September 11, 2021 - November 11, 2021
Experience the work of Emmie Nume alongside 60 artists across 29 countries from 28 galleries in their reflections on the relationship between drawing, the production of ideas and the evolutionary aspects of existence.
This drawing project is prompted by Charles Darwin’s 1837 sketch ‘Tree of Life’ in which he scribbled down a framework for his speculations about evolution in one of his first “transmutation notebook”. This intuitive drawing of an evolutionary tree is headlined by the words ‘I think’ and is a precursor to Darwin’s radical theory of evolution, common descent, differential survival and natural selection.
Kallat invites artists and audiences to consider if Darwin first wrote the words ‘I think’ and then proceeded to draw when words could not capture his emergent thoughts or if the drawing preceded the words; thus pointing to the bidirectional relationship between thought and drawing.
Project Programme
Opening Event | 11 September 2021
10H00 EST | 14H00 GMT | 15H00 BST | 19H30 IST
The opening of the exhibition will include the launch conversation where Jitish Kallat will engage in dialogue with two outstanding luminaries of our time, Siddhartha Mukherjee (physician, biologist and author) and William Kentridge (artist and filmmaker).
The conversation will navigate some of the idiosyncratic inquiries that make up the 'I draw, therefore I think' project, exploring the idea of drawing as a primary unit of creativity and the gene as a fundamental unit of heredity. The discussion could range from understanding their diverse and complex individual practices, to thinking about evolution and art.
Click here to register.
One exhibition. Two ways to view.
I draw, therefore I think will be viewed on the SOUTH SOUTH platform and on an interactive Miro board produced in collaboration with the Open Window Institute in Pretoria, allowing for multiple forms of engagement throughout the project’s duration.
Click here to register for Miro.
The project will branch out into the other aspects, including a series of conversations with artists and curators and interactive events on the Miro board.
To learn more visit https://south-south.art/