William Faulkner stated that “The best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism.” His sentiment could be echoed in a somewhat revised manner that states that the dramatic and the unreal are often far more true than the superficial realities we are faced with every day. This convoluted statement can sum up the collaborative work of Gordon Clark and Leon Botha. Perhaps more simply put, we live in a world but where watching the real makes us become more unreal by losing touch with what is really important.
One of the things it comes down to is that we can watch “reality TV” and believe that what we see in those shows is who we are; and if that is true, then it paints a rather dismal picture of society. We sit back and watch ourselves, becoming apathetic in the process.
However, artists such as Gordon and Leon come along to show us something that matters. To show us life and death and make us realise that there is so much more in between and allow us to break down the confines of being defined, without losing sight of the beginning and the end.
Gordon Clark is a photographer and director based in Cape Town, after spending many years in Los Angeles. Leon Botha, also based in the Cape, is an artist and musician living with Progeria (the Greek word for rapid aging). His talents also extend to DJing – working on turntables in the true old-school fashion. He has even featured in music videos for bands such as Die Antwoord. Leon states, “I challenge the idea that more is to be learned from – or about – me in a documentary format.” Already with this statement, traditional notions of representation are turned upside down. Leon seeks to portray his views and his life in a new way, in his way; he does not want to be “me on everyone else’s terms.” We do not have to conform to the limits of definition placed on us.
Leon and Gordon’s collaborative journey is entitled Transgressions. To transgress is to “break a rule” or “cross a line” and that is what these two men attempt to do with their work. They are crossing the line by erasing the lines and thus, erasing the limits we place on ourselves and others by constantly defining things. As they put it, “We are not definable.” Although I do feel there is a place for definition, we do need to open ourselves up to change and improvement by stepping out of the box occasionally. Constant definition allows for false sense of security and causes us to judge others on superficial terms. Gordon and Leon seek to push us out of our comfort zones in order to confront ourselves.
Gordon’s’ photographs, mounted on the walls of Joao Ferreira’s Gallery in Cape Town, are truly amazing. Gordon and Leon have been working together for a year and in their journey they have developed a high level of trust for one another. The process of working together on this project has also allowed them to “tune into each other.” Their mutual understanding and respect for one another is apparent in their camaraderie and in the way they finish one another’s thoughts like two people who have been friends for years.
Gordon’s photographs offer us a plethora of altered realities. Despite several haunting images, there is always a positive or relevant element in each. Gordon’s attention to detail ensures this, as can be seen quite powerfully in images such as Discovery and See No Evil.
For the artist, it is a process and a journey that is innovative and dynamic. It is not just standing around in a few random spots taking photos and then photoshopping them. Gordon and Leon travelled to many different locations, and thinking up and setting up those shots truly involves the artist in the art. One such image is Whistling at the Wolf, where an actual wolf had been used in the shot with Leon.
Due to his condition, Leon finds himself judged a lot and with his journey he seeks to expose these judgements by asking “Who am I?” Gordon’s lens is focused on Leon and we are confronted with him in every image. After a while we stop seeing Leon and focus on the altered realities he finds himself in and we inevitably turn our eyes onto ourselves and contemplate how we are judging the images. We start looking at ourselves and “how we live our lives in the time given to us.”
The recurrent theme of life and death seems to remind us of our mortality. Pending death is a notion Leon lives with every day, but it is a reality we are all faced with. Anything could happen to anyone on any given day.
For the audience, Transgressions is a new perspective – a challenge to look at things differently or more carefully. As Gordon states about their aims in the beginning: “Let’s go further – let’s push.” Something reality TV, for example, does not do. It does not push, it does not go further – we watch others do the things we do in everyday life, but judge them for it. We are so quick to judge, so quick to make baseless decisions and as Leon so aptly puts it, “We think we know things, we don’t know shit.” Admitting this, however, scares us more than anything and thus it is easier to pretend that we know and to pretend that we understand, even if this leads to quick judgements.
This brings us back to one of the key themes in Transgressions. “How shall we be judged? How shall we judge?” Although it’s not our place to judge, it is an inevitable human characteristic and it is important to have works, such as Transgressions, that allow us to step back and see how we perceive and pre-conceive people and situations and realise that we may not always be right; realise that sometimes we need to be pushed a little closer to the edge in order to live on it. Our apathetic lives are our own doing; as Gordon and Leon so humorously, but truthfully, put it: “You can’t go forward if your car’s in reverse.”
Originally published in A Look Away.
Image source.