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Introducing Artist HENRY ALBERTUS - Cape Town, South Africa

3/10/2017

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Henry Albertus showing us his second story view
Henry Albertus was one of the first settlers of Vryground, or, in Afrikaans, “free ground”.  It is now more commonly known as Capricorn Township.  Thes informal settlements, or townships, are living structures set up on Council land. Because they are not designed for housing, water and electricity are not a part of the formula. 

Traditionally the houses are one story units made from corrugated metal, plastics, glass and wood.  However, Henry Albertus, who has spent his life reading and exploring various modes of the construction industry, has spent his life in Vryground breaking the traditional township house rules.  By recycling rubbish from junkyards and recycling them into many-leveled sculptural castles, Albertus has built works which echo architecture from all over the world!

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​When we first entered Henry’s house, I could hear Amy Goodman on the radio:  a familiar voice in a foreign place.  As soon as we started talking with Henry, he too, made us feel right at home.  A self-taught architect scavenger, Albertus personally hauled by hand all the building materials that he recycled from the Vryground dump, almost a mile away! He also collected items from various jobsites throughout the area where he also acquired carpentry and gardening skills over many decades.

Henry will exhibit his craftsmanship and vision for Dreamland in the entry room @ Mattress Factory, opening Friday, May 25th.

For more info, check out the official MF announcement here!

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"Sites of Passage" Defends Challenging Perspectives at The Mattress Factory Museum

9/15/2011

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"Can you believe all of this extra security??" was one of the many initial reactions to the opening of Sites of Passage last Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. What many visitors did not realize (until later), was that the "security" was really made up of American artists posing as officers in collaboration with Sudanese artist Amado al Fadni's installation "Passport Agency".

The idea was to subject Americans to the absurdity of bureaucratic processing which is often the norm for citizens in the Middle East when trying to come to America. In the run-around, unknowing participants in this act filled out a questionnaire in order to obtain a faux passport, and then were quizzed by artist officers, like Larry Bogad, about their hopes, dreams, and fears in order to obtain an entry visa to the show. Depending on the answers, some passed through freely, while others were sent on to more stamping scrutiny.

"How long have you lived here?" asked artist officer Mark Staley.

"My whole life," answered the unsuspecting visitor.

"Wow, here in this museum?" Mark reprised as he put on a second pair of glasses to inspect the documentation. Others in line chuckled.

"I just want to get in and see the show," another applicant complained while being shuffled between stations. "You should really talk to each other more so you can iron out all of these kinks," she advised. 

Once visitors finally passed through the rush of Mad Libs, the stage opened up to explore over a dozen installations ranging from videos exploring nationalism, sound installations about unity, Arabic calligraphy, and some unique photography. To view some of the current work, visit our Online Gallery and click on each piece individually to leave comments.

With over 350 in attendance, a buzz of excitement spread thick through the halls of The Mattress Factory Museum's Annex building. Many of the American artists who participated in the Fayoum Workshop were busy sharing stories from their experience of living in a Revolutionary countryside for 3 weeks, while some Pittsburgh locals shared their interpretations of work with complete strangers over food and drink.
Besides the insidious greeting of "Passport Agency", one installation of high note became "Tahrir (squared)" by Emily Lychack. Featuring rocks from the actual square where the revolution took place, along with a full-round of blown up photos of protestors, the space took on the flavor of actually being in Tahrir as visitors crowded to merge into the scenery. It quickly transformed into a great place for visitors to share their memories of the not-so-distant media frenzy.

And this was the aim all along: to get people talking about global issues; sharing ideas about possibility; discussing the world we live in order to understand new vantage points.

"I am very pleased with how all of this turned out," noted Firefly Tunnels creator Tavia La Follette. "I mean, obviously there were some major issues with the Egyptians not being here right now, but look at how we managed!" she expressed, pointing to the slew of visitors publically engaged in internationally curated art.

Sites of Passage will run until January 8, 2012. For more information about upcoming programs and events, see our MAIN PAGE.
>> Photos from opening <<
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