Lot’s nameless wife is a figure of intrepid disobedience, the delicate doily is a banner of protest, and the legendary women of global mythology are granted a humanist reimagining in Jo Rogge’s ‘So She was Turned to a Pillar of Salt’.
During the exhibition’s opening at The Project Room in Windhoek recently, Rogge presided over their consummate showing of paintings, doilies, refurbished found objects and mixed media with a Mona Lisa smile.
Large scale, stylistic and surreal paintings transport viewers into Rogge’s colourful inner world where memory, the long shadow of contemporary conflict and the ongoing dehumanisation and murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and other (LGBTQI+) people in Namibia are captured in frames that are at once engaging, disquieting and aesthetic.
Concerned with the political which is, at times, personal, yet, also a cryptic glimpse into Rogge’s gender-free childhood, the peaks and valleys of romance, their teenage diary and their mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, ‘So She was Turned to a Pillar of Salt’ is a sprawling, layered and exploratory offering that holds a mirror to both Rogge and to the viewer.
Though the biblical ‘she’ referenced in the exhibition title is punished for her noncompliance and remains a cautionary tale of the ages, the ‘she’ of Rogge’s revision is something different.
“She is everyone, who, as referenced by [Kurt] Vonnegut, chooses to look back, to bear witness to the iniquities of humankind and not turn away or remain silent,” says Rogge.
In the artist’s doily series which signals solidarity with Palestine and in a painting honouring the life of Sexy Fredericks, a transgender woman who was brutally mutilated and murdered in Windhoek in May, Rogge employs art as a spark for social justice.
“As an artivist, and as Lot’s wife did, I believe that we bear witness and that we should be fearless in doing so, despite the potential to be ‘turned to salt’, ostracised or forever changed for doing so,” says Rogge.
The notion of looking back extends to Rogge’s more personal pieces which depict moments that recall a boat day, one night in the dunes, a birthday celebration and an early morning jacuzzi session.
“These works reference specific felt moments. They record memories and incidents that have shaped me, whether forged in pain or ecstasy,” says Rogge. “I think it is a function of age – a means of reflecting on seminal moments in order to process and integrate them more lucidly, with the benefit of hindsight and maturity.”
Rogge’s maturation is evident in the details of their fascinating solo. From the specific lines, bald heads and elongation of their figures to their masterly use of colour and delighting notes of humour, Rogge’s work solidifies a certain abstract signature while remaining experimental and eclectic in pieces such as ‘prostheses for my mother’, ‘my teenage diary’ and ‘The 3 Fates.’
Though many will sing Rogge’s praises not only for a lifetime of creative work, their impactful roles working with a number of Namibian arts institutions and their founding of the NJE Collective which uplifts queer and marginalised artists, secretary general of the Southern African Development Community parliamentary forum Boemo Sekgoma enjoyed the honour of opening Rogge’s exhibition.
“J o’s work stands as a testament to the power of vulnerability and courage. As Rogge pushes the boundaries of artistic expression, their work inadvertently pushes us to confront our own biases and prejudices,” said Sekgoma.
“In that regard, we are emboldened to question and confront, with absolute resolve, the invisible borders that keep refugees and stateless people confined and the societal expectations that dictate how individuals should express their gender or sexuality,” Sekgoma added.
“Let us allow this exhibition to provoke, challenge us and inspire us to be agents of positive social change.”
‘So she was turned to a pillar of salt’ will be on display at The Project Room in Windhoek until 12 October.
– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
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