Hanneke Benade' solo exhibition -Mise-en-scène-

The French term ‘mise-en-scène’ originates in the theater to refer to the stage arrangement for a theatrical production and in film it includes the visual component that appears in the composition of the shot. In this body of work I, in the same way, choreograph images, depicting a moment of everyday.

Join us for the opening Saturday 11am, 13 Oct 2018 at La Galleria

Register to this event in order to receive the preview of the artworks before the opening

Hanneke Benadé statement:

I started drawing as a child. Like all children I was drawing what I knew and who I knew but soon I discovered I can draw someone made up; an imaginary character. This was by far the better thing to do. Suddenly the possibilities became endless and I was excited. Creating and making something surreal to this world ,beyond this world, was a comfort. What I drew became true in a sense for me the moment I placed it on paper. Growing up the world was not always how I wanted it, but when I was busy drawing I felt I had total control.

I was like the 1974 TV character Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, written by Edward McLachlan. Drawing was escapism and later my drawings became art. I started my art career drawing with soft pastel on cotton paper. I had a platform in art to develop alter-ego characters. To expand my longing to escape into a world of make believe scenes. It gave me the opportunity to create my own ‘film stills’. Quite moments captured in a freeze frame. Where the character is eternally lost in time. Large format images of myself taking on many guises. Sometimes in the form of women, men, a couple or a twin. Solitary figures enveloped in their own private space.

My work process is always routinely the same. I start with where I am (in life). I will ask my models to dress up in costume or a specific wardrobe. A pretend theater production. I collect props and organise a photo shoot. I am never sure what the outcome will be of a photo session, but it is where the drawings starts taking shape in my head. From this I will select one image as reference to draw from.

Once I’ve completed the drawing,which can be seen as a dry medium painting, I am reluctant to offer too much in the way of interpretation and invite the viewer to examine the image in terms of their own references.

Hanneke Benadé bio:

Hanneke Benade ́completed the degree BA (Fine Arts) in 1993 at the University of Pretoria.She majored in Printmaking/Lithography and worked as a part-time lecturer in drawing. From the start of her art career she took part in group shows locally and abroad. She participated at the Joburg Biennale and was represented at the London Art Fair. She showed extensively in Cape Town and Gauteng and is represented by The Everard Reads Gallery and other selected galleries.

Hanneke received several awards, among them Merit Awards at the ABSA Atelier, Sasol New Signatures, The Thembisa Art Award, The Kebble Award and received two Kanna- Awards at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees in Oudtshoorn where she was festival artist in 2016.

Some of her work are housed in collections of the Universities of Stellenbosch, - Pretoria, -Free State and University of Johannesburg; as well as Spier Holdings, Rand Merchant Bank, SAB, Hollard House, Pretoria Art Museum, Iziko Museum Cape

Town, The Gauteng Provincial Government, British American Tobacco Company, Sanlam, Sasol, Telkom and ABSA and her work is housed in several private collections.