We watch a three-screen film set on a sloping wooden stage that rocks side to side, mimicking the rolling of a ship. The orchestral film by William Kentridge, showing in Prague, is a reimagining of the journey of the cargo ship Capitaine Paul-Lemerle from Marseille to Martinique. It was a ship that transported intellectuals and free-thinkers away from the coming Nazi forces in 1941.
Alongside the nautical nod of a ship’s wheel appearing on screen, there are references to colonialism, slavery and fascism, alongside a resonant musical soundtrack. These are made all the more relevant given his own heritage, as Kentridge is a South African artist of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. Yet there are also playful elements, with his signature coffee pot popping up several times, including one instance in which it replaces Hitler’s head.
His trademark animation style involves charcoal drawings on a single sheet of paper, in which he erases one scene before drawing the next, leaving traces of the previous scene still visible. It was revelatory to hear Kentridge say he used to consider this an error and apologised for it, until someone suggested it’s what makes his work unique, and now he is happy to keep it in.
This rawer approach to animation means it has more in common with the animation that emerged from Eastern Europe when Kentridge was younger, and he feels more attached to that style than to the more polished animations of Hollywood.
Prague is where Franz Kafka was born and lived, so Kentridge has referenced the writer in a 15-minute film that revolves around a fittingly Kafka-esque plot involving an assassination. The film involves collages, a simple optical illusion known as Pepper’s Ghost, and, of course, some coffee pots.
There are some more familiar works, including six of the films from the Drawings for Projection series. They explore life in Johannesburg, memory, and human relations under and after Apartheid. They were shown in his major Royal Academy of Arts exhibition in London, and just as they were displayed there, the same cork walls are present in this room, giving the space a dark and earthy feel.
Upstairs is a recreation of his studio and replicas of his notebooks, which we can leaf through, making us feel as if we’re in the midst of his creative process. The exhibition is titled The Battle Between YES and NO because, as the artist says, that’s where reality sits in the chaos between yes and no.
There’s always too much going on in William Kentridge’s work to absorb in one sitting. The works are always wide-ranging and cover devastating history of the Second World War, colonialism and Apartheid. They can be non-linear in how the artist shines a light on these issues without ramming them down our throats with a clear narrative. He also has a playful, subversive and surreal approach to incorporating these ideas into his work.
It’s these factors, combined, that make people either major Kentridge fans or those who struggle to buy into his approach because of his aesthetic or meandering narration. I’ll admit I’ve never been in either one of those camps, but the more I see of his work, the more I get from each viewing.
It’s fitting that the coffee pot appears in his works, as just like coffee, William Kentridge’s work starts with you not knowing what to make of it, then developing a taste for it, and before you know it, you’re recommending it to everyone.
William Kentridge: The Battle Between YES and NO is on at Kunsthalle Praha until 7th September.
Images 1 & 3 are copyright Vojtech Veskrna. Image 2 is copyrighted by William Kentridge.
