ARTAFRICAREVIEWSAQUA REGALIA – CHAPTER II / ALLISON K. YOUNG
THE HOLY AND
THE MUNDANE
Faith47
‘Aqua Regalia – Chapter II’
Jonathan LeVine Galleryby Allison K. Young
In Faith47’s exhibition ‘Aqua Regalia – Chapter II’ at Jonathan LeVine Gallery – her
debut solo show in New York – the artist’s signature grisaille renderings of animals,
figures and intimate gestures mingle with an expansive collection of objects gathered in
her home country of South Africa as well as during travels throughout Asia, Europe and
the Caribbean.The immediate draw is a large shrine-like installation positioned at the back of the gallery,
in which she has carefully arranged an immersive display of objects both sacred and
profane: votive candles, religious diagrams, amulets and prayer banners uplift a variety
of jetsam such as hand-scribbled signage, old photographs, adverts for call-girls and the
décollage of city walls. Already betraying a Duchampian impulse to give sanctity to the
commonplace, Faith47 assembles fetishes and holy images that further resonate with
themes of superstition, healing and the nature of faith itself – in other words, humanity’s
psychic drives in the midst of uncertainty and fear. The artist’s drawings and paintings
invite similar readings, especially those that feature figural studies and variations of hand
gestures, calling to mind the iconography of South Asian mudras or the choreography
of Christian prayer.
Constructed from recycled plywood and cardboard, the display is reminiscent of a
temporary or abandoned shelter, a fitting ambience for an artist who typically operates1/4 ARTAFRICA