Press Releases

This exhibition of specially selected work, entitled Joe’s Choice, brings together the experienced, discerning eye of long-established art dealer, artist and collector, Joe Wolpe (born 1922) with the creative talent and artistic vision of renowned Cape Town artist, Jill Trappler (born 1957).

Fundamentally it showcases a tight selection by Wolpe of works, in a variety of media from acrylic on canvas to etchings, made by Trappler over the last three decades. It is borne out of a studio showing by Trappler in July 2007 and Wolpe’s abiding, strong interest in her extensive oeuvre.

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We spent an afternoon and a morning putting this show up. It was not curated or even selected. I had five pieces from Joe Wolpe, three NFS and two others. Ralf Seippel, the gallery director had selected my work, Nicolas Hales and Howard Minnie’s work when he visited Cape Town in December 2007. He and I fetched Bill’s work from Fiekes home. Ralf knew Mbongeni Buthelezi and Malcolm Jiyani’s painting. This is the first in a series of exhibitions of abstract shows that he would like to do.

The gallery is a large warehouse space in down town JHB. The light through the industrial windows is soft JHB light that changes as the late afternoon storm clouds gather. Ralf was very clear on the placing of the work.

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cWell-known Cape Town artist and art educator, JILL TRAPPLER, will exhibit a selection of her non-figurative paintings at the Tatham Art Gallery, corner Longmarket Street and Commercial Road, Pietermaritzburg, opening at 6 pm on Thursday, 29 June and running until Sunday, 23 July 2000.

Born in Benoni, Gauteng, in 1957, and educated at the Collegiate Girls’ Shool in Pietermaritzburg, Jill Trappler studied at the Johannesburg Art Foundation under Bill Ainslie and at UNISA. As a professional weaver, she worked in Johannesburg and London, and on Tristan de Cunha and St Helena Islands. In addition to setting up printmaking and paper mache employment projects, she initiated weaving employment projects at the Philani Nutrition Clinics in Crossroads and Khayelitsha. She established the Dorman Street and Valkenberg art studios and co-founded Greatmore Studios in Woodstock. She has often participated in and co-ordinated the Thupelo workshops, both national and international, in Johannesburg and at Community Arts Project (CAP), South African National Gallery (SANG) and Robben Island in the Cape. She has taught art extensively at Federated Union of Black Artists, Baragwanath Hospital, CAP, the Occupational Therapy Department at Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town Summer School, and from home in Cape Town, where she now lives and works.

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