Rose Korber Art Salon 2005

Artist's statement

Highly structured, my works are simultaneously delicate and it is always my hope that they attain a sense of beauty in their fragility. I am interested in a certain plainness, the understated sense of beauty found in simplicity. Characteristically gentle in tone and made as a meditation, these works are notes in my lifesong.

Biography

"Made as a meditation my art contemplates and celebrates notions of simplicity and order, symmetry and balance - attempting a sense of beauty and calm by fragile and modest means."

alastair whitton graduated in 1994 with a national diploma in fine art (with distinction) from natal technikon where he was a student of andries botha and was awarded the emma smith scholarship. he was a merit award winner at both the volkskas atelier awards and the south african youth arts festival awards of 1994. in 1995 following a three month stay at the studio of artist marlene dumas in amsterdam, he studied on the mfa course at the glasgow school of art in scotland as part of an international student exchange programme initiated by roger palmer and jeremy wafer. he worked as curator of the nsa gallery in durban, 1996 - 1997 and following collaborative projects with british artist neville gabie, whitton was guest lecturer at the cheltenham college of art and design in england from 1997-1998. he lived in london from 1998-2002 during which time he travelled to europe and australia. in 2005 he was invited by david krut to produce a series of intaglio prints in collaboration with jillian ross at the david krut print workshop in johannesburg and is now represented by david krut fine art. whitton currently manages david krut publishing: fine art & books, a satellite location of the david krut arts resource in johannesburg which also relates to david krut projects in both johannesburg and new york.

personal

1969    born in glasgow, scotland to scottish parents
1984    christian conversion
1992    married candice atkinson in durban, south africa
1998    son, joshua born in cheltenham, england
2001    daughter, chloe born in london, england

education

1995    master of fine arts (exchange), glasgow school of art, scotland
1994    national diploma in fine art (distinction), natal technikon, south africa

awards

2005    brett kebble awards : finalist
1994    emma smith scholarship award from natal technikon, durban
1994    best overall student: faculty of arts and design, natal technikon
1994    merit award at volkskas atelier awards, johannesburg
1994    merit award at south african youth arts festival, durban

public / corporate collections

2007    south african breweries, johannesburg
2007    amalgamated beverage industries, johannesburg
2006    brait financial services, cape town
2001    south african centre for photography, cape town
1995    durban art museum, durban
1994    natal technikon, durban

solo / two person exhibitions

2006    filter, obert contemporary, johannesburg
2003    desert, ibis art centre, nieu bethesda
1998    kraal, gasworks, london, england (with neville gabie)
1997    material evidence, africus institute for contemporary art, johannesburg (with neville gabie)
1997    material evidence, tatham art gallery, pietermaritsburg (with neville gabie)
1997    material evidence, nsa gallery, durban (with neville gabie)
1995    recollection, dcp, durban
1994    alastair whitton: emma smith scholarship award winner, natal technikon

group exhibitions

2007    prints from the david krut workshop, unisa art gallery, pretoria
2007    recent prints from the david krut workshop, david krut publishing, cape town
2007    leading & emerging south african artists, rose korber fine art, cape town
2006    recent prints from the david krut workshop, david krut arts resource, johannesburg
2006    leading & emerging south african artists, rose korber fine art, cape town
2005    southeast: contemporary art from china, japan & south africa, gallery 34 long, cape town
2005    leading & emerging south african artists, rose korber fine art, cape town
2004    leading & emerging south african artists, rose korber fine art, cape town
2002    topographies, south african centre for photography, cape town
2001    iscapes, pcl gallery, sydney, australia
2001    topographies, national gallery of zimbabwe, harare
1999    absa atelier award winners 1986-1999, absa gallery, johannesburg
1998    young south african contemporaries, axiom, cheltenham, england
1997    artists books: international literary festival, cheltenham, england
1997    lifetimes: contemporary southern african art, aktionsforum praterinsel, munich, germany
1997    photosynthesis, south african national gallery, cape town
1996    durban meets stuttgart, galerie umtern turm, stuttgart, germany
1996    jabulisa: the art of kwa zulu natal, standard bank national arts festival, grahamstown
1995    natal artists, thompson gallery, johannesburg
1994    durban sculptors, durban art museum, durban
1994    artist's invite artist's, durban art museum, durban
1994    volkskas atelier awards, johannesburg
1994    south african youth arts festival awards, durban