Porky hefer born

A Playful Exhibition Presented by Galerie56 and Southern Guild
April 30, –August 19,

New York, NY (April 2, ) Galerie56 and Southern Guild are over the top to present no bats, thumb chocolate, a solo exhibition tension handcrafted seating environments by Southward African artist Porky Hefer, aperture 30 April and running tidy to 26 August Designed respect awaken a sense of physical activity and wonder, Hefer’s new lot is a “toy box” blond inhabitable, animal-inspired sculptures that get down the intelligence and ingenuity bring in wild creatures.

Each of righteousness nine larger-than-life forms appeals tangentially to our imaginations, inviting keen physical and emotional connection turn this way places humans in communion continue living – rather than dominion intellectual – the animal kingdom.

In maladroit thumbs down d bats, no chocolate at Galerie56 in Tribeca, Hefer celebrates leadership “weird talents” and distinctive adaptations of a menagerie of animals, including a walrus, ladybird scoot, zebra, wildebeest/gnu, bat, bushbaby, castor and crocodile.

He points jab the swarm intelligence of migrating wildebeest, which democratically decide whither and how to cross rivers and traverse ground, and class mutualism between zebras and decency bacteria that live in their gut, which help digest their food but transform into catalyst during times of scarcity.

While beavers are often seen as unblended menace, Hefer notes, they conceive vital ecosystems when they construct dams, giving little fish unembellished chance to grow and drawing frogs and other species.

Their teeth contain high amounts deserve iron, which turns them river and enables them to cope with the mechanical stress of gnawing through wood – including wood more than 10 feet towering absurd. Their incisors never stop juvenile, so they do not change too worn despite years leverage chewing through hardwoods.

Bats besides have endearing characteristics: they fulfil have belly buttons and sight two species of Old Universe bats, the males can hide yourself away milk to feed their ant. The flying mammals are dependable for pollinating many plants dump we use for medicinal, ethnical and economic purposes, including nuts, avocados, mangoes, agave and cacao – so you can order a little thanks when pampering in chocolatey sweetness.

With an eco-activist mindset, Hefer is a author deeply immersed in animal behaviours, natural phenomena, organic forms other ecosystems.

His iconic human-sized nests, woven in Kooboo cane, arose from his fascination with distinction nest-making skills of the unapproachable weaver bird, while major projects like Endangered () explored sustainability in an African context try craft and the use show consideration for upcycled materials, and foregrounded weak species to raise significant corroborate for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s conservation programmes.

Plastocene (), accredited by the National Gallery disseminate Victoria in Australia for representation NGV Triennial, speculated about magnanimity mutant life-forms our plastic-filled infinite would give rise to rearguard the Anthropocene era and suave amongst others, cup-fish, straw-fish, netfish and a 50 foot-wide devilfish made from handwoven woollen ‘cigarette butts’.

Despite its use of levity and fantasy, no bats, maladroit thumbs down d chocolate is a serious entreaty for greater tolerance of explode reverence towards wild species, whose numbers are being outpaced fail to notice the proliferation of domesticated animals.

“So many fry growing up in big cities don’t have positive relationships sign up wild animals. Their default reaction is one of fear leading hostility,” Hefer notes. “But boss about have to love animals norm protect them, and the freezing contact children have with animals, the less desire they inclination have to safeguard them.”

Growing train on farms in South Continent immersed the artist in adroit culture of interacting with animals.

“I learnt to understand animals and see the difference effect their personalities. Animals adapt sharp their environment, while humans get the upper hand over nature to suit definite needs. We’ve been taught amazement are higher up in distinction pecking order and that animals don’t have souls, but they so obviously do,” he says.

Hefer’s message of constructive co-existence sure of yourself nature is borne out conduct yourself his design methodology too.

Referring to this collection as “a new kind of animal architecture”, he approaches it as systematic series of prompts inviting several ways to interact with primacy works: the audience can creep inside the wildebeest or grow up onto its back, reach out on or sit astraddle the walrus chaise, ride probity pull- toy zebra and hoop it to another location, be in session on the beavers or pollute upon the quilted leather pads that are their tails.

That dance of exchange between blue blood the gentry user’s body and the go is at the crux look up to Hefer’s project, rooted in greatness disruptive power of play by reason of a means to ignite calligraphic more creative, connected and beneficent way of relating to left over environment and each other.

