ALLEN LAING

ALLEN LAING

In short,

I was born in Pretoria in 1990, and graduated from the University of Pretoria with distinction in 2012. Two years later I relocated to the Nirox Sculpture Park where I spent an extended period in residency making my own art, and producing work for other artists from Lagos, New York, Berlin and London.
In 2018 I graduated Cum Laude from the MFA programme at the University of Johannesburg, and was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal for the most meritorious study in the faculty. The following year I received the Ampersand Fellowship and an opportunity to spend a month on residency in New York City. Since 2017 my studio has been based in Pretoria at Dionysus Sculpture Works.

My work Advocate of Nature (2017) is housed in the permanent collection of the WITS Art museum, and Bookmatch Book (2018) forms part of the collection at the Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts.
Oniomanic Mammonic Manual (2017) is held in the Johannesburg City Library’s Michaelis Collection and Coffee Machine (2016) is in the Modern Arts Projects Museum in Richmond, Northern Cape. Other works are housed in prominent private collections around South Africa.

My intent when making art

As a living and infinitely mutable medium, wood has captured my deep interest. When I discovered that it could be made to suit whatever purpose I could imagine for it, I immediately understood the sense of power that early humans must have experienced as they fashioned their tools. As a sculptor I never imitate reality. Instead, I create objects that are as entirely novel as they are real. Traditional woodworking techniques and an appreciation of form underlie the creation of works that are intended to be worn, performed in and used by me.
Every artwork that I create is a response to a real or imagined problem that I face as a citizen of our global village.
Although I grapple with serious ideas and issues, I make sure to imbue my work with a sense of play and humour, allowing it to resonate with a wider audience.

Website: www.allenlaing.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/allen.laing/