Notes

Artist's Bio

Sanell Aggenbach is a full-time artist based in Woodstock, Cape Town. Her work primarily deals with the intersection of history and private narratives by considering the process of recall and interpretation. Since 2003 Aggenbach has focused mainly on subverted feminine tropes and feminist themes in her work. In a recent solo exhibition, Bend to Her Will, she subtly and mischievously reframed the hobbyist art of flower arranging by appropriating the traditionally masculine art of Japanese Ikebana. Her sculptural works, primarily in bronze, parody Western masterpieces from Michelangelo, Henry Moore, and Warhol to Pierneef, taking a refreshing look at these pivotal references from a woman’s perspective.

She was selected for the UNESCO-Aschberg programme in India in 2000 and won the 2003 Absa L’Atelier Award. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including Sasol, Absa, Spier, SABC, Red Bull (Austria), the South African National Gallery, 21C Museum in Kentucky (USA), and Anglo Gold.

Artist's Statement

My earlier works relied heavily on processing found imagery, rethinking associations and creating new fictions. These works were often an amalgamation of historic references with private narratives and form part of a process of investigating pathologies and deconstructing the past. My primary intention is to construct subtle paradoxes by introducing a quiet humour, either formally or materially.

Cité Experience

My 5-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts sparked a pivotal moment in my career, encouraging me to take the leap from being a full-time lecturer to a full-time artist. It not only allowed me to explore the city, museums and exhibitions, but more importantly, it provided days for just painting and experimenting without disruption or interference, which in itself is a luxury.