Alastair Whitton: A Foreign Land at AKAA, Paris

Alastair Whitton’s most recent body of work entitled a Foreign Land will be presented as a solo project at AKAA - Also Known as Africa in Paris by Black Box Publishing from 9-11 November. This project includes an introduction by celebrated artist Marlene Dumas and a scholarly essay by Ashraf Jamal (author of In the World: Essays on Contemporary South African Art published by SKIRA 2017). 

Taking the form of an open book with each ‘page’ framed and presented as a composite of 23 individual works, the portfolio comprises 15 hand printed gelatin silver prints and 8 text pages. Essentially a portrait of Cape Town, a city in flux, this body of work considers, what the artist refers to as, ‘the mechanisms of memory and the mapping of geographies and histories’ while exploring notions of ‘the poetics and politics of place’.

To date Whitton has presented three solo exhibitions: Barnard, Cape Town (2014); Brundyn & Gonsalves, Cape Town (2010) and David Krut Projects, Johannesburg (2009). His work has also been featured in group exhibitions at notable institutions - highlights of which include: Pratt Institute, New York; Foto Museum, Antwerp; Center for Book Arts, New York; Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon and IZIKO South African National Gallery.

He has participated in various international art fairs and photo festivals including amongst others AKAA: Also Known as Africa, Paris; Cape Town Art Fair; Joburg Art Fair; Head On Photo Festival, Sydney; Editions: Artists’ Books, New York and Out of Africa Festival, Munich. Whitton’s work is represented in amongst others the collections of the Durban Art Museum, University of South Africa, Jack Ginsberg Collection / Ampersand Foundation, Johannesburg and the Aperture Foundation in New York.