It’s hard to think of an artist with a more striking and ambitious range than William Kentridge; his work spans etching, drawing, collage, huge tapestries - as well as film, theatre, dance and opera.
He was born in Johannesburg and brought up during the apartheid regime; his art is highly politically charged.
His parents, both lawyers, were notable figures in the anti-apartheid movement – his father being Sir Sydney Kentridge, who represented Nelson Mandela.
For forty years now William Kentridge has used his art to explore the legacy of colonialism, and the barbarity of war.
He’s probably best known for his charcoal sketches, which become stop-go animations, preserving almost every change and rubbing-out.
But he has a keen eye for the absurdity of life too, so we watch typewriters turn into trees, birds flying off the pages of dictionaries, or a film titled “Portrait of the artist as a coffee pot”.
