Jeannette Unite
Jeannette Unite is a South African artist who has mined for her paint box by collecting oxides, metal salts and residues from mines, heritage and industrial sites, to develop paint, pastel and glass recipes for her large scale artworks that reflect on the mining and industrial sites where humanity's contemporary world is manufactured.
Her industrial-scale mining Headgear drawings and "TERRA" paintings were exhibited at Museum Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany in the reconstructed building on the site of mining headquarters for the Ruhr Valley in commemoration of the final year of underground coal mining in Germany.
Through 2014 and 2015 her research on Earth's stratigraphy with Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University and Oxford University Museum, developed into a body of work exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, Exeter University, Devon, between October 2015 and February 2016. This travelling exhibition also formed part of the United Nations' Year of Soil and the British Geological Society's Year of Mud.
Research
Unite's works reference mining heritage sourced from archives and museums. This includes early geological historical maps and texts that were created during the British Industrial Revolution to guide mining the coal that fueled the engines that drove modernity.Photographs from Unite's travels and images duplicated from mining museums and archives are as precious a resource to Unite as the site-specific sands and slimes pond tailings from the mines and industrial detritus, and are loaded with meaning that she mixes into her paints and pastels.
Unite has exhibited in the German, Beijing, Lyon, and Tashkent International Art Biennales. Her art is represented in art museums spanning five continents, as well as within the halls of the world's largest law firm, Clifford Chance.
Education and community work{{Cite web|url=http://jeannetteunite.com/About.html|title=Jeannette Unite About The Artist|last=Unite|first=Jeannette|website=jeannetteunite.com|access-date=2016-11-04}}
Unite graduated from Michaelis School of Fine Art in 1986, following 4 years of study. From 1987 to 1997 she taught printmaking and general art at Frank Joubert Art Centre, as well as teaching adult education drawing lessons & painting courses. During this time, she spent four years in correspondence with UNISA and provided art training to teachers in Nyanga, a local township area. From 2011-2016 she taught the Workshops in Materiality course at Michaelis School of Fine Art, a series of workshops centered around communicating her own unique style of paint preparation and utilization to students. In 2014 she completed her MFA at Michaelis, receiving a distinction.Selected exhibitions
2017MEASURING MODERNITY, Borderline Art Space, Iasi, Romania
COMPLICIT GEOGRAPHIES, Eclectica Contemporary, Cape Town
2016
35th International Geology Congress, Invited Earth mining artist, CTICC
TERRA, Museum Am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany
Mining Our Heritage | Bergbau Unser Erbe – Germany Preview, Abalone Hermanus Fynarts
In Plain Sight: Social Life in South Africa and Romania before and after 1989, Aparte Gallery of George Enescu Uni of Arts, Iasi & Borderline Art Space, Iasi, Romania
Out of the Fire, Into the Light, Dr Ingram Anderson, Glass exhibition, AVA, Pretoria
STRATA two-woman show with Isabel Mertz at ISart, Franscchhoek
Colori sotto il Visuvio , Il ramo d'oro Centre of Arts and Culture, Naples, Italy
2015
Bi-Centenary William 'Strata' Smith, Innovation Centre, University of Exeter
PREVIEW Bi-Centenary William 'Strata' Smith, Jo'burg Art Fair Fringe curated by Carol Brown, Mboneng, Johannesburg
LAW & ORE, Youngblood Foundation Gallery, Cape Town
Between Democracies curated By Judy Peter, Karen von Vey & Richard Gregor, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg
Fear & Loss in the Industrial Karoo, Curator Katie Du Toit, Oliewenhuis, Bloemfontein | Pretoria Art Museum | Graaff-Rennet
Blowing in the Wind, curator Carol Brown, KZNSA Gallery, Durban and University of the Orange Free State, Art Museum.
