Stefanus RADEMEYER (b. 1976)
‘Symmetriad’ for Stanislaw Lem
2006
archival pigment print
edition of 10 + 2 artist’s proofs
85 x 85 cm
‘Branches in Time’ for Jorge Luis Borges
2006
archival pigment print
edition of 10 + 2 artist’s proofs
85 x 85 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Stefanus Rademeyer’s sculptures and computer-generated drawings investigate complex systems and the emergence of dynamic forms through generative processes of making. He accomplishes this by assembling units and employing algorithmic equations as the generative driver behind his work. The generative algorithms he employs often describe the inherent forms and intricacies of various natural features, such as geological, crystalline and botanic structures.
Born in Johannesburg where he lives and works as a fulltime artist, Rademeyer holds a Masters Degree with distinction in Fine Arts and Art Theory from the University of Witwatersrand.
In Resonant Structures (2010 and 2011) Goodman Gallery Johannesburg and Cape Town, Rademeyer expanded on his interdisciplinary approach to art-making; intersecting the seemingly unlikely fields of art and mathematics. In order to create a series of algorithmic drawings produced as digital prints, Rademeyer uses the process of coding within existing computer programmes. ‘Some of the structures that I draw consist of twenty million different shapes that come together in one structure, so it is physically impossible to do it manually,’ he explained. ‘The prints are static images of this dynamic process. One can compare it to an image of a river flowing that is captured in a photograph. They’re residual of a process.’ A central component of Resonant Structures was a series of large-scale light boxes – flawlessly crafted out of mirror, fluorescent lighting, mahogany and Perspex – that display details of particular algorithms.
In 2003 and 2006 respectively, he held two solo exhibitions at Warren Siebrits Modern and Contemporary – Surface Depth and Ideograph. In an ongoing explorative pursuit to find a visual equivalent for language, Rademeyer is known for considering fields such as science, literature, philosophy and music within the artworks he creates. In Ideograph, he visually translated texts by philosophers such as Gilles Deleuze and musical compositions by artists such as John Cage into visual structures, realised in the form of prints and animations.
In 2003 he held a solo exhibition at Wits Art Gallery titled 20:20 Mapping Trajectories.
Rademeyer’s work has been featured at international events, such as Art Basel 2010.
In 2001 he was awarded first prize in the Absa L’Atelier competition, and took up residence at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. In 2003 he was awarded the Ampersand Foundation residency in New York.
Rademeyer’s sculptures and prints can be found in the major corporate and private collections in South Africa and his work is also held in private collections in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.