Catherine Ocholla Paintings, Exhibitions, Projects

Press Release for The Big Hole:

Art Exhibition / One-Night Event: ‘The Big Hole’ at the Kimberley Hotel
Curated by Catherine Ocholla

Mavericks, provocateurs and household names in the contemporary South African artscape will take over one of Cape Town’s most historical watering holes, the Kimberley Hotel, on Wednesday the 11th of August, in a madcap art exhibition, party and cultural response to the local of many of Cape Town’s most creative individuals.

‘The Big Hole’ provides an opportunity for artists to investigate the sometimes murky legends circulating around the Kimberley, as well as some of the various South African histories ingrained in the site. David Southwood, for example, will show some of his original raunchy photographs from the days when the Kimberley was a brothel. Other artists, such as Ed Young, will be dealing with its current incarnation as a multi-purpose recreational facility by ‘playing’ with the slot machines at the back of the bar.

Visitors to ‘The Big Hole’ on the night will be able to see a number of site-specific interventions, including works by Belinda Blignaut, Stuart Bird, Suzy Bell, and Art Heat’s Robert Sloon. Revelers can also take part in performative interventions that rely on the audience’s partying spirit, such as works by Andrew Lamprecht & James Hoets, Linda Stupart and Wayne Barker, who will shoot glamour photographs of willing victims in a specially constructed studio on the night of the exhibition (participants are encouraged to bring a prop along for this intervention).

There will also be video and traditional media responses, including works by Pieter Hugo, Jake Aikman, David Scadden and Henk Serfontein, and an upstairs open studio featuring the VVIPs William Kentridge and Marlene Dumas, and a host of other artists. The studio will be home to ‘The Red Dot Sale’ which will take place each Saturday until the 28th of August.

Over 30 artists will be involved in the event, many of them reflecting on the time that they have spent at the Kimberley over the years. In doing so, they will provide not only a night to remember, but also an enduring legacy and affectionate tribute to this ‘grand lady’ of Roeland Street from those who love her most.

Artists participating include: Wayne Barker, Ed Young, Pieter Hugo, Stuart Bird, Suzy Bell, William Kentridge, Richard Chauke, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Andrew Lamprecht, James Hoets, Jake Aikman, Catherine Ocholla, Robert Sloon, Kirsty Cockerill, Belinda Blignaut, Linda Stupart, Conrad Bo, Mr. Taylor, David Southwood, David Scadden, Matthew Blackman, Genevieve Louw, Jonathan Garnham, Lizza Littlewort, Henk Serfontein, Kai Lossgott, Julie Donald, Pierre Fouche, Niel Nieuwoudt, Jorge Brandao, Matthew Partridge, Margaret H E Stone, Shani Nel, Charles Maggs, Michael Taylor, Dominique Cheminais