs, edition 10).

Kannemeyer says that the negative and positive forms in his ink on paper drawings can be compared to the notes that make up a musical score. The music that inspires him has its roots in punk/post punk/no wave (New York, early 1980s). He describes it as having very few elements that can be considered ‘listenable’ in a conventional sense, but finds that it spurs his broken, heavily textured landscape drawings. The concentrated force of these landscapes seems to bypass the rational mind to subvert order, coherence and any familiar structured organization.

Some of the recurring figures in the drawings on this  exhibition have become familiar characters in Kannemeyer’s work, like the creature ‘Frikkie”; the mask-like figures and their characteristic cynicism and irony; the ingenious and adventurous protagonist of the animation film, threading a narrative line throughout the exhibition; the various female and other ’profiles’ in conversation; the boat man and the sea monsters…

Biography

Lorcan White/Mark Kannemeyer studied at the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin, Germany, majoring in Painting and obtaining a Meisterschüler degree, cum laude (1992). He worked as a gallery technician at the Berlinische Gallery, Berlin and the Lisson Gallery, London before returning to South Africa in 1997. While living in Berlin, he took part in numerous group exhibitions in Germany.

He has held various part time teaching positions at Technikons, Universities and Colleges in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, lecturing in Illustration, printmaking and drawing. He also works as a freelance illustrator for various commercial publications, and does selected website design. Currently he teaches part time at the Open Window School of Design, Pretoria and at the Tshwane University of Technology.

Since 1993 he has contributed regularly to various alternative publications, such as Bitterkomix and i-Jusi. His work is also included in Comix 2000 (L’Association, Paris, France, 1999) and the i-Jusi Portfolio no.1 (Rooke Gallery, Johannesburg, 2010). In 2008 he published the first edition of his own comic book, Zombie.

Since 1997 his work has been included in numerous group exhibitions throughout South Africa, as well as in Europe.

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