August 2018

27th August: Hmmmm so what has happened over the past couple of months? My show with Michael Meyersfeld came down. I entered Sasol again and received a real WTF moment. I shan't go into details other than to say that I was left completely perplexed by the decision, a state of mind that was shared by many people.

There is some good news though. After having to let my last website fall by the by, I have a new one. The address is www.stjohnfuller.com. I put it together on wordpress. And yes for someone who does not know how to code, it is a deep and terrifying hole. it is not as easy as all the advertising makes it out to be. It's ease of use to the uninitiated, I would liken it to trying to knit whilst wearing lead boxing gloves. But its up and that is what counts.

May 2018

7th May : It's been a couple of month's. Went over to the UK and then back to SA before focus fell fully on my show with Michael Meyersfeld at Rossouw Modern Space. All in all the lead up prep was fairly smooth. There were a couple moments when it felt like that the wheels on the bus were going to stop turning. Indeed I guess those are who more inclined to feel that universe was trying to send them a message would have decided that, well maybe the timing is not right. Cods wollop to that, there was loads of positive feed back on the night. Even though Lawrance couldn't be there, Cathy Brennon delivered a lovely speech. All in all things felt like that they went really well.

February 2018

21st February: Sheila Madikane was kind enough to give up a bit of her time for my current project, (the portrait show that is going up in Heramanus, at the Rossouw Modern Gallery). Although it only took me a couple of minutes to get the source images that I required, she happily chatted with me for an hour or so. While doing so she filled me in on some of the background to what she is fighting for. I think that this can be summed up simply with the following words, empathy, respect and as an equal.

For those of us who are lucky enough to live in comfort, there is a harsh truth that many of us would not like to admit. We have little understanding of how the other half live. Indeed while the laws of apartheid may have been abolished, a form of social segregation is taking its place. When once it was a question of colour, now it would seem to be a question of finance. Owing to the fact that the price of land is guiding social planning, those who can't afford the prices that are being demanded are being pushed further and further out of the city. The net result is a form of social cleansing. For those who are being forced out the result is a double blow. The greater the distance equals more time spent travelling. At the same time more money is needed to pay for the travel. And yet somehow we think that this perversion of logic is OK?

January 2018

Nazeer Sonday

3rd: Some time before the end of last year I asked Nazeer Sonday if I could include him in my portrait show that will be opening in May. Nazeer has been campaigning against the development of the Phillippi Horticulture Area. Nazeer took us on a tour that proved to be a real eye opener.

I know that for some South Africans, Cape Town and it's DA led local government is something to be envious of. Unfortunately the more one learns about what is going on and how they operate, you realise, with the bar been set so low by the ANC, the DA have hardly much to crow about. It doesn't require much to be better than the ANC. While it is true to say that they are probably doing a better job than the ANC could do, I would say that the margin of difference between the two is no where near as large as people imagine it to be.

Enough griping. The pic is a detail shot from the portrait that I have created of Nazeer. It has just been pulled from the wash bath so if you are wondering what those streak marks are, it is water running off of the paper.

November 2017

Instructions for getting into the Dome - AVA July 2017

July in Novemeber: I left my last post on a bit of a cliff hanger. I was supposed to have revealed what happened re Sasol. Well I had my first failure in a long time. I know why and yes I could have kicked myself I'm not too down about it. Just irritated.

So why July  in November. Well to be honest I think I have been posting blogs in my dreams and have been waking up thinking that I have actually done something. Well I am awake now and decided to post something and well, I have discovered the truth, it seems that I have been in a state of delusion for a few months now.

So what have I missed out?July, post Sasol hand in I put up the Dome at AVA. First time that it has been up in a while. The lower panels got a bit trashed, mostly because people didn't read the instructions. Also some of those connected to the gallery who were not aware of the Dome's imminent arrival had problems with their jaws hanging on the ground. In terms of audience participation things turned out well.

I also ran some workshops at AVA which was having a photofocus month. The workshops were mostly attended by kids. The worry being the attention span needed and that the fact that taking a pinhole photograph takes much longer than taking a photo with a phone camera. Everything turned out alright. The one kid decided to do a series of photographs of cigarette butts!

Pinhole Camera taking a photograph

While I was at AVA Andrew Fernstein popped into the gallery so that I could start work on his portrait.

Was it August or was it September? Anyway Intoto had a show and my work was sold before the opening night. That was cool and made the finances happy for the moment.

October October October hmmmm. Anything to speak of ? I'm not sure. No. Does installing water tanks count?

November? Yip something has happened. I gave a talk of my work at the Creative Camera Club, Cape Town. It's been over a year since I had given a presentation so I have to admit that I was a little bit worried. But going on the reaction of the audience, I think that it went ok. (sorry to Club members for the low res quality of their logo)

So that is that for now. I am still chasing after candidates for my next series of portraits. It seems though that people in politics are not so keen as people or available as artists are.

June 2017

23rd: Who is that? Nope not me. Just a subject from my latest series. I have been working on collecting a series of before and after portraits. The hope is to the work ready framed for this years Sasol New Signatures. I think that this year will be the last time I enter, so hopefully I will go out with a bang. Lets see.

April 2017

13th: Pinch and a Punch for the 13th of the Month. So how is my plan for getting more exposure for my work going? Well I suppose it is going alright. Have a show lined up for next year. It will be at the Rossouw Modern gallery in Hermanus. The theme behind the show is political dissenters. I have been trying to find willing sitters but the going has been slow. I did manage to get Zapiro to take part. When I visited him in his studio he was being guarded by an army of miniature Desmond Tutu's. I managed to take a quick pic of one of the legion before been run out of the studio.

Other developments. At the moment I am talking with the AVA gallery in Cape Town. Over July they are planning a photography exhibition. As part of the show they would like me to run some pinhole photography workshops.

Candice Berman is updating my info on her website. As I write this they are still busy, but I am sure that it will ready in due course.