Who am I ? - Transgressions

Gordon Clark and Leon Botha

13 January - 13 February 2010

Leon Botha is one of the longest living persons with Progeria, Greek for rapid aging. Born in Cape Town, he is 24 years old, an artist and musician.

This body of work is a collaborative and artistic adventure for two artists, two strangers, two very different people, who, in the meeting of spirit, beyond the parody of flesh, discover a commonality.Through them we learn not to lament Leon’s life and journey, but to celebrate them.

The key theme which runs through Who Am I?-Transgressions is mortality and immortality and how we live our lives within the time we have, which, Leon argues, is in any event, transient for all of us. How shall we be judged? How shall we judge?

The two artists empathetically dare, and dare us to transgress and disrupt the order and comfort of life and explore the idea of what it means to be human.
And examine the most important question - the condition of mankind?
What is normal...and what is not? What does dark mean? How near am I to it and from it?
"I want to show reality, not hide it " says Clark "and Leon is the perfect metaphor for doing this. He shows up both the fragility, the light and the dark, of which we are all part, and of which, we are all made"

All these images are shot on medium format and 4x5 film

Fine Music Radio interview with Gordon Clark and Leon Botha. click here to listen

Visit Sunday Times article by Lin Sampson www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/article151275.ece

Opening reception: Wednesday, 13 January 6pm

To view work on exhibition, please click here