Stanislaw Trzebinski’s Solo Exhibition at Southern Guild

WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES Hayden Phipps, courtesy of Southern Guild

In The Absence of Light, Stanislaw Trzebinski‘s first solo show at Southern Guild, explores humanity’s delicate connection to the Earth’s oceans through a series of sculptural works.

A continuation of Stanislaw’s 2018 series Extra Terrestrial, his latest show invites you to become a diver in an artificial sea as you meander through towering kelp forests frozen in time, rendered in bronze and glittering with the illusion of bioluminescence. Explore coral-, stalactite- and fungi-reminiscent forms that appear to have been harvested from the earth itself. This body of work features standing chandeliers, a series of tables and suspended “sea hearts”, sculptural works that urge viewers to recognise the plight of the planet’s oceans and the natural world at large.

“Our indifference towards nature is the biggest threat to humans,” says Stanislaw. “We know so little about our oceans, yet we are destroying them at such a fast rate. We don’t even know what we’re losing.” It’s these mystical unknowns, these undiscovered denizens of the deep, that Stanislaw’s latest series urges viewers to consider. 

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As an ode to the place where Stanislaw first discovered his love for fishing, snorkelling and kite-surfing, a percentage of sales from this exhibition will be donated to Local Ocean Conservation – a Kenyan not-for-profit organisation that prioritises the protection of the marine environment through ocean conservation, education and outreach programmes.

In the Absence of Light is currently on show and runs until 17 October 2019 at the Silo District in the V&A Waterfront. For more information, visit southernguild.co.za.