ABOUT MARK RAUTENBACH

Mark Rautenbach is an artist from South Africa currently living and working in Cape Town. He has worked as Mark Splendid and Mark Maria over the years and in a variety of mediums and techniques. Rautenbach often works with material, which is considered waste matter, as well as with thread, paper, development of yarns, knitting, public performances and craft-like studio work. He lectured Design for a number of years at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), and education recurs as a theme in his work, along with identities born out of various narratives or yarns.

Mark Rautenbach’s latest body of work, ‘Underpinnings’ looks at unseen forces and tensions which are inside, beneath, behind and between visible things. Materially this is expressed by securing, stretching and suspending fine, colourful hand-knitted circular fabrics attached by small gold safety pins. These materials have no intrinsic value and as separate actions they go largely unnoticed. However, when combined in such a manner, they give form to something striking, complex, vital, and compelling.

Solo Exhibitions

2019     ‘Underpinnings’, EBONY/CURATED, Bordeaux House, Franschhoek, South Africa

2014     ‘The Educators New Clothes’, Room, Johannesburg, South Africa

2000     ‘Womb’, I Cafe, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa

Group Exhibitions

2019     ‘A Splendid Summer Send-Off’, 40 years 40 plus artists, Irma Stern Museum, University of Cape Town, South Africa

2019     ‘Textile’, Curated By Amy Pike For Dyman Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2019     ‘Conversations In Texture’, Curated By Khumo Sebambo For Berman Contemporary, Johannesburg, South Africa

2019     ‘Small Room’, Curated By Sarah Grace For Priest, Johannesburg, South Africa

2018     ‘Forward?Forward!Forward…’, Performance And Sculptures, University Of Stellenbosch Museum, Stellenbosch , South Africa

2018     ‘Touchwood’, 203 Percy Osborn, Durban, South Africa

2018     Artistic Activism Grant; Centre For Artistic Activism, Sweat And Asijiki, Johannesburg, South Africa

2018     KZNSA Gallery, Park Gallery, Durban, South Africa

2018     Candice Berman, Johannesburg, South Africa

2017-18     A Romulus Rebus, Curated By Priest, Fried Contemporary, Pretoria, South Africa

2017     Johannesburg Art Fair; South African Mint, Johannesburg, South Africa

2017     EBONY/CURATED, Franschoek, South Africa

2017     ‘Dream Rift’, Eclectica Design And Art, Cape Town, South Africa

2017     ‘Proud’, The Studio Door, San Diego, USA

2017     ‘Verging Thresholds’, Eclectica Design And Art, Cape Town, South Africa

2017     ‘Mothertongue 2’, Romulus Rebus, Priest, Johannesburg, South Africa

2016     ‘Woman’s Work’, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town

2016     ‘What’s The Matter?’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2016     District Six Museum Print Exchange: District Six Museum, Cape Town, South Africa

2016     ‘Muse Montage’, Eclectica Design And Art, Cape Town, South Africa

2016     ‘Eduplation’, Performance and Group Exhibition, David Krut Projects, Johannesburg, South Africa

2016     ‘Optical Diversion’, Eclectica Design And Art, Cape Town, South Africa

2016     ‘Fetish’, Performance And Group Exhibition; Priest, Johannesburg, South Africa

2016     ‘Unheimlich’, Performance And Group Exhibition Show, Woordfees 2016, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

2015     ‘Fetish’, Arttec – Epsac Community Art Centre, Port Elizabeth And Grahamstown, South Africa

2015     ‘Décor Z’, Spier, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2012     Southern Ink Exposure 3, (International Tattoo Convention), Cape Town, South Africa

2011     ‘Open Books’, Brundyn & Gonsalves, Cape Town, South Africa

2011     ‘Pinhole Photography’, Haas, Bokaap, Cape Town, South Africa

2010     ‘Southern Ink Exposure 2, (International Tattoo Convention),CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

