Acclaimed Berlin-based illustrator and figurative painter Olaf Hajek presents his first exhibition in Africa.
Titled Dark Clouds Are Gathering, it features a series of painted works that simultaneously play into and undercut impressions of Africa as the ‘dark continent”. Combining Hajek’s sense of wonder at the continent’s natural beauty with a darker look at social and politically realities on the ground, it presents a world that is both visually beguiling and deeply disturbing. This is an Africa of the imagination: a place where folklore, mythology, religion, history, and geography combine into exotic juxtapositions. Here Hajek skills as an illustrator, whose sought-after work can be seen in publications including The New York Times and The Guardian, come to the fore to create dreamlike tableaux that are both bitingly satirical and playful surreal. The exhibition is accompanied by the release of his recently published monograph by Gestalten.
Until April 16. Whatiftheworld, First Floor, 208 Albert Road, Woodstock Cape Town.