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Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum | Battlecry

03 September - 26 September 2020
Goodman Gallery, London

Goodman Gallery presents Battlecry, an exhibition of large-scale paintings on wood panel which marks Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s first solo exhibition with Goodman Gallery. The exhibition follows Sunstrum’s first major museum show at Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, US.

Battlecry explores Sunstrum’s interest in archetypes originating in classical mythology, which the artist translates into a cast of characters and alter egos that recur throughout her practice. Sunstrum nuances these mythological archetypes with a focus on “the hero”: “In this latest body of work, I am interested in the fragility of the hero; the ways in which the hero is both heroic and anti-heroic; both a victor and a perpetrator who can experience violence but also cause violence. I am interested in the moment when the hero, despite being on the field of battle, cannot help but become soft, must go inward, must cry.”

Sunstrum layers visual information using pencil and oil paint to create imagery that exists as a rich “collection of citations – building a code into the meaning of the work”. These citations include (post)-colonial portraiture as well as intertextual conversations with art historical works, such as Robert S. Duncanson’s early 19th century romanticist landscape paintings. These references are further enriched by Sunstrum’s experiences with nature and science, encompassing a developing journey of self-discovery:

Artworks

Pencil, oil and acrylic on wood panel
Work: 152 x 152 cm
Unavailable
Pencil, oil and acrylic on wood panel
Work: 152 x 152 cm
Unavailable
Pencil, oil and acrylic on wood panel
Work: 182 x 122 cm
Unavailable
Pencil and oil on canvas
Work: 166 x 144 cm
Unavailable

Films

About

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum image

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s (b. 1980, Mochudi, Botswana) work includes imagery that reflects the diverse genealogies of her experience living in different parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the U.S. as well as ongoing research in ethnography, ecology, and quantum physics. The artist’s boundary-crossing practice centers Black female identity in the discourse of postcolonialism and neocolonialism, highlighting the contributions of overlooked historical figures while emphasizing modes of knowledge and communication beyond the status quo.

Key exhibitions and performances include:
You’ll be sorry, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa (2023), The Pavilion, London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, UK (2023) Liverpool Biennial, UK (2023), 15th Sharjah Art Biennale (SB15), UAE (2023), I have withheld much more than I have written, Galerie Lelong, New York (2022), Greater Toronto Art 2021 (GTA21), MOCA Toronto, Canada (2021); Born in Flames: Feminist Futures, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York (2021); WITNESS: Afro Perspectives from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, El Espacio 23, Florida (2021); Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: All my seven faces, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (2019); Zeitz MOCAA, SA (2019); The Wiels, Belgium (2019); Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland (2019); The Nest, Netherlands (2019); Michaelis School for the Arts at the University of Cape Town, SA (2018); Artpace, Texas (2018); The Phillips Museum of Arts, Washington (2018); Interlochen Centre for the Arts, Michigan (2016); NMMU Bird Street Art Gallery, SA (2016); Tiwani Contemporary, UK (2016); VANSA, SA (2015); Brundyn Gallery, SA (2014); FRAC Pays de Loire, France (2013); the Havana Biennial, Cuba (2012); and MoCADA, New York (2011).

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