2010     Gill Alderman Gallery, Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa

2010     ‘These Four Walls’, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa

2009     Southern Ink Exposure 1, (International Tattoo Convention), Co-Curator and Exhibitor, CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

2009     Gill Alderman Gallery, Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa

2008     Gill Alderman Gallery, Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa

2007     ‘World Tribe’, Collaboration With Brandon Amronski, Alison Café, Leon, Mexico

2007     Gill Alderman Gallery, Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa

2007     Walkerbay Gallery, Hermanus, South Africa

2006     ‘Introducing Splendid’, Amoeba Light & Living, Johannesburg, South Africa

2002     ‘Mark Mrs Love’, Collaboration With Mrs Love, Obs Cafe, Cape Town, South Africa

2000     Sex & Culture; Group Exhibition, Gauloise Warehouse, Cape Town, South Africa

Performances

2018     ‘How Long Can I Hold Your Attention For?/ How Much Presence Can I Give You?’, Jewellery As A Social Object,The Contemporary Jewellery Forum, Seminar And Exhibition, University Of   Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

2018     ‘Noonoo Index And Performance; Maker, FNBJoburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa

2017     ‘Dawning New Narratives’, Rhodes Memorial, Cape Town, South Africa

2017     ‘Ouma Se Kind’, Cape Town, South Africa

2017     ‘Mothertongue 2’, Romulus Rebus, Priest, Johannesburg

2017     ‘Mothertongue 1’, Performance In – Art Thursdays, Reverie Social Table, Observatory, Cape Town

2017     ‘Fatherland’, Performance In Live Art Festival Borderlands, Cape Point, Cape Town

2016     ‘Eduplation’, David Krut Projects, Johannesburg, Cape Town

2016     ‘Fetish’, Performance And Group Exhibition, Priest, Johannesburg, South Africa

2016     ‘Unheimlich’, Performance And Group Exhibition Show, Woordfees 2016, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

2015     (Terror)Tory, The Dark Precursor: International Conference On Deleuze And Artistic Research 2015, Orpheus Institute, Ghent, Belgium, South Africa

2015     (Terror)Tory, Tedx 2015, City Hall, Cape Town , South Africa

2015     (Terror)Tory,  Collaborative  Performance, Deleuze And Guattari And Africa Conference, University Of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

2013 – 2014     The Educators New Clothes; Performance, Cape Town & Surrounds, Johannesburg, South Africa

Installations

2017     ‘The Sky Over Berlin’, 50th Anniversary Of The Krugerrand, South African Mint And Rand Refinery, World Money Fair, Berlin, Germany

Awards

2017     Most Beautiful Object; Nominee, Design Indaba, Cape Town

2015     Mind, Spirit, Emotion; 4th Prize, Online Competition, Art Competition.Net, Http://Art-Competition.Net/

2015     Vuleka Competition, 3rd And Highly Commended Prize, Art B, Belleville

2015     Uima Mask Competition, Finalist, University Of Iowa Museum Of Art, Iowa, Usa

2003     Human Genome Project; Competition Finalist, Natural History Museum, Cape Town

Collections

Iziko South African National Gallery

Rand Refinery Collection

Publications

2018     Noonoo Index Catalogue; Lunetta Bartz, MAKER, ISBN 978-0-620-79668-2

2017     Contemporary Performance Almanac 2017 (Volume 4), Edited by Caden Manson and Daniel Nelson, ISBN-13: 978-1546818854

2015     THE DARK PRECURSOR, International Conference on Deleuze and Artistic Research, edited by PAULO DE ASSIS and PAOLO GIUDICI, ISBN 978 94 9038 904 8

2014     KNOTWE: ALL THINGS FIBER, http://www.knotwe.com/mark-rautenbach/

2014     ART SOUTH AFRICA, Volume 12, Issue 4, June 2014

2014     VISI, February/March 2014, Volume 70