Aftermath at Association Of Arts Pretoria | Art.co.za Art Exhibition Listings

In ‘Aftermath’, Nel explores the fallout and consequent loss arising from trauma, whether on a personal, national or global scale. Nel uses commonplace items such as children’s toys, sweet wrappers and empty discarded packaging, blowing them up to larger-than-life proportions, creating a staged tableau of still life studies that are quietly troubling in their size and simplicity. These objects are symbols of inertia, disorientation and waste, capturing a sense of despair for a country wracked by infrastructural, moral and economic corruption. These studies are ultimately symbolic of the loss and misuse of power. The exploitation of resources has been intertwined with the history of South Africa and the African continent for centuries, and has particular relevance in our current political climate.