On Thursday 3 December 2015, artist Jonathan Freemantle opened his exhibition, Der Heilige Berg II (The Holy Mountain) at Gallery MOMO in Cape Town.
Freemantle has long been fascinated by mountains, an interest which has seen him spend large periods of time on two specific mountain ranges: the mountains surrounding Rannoch Moor in Scotland, and the foothills of the Magaliesberg in South Africa. Last year, he carried out a two-month residency at the Nirox Foundation in the Cradle of Humankind. His paintings are literally painted with actual mountain substances. We caught up with the artist to find out what drives his interests.
Where does your fascination with mountains come from?
Ever since I was very young I’ve found magic and refuge in mountains. I grew up in Cape Town at the foot of one great mountain and then we would often spend weekends in a little village called Greyton in the Overberg with my father and his godfather, John Lange. John was a kind of mystical mountain man (that’s how he appeared to me as a young boy) and a profound sense of being ‘called’ by the mountain began to take hold in me then. We spent a lot of time in the mountain growing up and then I left for London age 17 to study fine art and without knowing it a huge separation from mountains happened. I was deep in an urban jungle. Then, eight years ago I moved to Scotland and started yearning to get into the highlands. I felt that pull again, which felt like a kind of homecoming but at a different stage in my life. So I find myself pulled even more strongly towards something that mountains and climbing mountains represent, a process of arduous struggle punctuated by moments of sublime joy.
Have you gotten any closer to finding the ‘essence’ of the mountain? Are there any other accidental discoveries you’ve made along the way?
There’s this thing that has been happening where working so closely in search of the essence of the mountain has led to a mirror journey into my own sense of self. It has been a kind of awakening. An alchemical by-product. Like all great discoveries I suppose, you begin searching for something specific and find that the process wakes up the potential for something real to happen. The wonderful thing about this metaphor of climbing mountains is that it is very much an inner thing as well as an outer thing. Climbing a mountain is very similar to making an artwork. You start with ambition to get to the top and then constantly lose your way, get tired, re-inspired, lost again and then, just when you think you’re at the top you realise there’s another peak that’s even higher, a little more out of reach and you have to re-dedicate and push on. At some point there’s a final risk that needs to be taken, the last bit is always the most precarious. You can lose everything. And then when you get to the top you realise that it wasn’t about getting to the top at all, but about the process.
Please tell us a bit more about your process with regards to using actual mountain substance to paint mountains?
The process is simple, to use only pigments that I could find on the two mountains. I collect the rocks on the mountain (slate, ochre and other rock) and then bring the rocks to the studio and grind them to a finer powder. Next, I mix this with a combination of linseed oil and dammar and ultimately beeswax to make paint. The final stage in the process is making the paintings. These are made by systematically applying and then washing off the paint, replicating the millennia of erosion that creates the mountains we see today. Literally making a mountain with a mountain.
Being in such direct contact with the earth material is crucial, and transformative. I’ve begun to develop a silent dialogue with the earth, which was deepened during my residency at Nirox. The landscape there was so naked and exposed that it wasn’t long before I felt deeply in touch. I felt for the first time that the line between walking the mountain and making the artwork completely disappeared, they became one. The work was entirely about process.
What kind of comparisons can be made between your time on the Scottish Highlands and your time at the Cradle of Humankind?
Both mountain ranges are amongst the oldest on earth and they share a rawness that is very visceral. There’s nowhere to hide, no alpine forest to walk through. They are naked, eroded and ancient.
You’re a very busy man. Beyond creating your own art, you’ve started initiatives to push other talent, like your gallery space in Joburg, HAZARD, and the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival. Firstly, how do you balance all of this? And secondly, please tell us what else you’re working on at the moment?
I enjoy being busy! Especially with a range of inspiring projects. Being an artist is very singular so I find the process of running a gallery and curating very rewarding, as it brings me into contact with an amazing group of people. At the moment HAZARD is expanding. We have just taken onTHE COSMOPOLITAN Hotel in Maboneng. THE COSMOPOLITAN is a heritage building, built in 1899 and situated in the heart of the Maboneng Precinct, directly opposite The Museum of African Design (MOAD) on Albrecht Street. We have already begun work to transform it into a high-end retail emporium with multiple stores that include fashion, grooming and homeware, as well as the revival of the historic ‘Lion Bar’ and the introduction of a restaurant and cigar lounge that service the large inner courtyard. All the brands involved are exquisitely curated to create a one of a kind luxury experience in the city.
Inspired by the likes of Dover Street Market (London), Colette (Paris) and Opening Ceremony Store (NYC), THE COSMOPOLITAN will bring together international and pan-African luxury brands, artisanal food and an award-winning bar team to create an oasis within the vibrant Johannesburg CBD.
Aside from you own work, are there a new talented artists/designers that you’re particularly excited about at the moment?
I’m looking closely at four young artists at the moment. Jake Singer’s work is very strong, Sophia van Wyk’s work is completely individual (currently showing with Luis Alonzo-Barkigia at HAZARD) and I am very keen to see where Unathi Mkonto goes. His mark-making is very exciting. Finally, Blessing Ngobeni, he made a fantastic work for his recent exhibition titled Colourless, which reminded me very strongly of Guernica.
Der Heilige Berg II runs until 23 January 2016 at Gallery MOMO at the ORO Africa Building, 170 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town. Gallery MOMO is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 2pm.