Between Conceptual and Spiritual, curated by Ortrud Mulder, Abalone Gallery, part of FynArts Festival, Hermanus
2014
LAW & ORE, Abalone Gallery, Hermanus
EXTRACT, Youngblood Gallery, Cape Town and Cologne, Germany
COMPLICIT GEOGRAPHIES, Fine Arts master's degree exhibition, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town
2013
HERE / THERE, UCT and WITS Masters students, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town
HAWK Guerrilla Video Projections on land and group Art Intervention, Overstrand, Western Cape
2012
Residuum: Mines & Machines Installation at the Western Cape Archives & Records Service, Old Gaol, Roeland Street, Cape Town
Exhibition & Presentation: 9th IMHC International Mining History Conference, Johannesburg
HAWK Group Art Intervention, Overberg, Western Cape
Return to the Archive, Museum Africa, Johannesburg
2011
Paradox of Plenty, Michaelis Galleries, University of Cape Town - Installation of mining archive & artist-in-residency
Mining the African Industrial Landscape: Presentation; Conflicts & Natural Resources: African Studies Conference, AEGIS, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Artists Visual Response to the Industrial Landscape: Presentation The Paradox of Plenty, Joburg Art Fair, September
On the Surface: The Heritage of Mines and Mining; conference University Innsbruck, Austria
Iizkhwepha Zhetu / Shaping our Minds, Durban Art Gallery
3 Parts: More Harmony, South African, United Arab Emirates & Mozambique artists, Durban Art Gallery
Alumni Exhibition & Auction, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town
2010
6 Meters Under, 4th Beijing International Art Biennale, China
The Lie of the Land: Representations of the South African Landscape,, Michaelis Collection, Old Town House Museum
TERRA: Above Below, Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein
Mineral Resources and Residues of Power in the African Industrial Landscape, Presentation at ICACD Cultural Imperatives for Development: 50 Years Post Independent Africa, Kumasi, Ghana
2009
Headgears, 9th Tashkent Biennale, Central Asia, Uzbekistan
Presentation ‘The Colonial Gaze’ Scientific conference, Urban Philosophy: Anthropological Landscape’, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Earthscars: Mining the African Landscape: Presentation AngloGold Ashanti, Turbine Hall, Johannesburg
Headgear, Inaugural solo exhibition, AngloGold HQ, Turbine Hall, JHB
Earthscars: Mining African Landscape, XLIIIrd AICA Congress, The Relations Between Art and Science: Complicity, Criticality, Knowledge, Dublin Castle, Ireland
On Top of the World,
Earthscars, 20:20 Presentation at VANSA, Spin Street, Cape Town
2008
Remembering the Future, Western Cape Archives and Records Service, Old Gaol, Roeland Street, Cape Town
Re-structuring the Colonial, Group Exhibition, Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg
2007
Hot Earth, Artworks in response to travels to copper mines of Namaqualand. Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg
Visions of Africa, Pretoria Art Museum
2006
HERM: Boundaries Between the Wild and Cultivated, collaboration Cumbria Institute of Arts, Ann Bryant Art Museum, East London
2005
Gunfree South Africa, Constitution Hill Auction, Johannesburg
2004
Earthscars: A Visual Mining Exploration, William Humphreys Art Museum, Kimberley
Earthscars: A Visual Mining Exploration, Mozambique National Gallery, Maputo, Mozambique
Earthscars: A Visual Mining Exploration, Irma Stern Museum Gallery, University of Cape Town
Surfacing, with Lynne Lomofsky, Unite Studio, Cape Town
2003
S.U.M., Bag Factory Residency Exhibition, Fordsburg Art Studios, Johannesburg
Sentences & Gestures, Zebra II, Hampstead, London
South African Artists, Old Mutual Place, London
2001
Sentences, Bell-Roberts Contemporary Gallery, Cape Town
Heart For Art, Red Cross Fundraiser, The Foundry, Cape Town
SA Today, Signature Artist,, Fair Centre, Helsinki
Blue Danube, animated projection, edited by Koeka Stander, concert with Sibelius Orchestra, Helsinki, Finland
2000
Sentences, art animation film, 8 minutes, edited by Koeka Stander
Artichoke, Multimedia event, Sandton Civic Centre, Johannesburg
1999
Thresholds, Irma Stern Museum Gallery, University of Cape Town
Inaugural Group Exhibition, National Library of South Africa, Cape Town
Softserve, Public Eye Event, IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town
Thupela Workshop, IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town
1994
Print Triennial, Musee d’Art Contemporain Internationale, Lyon, France
1993
South Africa in Black and White, Print exhibition, South African National Gallery, Cape Town
Aids Awareness, AVA Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
Brides,, Irma Stern Museum Gallery, University of Cape Town
1992
Art Now, AVA Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
1990
Critics’ Choice, AVA Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
1981
Young Artists’ Exhibition, 1st Prize, Kellogg's Foundation
Publications and texts
- COMPLICIT GEOGRAPHIES, 2016, Edited by Ivor Powell. 400 page monograph on artwork by Jeannette Unite investigating how wealth from land and Earth is divided, measured and allocated and global cycles of extraction, consumption and waste.
