Based in South Africa’s Kwa-Zulu Natal province, artist Cameron Platter’s work filters, in a highly personal and idiosyncratic way, the enormous amount of information available today. Blurring the distinction between high and low, his eclectic and multi-disciplinary approach to art making, typically draws from everyday, unorthodox, transient, fragmented, disparate, overlooked sources.
Q > What’s the most satisfying part of the creative process (and why)?
A > Having the time to get lost with something. And knowing you have that time. Does that make sense? (The fact you have the time is the most satisfying part…)
In a schedule that involves oncologist visits, CT scans, two daughters, and all the mundane shit involved in life and just getting by, carving out time to do something ‘creative’ (designing, drawing, painting, reading, thinking, talking, tapestry making, ceramics) is a huge privilege and kinda a necessity.
Q > Surprising contradictions — tell us about things that conflict (or anger) you and inspire you at the same time.
A > Life & Death. Also, poverty, money, Monster Energy, KFC, the artworld, battery chickens, etc.
Lobsters and fish and crocodiles and stilettos are more inspiring than the above, and make me smile. And then they just make me sad too. Strange strangeness.
Q > In our digital age, it’s become all too easy to forget how important the written word is — tell us how you use words as tools in your work and creative process.
A > I’m always reading. And I don’t differentiate between high and low. The back of a chip packet is equal to the most hardcore theory. For me, anyway.
I also like to collect phrases. And then turn them over for a while. Then they pop out sometime down the line. I was thinking about “Survivor” and “Whipped Cream” yesterday.
Q > Tell us about your project ‘Solid Waste’ done in collaboration with Ben Johnson. What do you hope viewers will take away from it?
A > I’ve been working with Ben for a while now. We understand each other’s POV, vibe, process, and way and why we work very well. This video piece comes from a long-term, ongoing web project that we’ve been busy with for a number of years. It’s an effort to articulate what’s happening in our heads and to transcribe what we see around us. Kinda like a lo-fi digital Egyptian Stele, crossed with Leisure Suit Larry, Minecraft, a fast-food restaurant, and a rave.
Q > What inspired the use of Microsoft Paint to create ‘My BM is Bigger Than Yours’?
A > It wasn’t MS Paint. I was using Photoshop to the best of my ability. Which happened to be at a very low level, so people thought it was MS Paint.
I guess this is indicative of my work as a whole. I tend to use unorthodox approaches (pencils to make paintings, firing ceramics in commercial kilns, carving plastic chairs out of wood) and then just push as hard as I can. Like an amateur watercolourist who has drunk 20 Monsters. Things often end up looking like shit. But then they can also be great, and lead to new ways of seeing and looking and thinking.
Q > Do you feel that the internet has changed human nature/behaviour or merely offered new ways of this being expressed, recorded and shared?
A > Yes, the internet has changed human nature for sure. Personally, I think and make things so differently than 20 years ago, just because of the internet. It’s kinda like water. Scary.
Q > What role does humour play in your life and work?
A > Because life is so fucked up and hard and brutal and unfair, humour is very important. Like a release valve. Like sleep. Or sex. But, then again, it’s often quite hard to laugh. (Because life is so fucked up and hard and brutal and unfair.)
Q > What projects are you currently working on? Where will your work take you next?
A > Being an artist is quite similar, I think, to being a gambler in a casino. You’re never sure what’s going to happen next. That’s the great joy and stress of being an artist.
So, to answer your question, I have NO idea where my work will take me next. And that both freaks me out and makes me smile at the same time. Insert suitable emoji.
Born in 1978, Johannesburg, Cameron Platter’s recent solo exhibitions include Solid Waste at WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town in 2020, Teen_Non Fiction at 1301PE, Los Angeles, and You Look Like Your Face at Éric Hussenot in Paris. Platter’s work has also been exhibited at MoMA, New York; SFMoMA; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Le Biennale de Dakar, Senegal; and the South African National Gallery. In 2015, Platter was announced as the 2015 Artist in Residence at Zeitz MOCAA.
His work appears in the permanent collection of MoMA (New York), the FRAC des Pays de la Loire, (France), and the Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town). His work has been highlighted in the Los Angeles Times, Artforum, the New York Times, and many other notable publications.
