Withheld

Birgit Pedersen’s enthusiasm for the art and for the artist, whom she describes as very likeable, is infectious. She gives me an introduction to the artist’s background: brown, queer, born in 1982 in the former racially segregated township of Bonteheuwel in Cape Town. Clearly, his early life was not without challenges.

He got his first sewing machine from his grandmother, who, I am told, was a central, supportive figure during his upbringing. One of the pieces in the exhibition is dedicated to her.

Adams began his career creating appliquéd tapestries. Today, his practice has expanded to include woven tapestries, textile sculptures and performance art.
He is successful – his works are included in the collections of many museums around the world, he has held numerous solo exhibitions, and he is represented by the prestigious Thomas Dane Gallery in London. His studio in Cape Town employs many talented but also struggling artists and art students in addition to some of his family members.

‘The title of the exhibition translates to “Withheld”, and in these pieces, the artist explores the topics of cultural identity and the impact of traumas on the human psyche and the healing power of physical movement,’ the exhibition coordinator explains, adding, ‘The “clouds of dust” suspended from the ceiling are an artistic interpretation of the plumes of dust that rise up as you dance on dry soil. Apropos of dancing, the main piece of the exhibition is a 6.5-metre-long tapestry created by the Garage Dance Ensemble doing a performance on a surface covered by wet paint. The artwork consists of the marks of the dancers’ feet.’ The process is beautifully documented in the film about the artist that is shown at the entrance to the exhibition.

The exhibition can be enjoyed whether or not you have any prior knowledge of the artist and his work. 

The film kept me at the edge of my seat, and even without Birgit’s introduction, I would have been blown away by its poetry. The exhibition is full of flashes of light and hope with ample opportunity for individual interpretation. After the tour, during the few moments when I was alone in the halls – which I otherwise shared with aging museum-goers taking photos of each other in front of the main exhibit or losing themselves in the magic of the clouds – I experienced an almost spiritual, elevated sense of calm. 

The pieces are made of materials (including huge amounts of plastic beads) that might seem tacky in a Scandinavian textile art context, which favours wool, linen and plant-based dyes – but ‘tacky’ is the last term I would apply to them.

From the first to the last carefully selected plastic bead, Igshaan Adam’s materials and works are powerful and moving, and no photo can do them justice. In other words, you simply have to make your way to Aarhus and see the exhibition for yourself.