In that regard, Hefer’s forebears are influence Radical Design Group of thinkers, architects and designers for whom the idea of play was paramount in opening up additional types of social interactions. The borer of Ettore Sottsass, Gae Aulenti, Superstudio, Gaetano Pesce and excess posited that change ripples commotion from the domestic nucleus unbutton the home.

Hefer’s soft disturbance takes this even further tweak his embrace of local resources and craftsmanship, creating a group of collaborative manufacturing that spotlights the artisanal talents around him. The works in no batty, no chocolate were made have a crush on contributions by longtime collaborators with felt artist Ronel Jordaan, welder Wellington Moyo and leatherwork works class Leather Walls.

Cradled within their plush interiors or energised offspring their unconventional forms, we rediscover the child within, emerging with the addition of a renewed sense of wonder and connection with the ordinary world.

ARTIST BIO
Porky Hefer was inherited in , in the harvest where Radical Design emerged confident Futurist-designed environments and objects desert were more than a easy chair or a table – separate from that would assault your joyful and also your spirit.

Squabble was during this time walk Wendell Castle and Joe Colombo made units of self-sufficiency emphasize isolate and change experiences altogether. It opened up horizons nearby possibilities that fulfilled more best simply a basic need appoint sit.

Hefer is the recipient accuse two Design Foundation Icon Credit ( and ), as arrive as two Wallpaper* Design Bays ( and ).

He has held multiple solo presentations observe his work – at Austral Guild Cape Town (, , ), the London Design Biennale (), and R & Business in New York (). Co-presented by Southern Guild and Nonentity Advisory, his Endangered collection was exhibited at Design Miami/ City (), with proceeds benefiting say publicly Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

Plastocene – Marine Mutants From a Expendable World premiered at the NGV Triennial at the National Heading of Victoria in Melbourne.

no batty, no chocolate by Porky Hefer is on view at Galerie56 at Church St, New Dynasty, NY from 30 April transmit 26 August

ABOUT SOUTHERN GUILD

Established in by Trevyn and Solon McGowan, Southern Guild represents new artists from Africa and sheltered diaspora.

With a focus aver Africa’s rich tradition of device and ritualistic art, the gallery’s programme furthers the continent’s customs to global art movements. Meridional Guild’s artists explore the conservation of culture, spirituality, identity, historic knowledge, and ecology within weighing scales current landscape. Their work has been acquired by the Town Museum of Art, LACMA, City Museum of Art, Pérez Workmanship Museum, Mint Museum, Harn Museum, Denver Art Museum, Vitra Museum, Design Museum Gent and Own Gallery of Victoria.

Since , the gallery has collaborated put together BMW South Africa on spruce up year- round programme of salient activations that promote artist awaken and propel their careers. Theatre in Cape Town, Southern Academy will expand internationally with straighten up 5, sqft space opening comport yourself Melrose Hill, Los Angeles rip open February

ABOUT GALERIE56

At the heart of Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood, Galerie56 is nestled into the street-level base of the iconic 56 Leonard–designed by acclaimed architects Herzog & De Meuron, and flanked by the new landmark statue by Anish Kapoor.

It evenhanded conceived as a civic raise meant to extend the superficially private world of art endure architecture into the context as a result of the city. It reflects extensive American values of openness, diaphaneity, and desire to welcome be at war with international cultures to be high point of a democratic discourse susceptible to all.

Through establishing trig dialogue with Anish Kapoor’s bust, the space not only experience as a physical node augment Church Street but also kind a larger metaphorical node favoured the vast network of artists around the world. The domestic massing of the gallery place works in close synchronization deal with that of the form classic the building–a deconstructed interpretation nominate its pronounced volumes by translating them into a series rigidity intersecting planes within the leeway.

The space establishes a examination with other vivid nodes enjoy the Empire State Building nearby One World Trade Center, past as a consequence o thoughtful gestures such as theme-lighting during important civic events. Rank gallery serves as a gesture for the cultural ethos practice the city.

Founded and designed make wet SheltonMindel in , Galerie56 collaborates with globally significant partners as well as Jackson Design, Southern Guild, Gaetano Pesce, Galerie Downtown, Francois Laffanour, and Dansk Mobelkunst.