One of the standout shows of the year so far has been the presentation of the Gymnasium series by South African-American painter, Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi at Stevenson gallery in Johannesburg. On view through June 27, the presentation of oil on canvas captures the vulnerability of putting one’s body and dreams on the line, on display, to be judged.  What is the what in seeking perfection, and who is the judge?

"The artist, like the gymnast, is witnessed and judged: trying, succeeding, failing," Niki Nkosi says of the Gymnasium exhibition, and in many ways, we see the works as a commentary on both the critique of talent but of the body itself. The gallery notes, "This pictorial microcosm echoes shifts across the world of contemporary art as figures navigate the possession of talent and the politicisation of their bodies. Traversing vulnerability and visibility, the projected subversion in Nkosi’s figures becomes an embodied interrogation of hegemonic notions of excellence." Further study suggests that these athletes are being judged by those who cannot execute the exercises themselves, and that the prescribed excellence is created by a system of gatekeepers who themselves have never achieved such heightened skills. This is evident in the work below, Evaluation, as well as the painting of the faceless crowd clustered together and looking down on a nameless and unseen gymnast.

Evaluation 2019 1000x1500mm oiloncanvas

The gallery continues, "The paintings in Gymnasium range from fluidly composed figurations of gymnasts and judges to unoccupied spaces verging on architectural abstraction. Nkosi’s figures are decidedly not painted in peak moments of athleticism. Rather, the artist depicts the moments preceding and following the execution of a move, or the aftermath of failure, in a foregrounding of the subtleties of performance that often escape public notice. Clusters of spectators make their first appearance in the series, and the tension of their participation is rendered through suggestive mark-making instead of detailed micro-portraits. Shifting focus away from the fact of success or defeat, Gymnasium spotlights the humanity engaged and set aside in the shift from human to performer, youth to labourer, person to demigod, and the reverse." 

https://thenjiwenkosi.com/