Cameron Platter is a South African artist known for his eclectic and multidisciplinary approach to art, which includes drawing, ceramics, paintings, installations and video art. His art often explores themes related to contemporary culture, consumerism, and the intersection of different cultural influences. Platter's art is characterized by a vibrant and playful aesthetic combined with social and political commentary.
The exhibition titled “Drawings” includes, together with a rich selection of drawings from different series, also ceramics and a video installation. In combining a diverse range of media and techniques, it creates visually striking and conceptually rich result. His drawings exhibit meticulous detail, featuring intricate and detailed compositions. They combine elements of pop culture, African imagery, and surrealistic motifs. With a keen eye for detail, Platter creates visually rich and thought-provoking images using ink, graphite, and mixed media.
his ceramic pieces, Platter explores the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary themes. His works range from functional vessels to sculptural forms. Platter's ceramics often incorporate vibrant glazes, patterns, and textures, sometimes complemented by bold graphic elements. Through his sculptural creations, he delves into cultural narratives and challenges conventional notions of form and function.
While his video art installations immerse viewers in multisensory experiences. Using projected videos, soundscapes, and sometimes interactive elements, he crafts captivating narratives. His video works often explore topics such as globalization, cultural identity, and the influence of technology on society. Platter's video installations provide an immersive and thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues.
Platter’s language uses an apparent playful and pop approach combined with elements of satire, humor, and vibrant aesthetics to address and challenge societal issues. This artistic approach seeks to engage viewers through visually appealing and accessible imagery while provoking thought and commentary on various social, cultural, and political topics. Through a vivid palette and simple yet expressive forms, his works often feature bold images, iconic and energetic figures with dark humor and ironic or cynical or even dramatic or cryptic statements. Through his playful, unsettling and visually striking style, he offers critical commentary on topics such as capitalism, consumerism, mass production, and the blurring boundaries between high and low art. They can even challenge authoritarianism, human rights abuses, and censorship, combining subtle symbolism with direct critiques.
His art demonstrates how a playful and pop approach can be used to convey social criticism and engage audiences in a thought-provoking manner.
Artist
Cameron Platter
b. 1978, Johannesburg, South Africa
Interdisciplinary artist Cameron Platter’s vivid mixed-media works explore notions of excess and consumption through the lens of a South African identity. Across drawing, sculpture and video, in a highly personal and idiosyncratic way, the enormous amount of information available today. Blurring the distinction between high and low, his postmodern and multi-disciplinary approach to art-making, typically draws from sources as disparate as art history, ecology, fast food, advertising, therapy, collage, and consumerism. The artist’s extensive and diverse oeuvre is characterized by vibrant colors which evoke a playful feeling. He is interested in creating work which is provocative yet universally relatable, touching on themes including sex, beauty, politics, and violence.
Platter’s work was featured in a monumental exhibition at the 55th Venice Biennale called “Imaginary Fact: Contemporary South African Art and the Archive.” The artist often incorporates found objects in his work—including advertisements, posters, or empty energy drink containers—to convey notions about popular culture throughout South Africa and the world in general. In Platter's sculptural works, ceramics and solid waste are often utilized as the primary medium of expression.
Cameron Platter has participated in numerous exhibitions from around the world, including solo exhibitions at “Ba Dum Tssshhh”, WHATIFTHEWORLD (South Africa, 2022); “I Wasn’t Made I Was Made”, Galerie Hussenot (France, 2021); “Teen Non_Fiction”, 1301PE (US, 2018); and “ZOL”, Blank Projects (South Africa, 2017). Recent group exhibitions include: “Chaos Calm”, Bangkok Art Biennale 2022 (Thailand, 2022); “Memory, Playfulness, and Stream of Consciousness”, Tang Contemporary (Hong Kong, 2022); “Public Intimacy”, SF MoMA, (US, 2013); The South African Pavillion”, the 55th Venice Biennale (Italy, 2013); “Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now”, MoMA, (US, 2011).
His work appears in the permanent collection of MoMA, New York; The FRAC des Pays de la Loire, France; and the Iziko South African National Gallery.