Two artists working with concepts of pop culture and mass advertising come together in WHACK! to explore and celebrate the darkly comical side of mass-produced images, politics and the social and economic situation that South Africans find themselves today. Neill Wright and Stephen Graham produced separate bodies of work that have merged here, resulting in combined satirical humour and open-ended questions left to the viewer through their work’s content. WHACK! is, however, above all, a visual eruption of glowing colour and everyday subject matter that each South African can relate to on a personal level and interpret individually.

Working in a number of different mediums, Neill Wright draws inspiration from the media, society and politics, attempting to create a panoramic view of all the issues, difficulties and paradoxes which are embedded in global and more specifically, South African society. His interpretations often have a somewhat comic/tragic twist to them which is the artist’s attempt to create an uncomfortable space in which we, as observers, are caught between being saddened and amused.

In Stephen Graham’s pin artworks, light, shadow and form are experimented with as the artist, intrigued by negative space and how this translates into interesting compositions, constructs precise three-dimensional works of art in his innovative technique. Stephen’s reference to the Pop Art movement can be found within his choice of everyday objects and mass-produced images that are largely left up to the viewer to read into.  

Ice-creams, rubber ducks and the profiles of babies rouse wistful, nostalgic dialogue with the recognizable characters woven into the iconic architecture of the lego-men. Guns be-jewelled with Swarovski crystals hold a mirror up to notions of violence, money and politics, all embedded into our daily lives, while the tag lines on the packaging in Neill’s works highlight social issues and the great disparities in South Africa’s education system. The visual impact of WHACK! combined with the subtle criticism of our consumer culture, questionable democracy and social structures makes for a fascinating joint exhibition that entices not only the eye, but also the mind.