- TERRA, 2012, Edited by Andrew Lamprecht and Ivor Powell with contributions by Ashraf Jamal, Kathryn Smith, Marian Tredoux and Bongani Ndodan
a-Breen. 192 page monograph surveying twenty years of Unite's practice and research. - ‘Headgear: Mining Engineering Drawings’, Critical Interventions, USA 6: 91-101, Spring 2010.
- ‘TERRA: Sands and Detritus Soiled with History’, Art South Africa, 9: 98-9, Spring 2010.
- ‘Exploring the Visual Residues of Colonial Exploitation’, Nukta Art: Contemporary Art Magazine of Pakistan. 5 : 80-85, 2010.
Awards, grants and residencies
- Mzansi Golden Economy Grant, SA Department Arts and Culture 2016
- MacIver Scholarship, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. 2013
- Twamley Postgraduate Bursary, University of Cape Town. 2013
- Jules Kramer Travel Award, University of Cape Town. 2012
- Academic Bursary from Michaelis School of Fine Arts, University of Cape Town 2012
- CCA, University of Cape Town. 2012
- Fellowship Artist-in-Residency, Michaelis Galleries, University of Cape Town 2011
- AEGIS - African Travel Grant for African resource conference closing presentation, University Autonoma, Madrid Spain 2011
- Art Moves Africa Research Grant for Travel in Africa 2009
- Tashkent Biennial 2009
- CSIR, Awarded Public Art Competition /Glass Wall Installation, Department Science and Technology Buildings, Pretoria 2006
- Bag Factory, Fordsburg Artists’ Studios Johannesburg 2003
- Constitution Hill Finalist 2003
- Thupela Workshop, South African National Gallery Annex. 2000
- Thupela Workshop, South African National Gallery Annex.1999
- Kellogg's Young Artists Award, First Prize National Art Competition. Prize: 1981
Conference presentations
- Artists Who Mine the Landscape, 9th IMHC, Johannesburg 2011
- Mining the African Industrial Landscape, Conference Presentation at Conflicts & Natural Resources: African Studies, AEGIS Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain 2011
- Artists Visual Response to the Industrial Landscape, Conference Presentation On the Surface: The Heritage of Mines and Mining; University Innsbruck, Austria 2011
- Mining Indaba. Art Exhibition Intervention, Cape Town International Convention Centre 2010
- Mining the Artists Palette in Africa's Industrial Landscape: Presentation, Colour Colloquium, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 2010
- Mineral Resources and Residues of Power in the African Industrial Landscape, Presentation at ICACD Cultural Imperatives for Development: *50 Years Post Independent Africa, Kumasi, Ghana 2010
- Mining Indaba. Art Exhibition Intervention interpreting the mining industry, Cape Town International Convention Centre
- Mining the Artists Paintbox from the African Industrial Landscape: AICA, Art & Science Conference, Dublin, Ireland 2009
- The Colonial Gaze Scientific conference, Urban Philosophy: Anthropological Landscape’, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2009
- Mining Indaba. Art Exhibition Intervention, Cape Town International Convention Centre 2009
- Earthscars: Mining the African Landscape, Presentation AngloGold Ashanti, Turbine Hall, Johannesburg 2009
- Earthscars, 20:20 Presentation at VANSA, Spin Street, Cape Town 2009
Selected collections
- Anglo America Kumba, Johannesburg
- Bell Dewars Incorporated, Johannesburg
- Chevron Headquarters Canal Walk, Cape Town
- Clifford Chance, Brussels, Belgium and Frankfurt
- Department of Science and Technology, CSIR Building, Pretoria
- Development Bank of South Africa, Johannesburg
- DEVS, Cape Town
- Fairbridges, Cape Town, Johannesburg.
- Goldstone Resources, Cape Town
- Group 5 Engineering, Johannesburg.
- Iso-leisure, Johannesburg
- Isqithi HQ, Johannesburg
- Liberty Holdings, Cape Town & Umhlanga, Kwazulu
- Louis Karol Architects, Johannesburg Office
- MTN Art Collection, Johannesburg
- Old Mutual Place, London
- Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein
- Pezula, Knysna
- Swiss:Re, Johannesburg
- Chemical Engineering Building, University of Cape Town; Works of Art Collection.
- TRONOX HQ, Johannesburg
- Vodacom Art Collection, Cape Town
- William Humphries Art Museum, Kimberley, Northern Cape