Frank Marshall Renegades

FRANK
MARSHALL
Renegades
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
The Newtown
37 Quinn Street
Newtown
Johannesburg
T +27 (0)72 6580 762
C +27 (0)72 3835 091
inside@rookegallery.com
www.rookegallery.com
FRANK
MARSHALL
Renegades
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE & PRICELIST
The Newtown
37 Quinn Street
Newtown
Johannesburg
T +27 (0)72 6580 762
C +27 (0)72 3835 091
inside@rookegallery.com
www.rookegallery.com
Introduction:
If there is a constant to chaos it is
dualism; where two Manichean halves
clash. The vying of the irrational
against the rational makes Africa the
perfect breeding ground for chaos,
where conflict, war, violence, and
poverty in the wake of decolonization,
global capitalism, and the resurgence of
pre-colonial tribalism simultaneously
condemn and validate oppression. It is
from this ‘tragic-state-of-affairs’ that
corrupt and totalitarian powers contest
for ownership over a multifaceted
and layered geography. Within this
paradigm small pockets across Africa
are attempting to find recourse towards
identifying themselves, in many ways
reversing the voyeuristic gaze of the
West, becoming voyeurs of the West
and vanguards of their own culture, in
the process finding rootedness; a story
of difference, and the indifference that
prevails to destroy it.
Frank Marshall is a photographer who
dissects the question of representation
in Africa by focusing on a special
outcropping of Heavy Metal subculture
in Botswana. He does so from a formal
photographic stance and as a sub-
political statement, constructing an
image of the Renegade as a pretense
to the avant-garde. Heavy Metal is a
divergent subculture, and its quasinihilist tenets seem to have developed
into an uprising in Sub-Saharan Africa,
provoking those myths and stereotypes
that sustain the borders of supposed
social order, dummy-revolutions, and
apparent power struggles; all under
the guise of victimhood in the shadow
of the post-colony. What the so-called
‘Batswana’ Heavy Metal community is
nurturing in Botswana is merely one
of many encouraging microcosms of
change sprouting all across Africa. The
diverse manner in which this change is
happening exhibits how the continent
is calibrating itself to the demands of
the Present and the obligations of the
Past. With the Batswana, Marshall
has taken it upon himself to document
this process unfolding, one individual
Motswana at a time (‘Motswana’ being
the singular to the plural ‘Batswana’).
Marshall tentatively situates himself as
a mediator chronicling the assimilation
of Heavy Metal by a group of Batswana
rebels creating an emergent rootedness
in a geography where tradition, politics,
and tribalism create sensitive grounds
for expression. These Renegades are
almost thespian in their unconscious
1
re-reading of post-colonial hauteur.
This ‘performative’ aspect is a dominant
theme in Marshall’s photographs; where
the Machiavellian world of Heavy
Metal meets the Manichean world of
Colonialism, uniquely displayed in each
individual Motswana portrait.
Such sub-cultural insurgences supply
alternative lifestyles that veer from
long-debated post-colonial concerns
that either views subculture as a
luxury of the First World or the
corruption of the Third World. But
such insurrections are anomalies
attempting to deal with the challenges
of Modernity, and the Batswana
community does so through pure
idiosyncratic rage in keeping with the
idiom of Heavy Metal.
Increasingly, these subversive
apolitical, non-traditional caucuses
establish themselves unobstructed by
the moral and political predicaments
created by post-liberation, often
corrupt leaderships in underdeveloped
democracies. Although many
subcultures exist in seemingly developed
African states such as South Africa,
this particular fraternity in Botswana
is provoking a unique polarity-shift
between the West and its perceived
Other, allowing for a greater sense of
2
belonging and fellowship amongst the
Batswana Heavy Metal community,
geared towards a confrontation with
the persuasions and dysfunctions
of Globalization and Capitalism.
The Batswana take advantage of the
spectacle cherished in Heavy Metal lore,
parodying the larger Spectacle created
by the ‘powers-that-be’, turning the
notion of ‘Otherness’ on its head. The
Batswana become voyeurs of the old
oppressor; the West becomes the fetish,
a novelty in light of the outsider status of
Heavy Metal in Botswana.
Marshall’s portraits of the Batswana
pose important anthropological
questions about the nature of
cultural effigy, specifically relating
to pop culture, consumerism, and
the topology of post-decolonial
machinations. The stigma surrounding
Marshall’s Renegades in their own
local community also reveals a
greater cultural chimera: they are
the oppressed, steeped in the tactics
of the oppressor, conveying this fact
through skulls, scars, and chains that
ironically put them on the fringe of
their own society. Despite this, the
Renegades keep with Heavy Metal’s
primary archetype, envisaging a ‘new’
kind of African male: damaged yet
intimidating, at the end of it all, with
nothing to lose, subverting the system
with his anger and indignation.
In terms of demographics, Heavy
Metal has historically been associated
with those of Caucasian, male,
patriarchal, Christian (by proxy anti),
and Eurocentric persuasions. The
dissimilarity is obvious, but the one
key similarity here is that ‘Metalheads’
stem from the lower working class,
giving insight into the socio-economic
strata of each Motswana, whom relates
to the blue-collar working-class roots
of Metal, its origins in Rock and Roll
during the 1950s, and its connotations
to the Hell’s Angels, all working
against the system to find an original
identity. This influence can be traced
even further back to the machismo of
the Wild West era. Africa being the
‘new’ Wild West, the Renegades parade
themselves in leather boots, pants and
jackets, jeans, studs, and homemade
belts made from bullet shells; a material
articulation of rebellion to say the least.
In this way, the Batswana have
annexed unclaimed cultural territory,
seizing a sense of authenticity and
ownership, in turn upending the
order of ‘Otherness’ by ‘colonizing’ a
Western subculture. In this context,
visibility equals worth, where
music is a material currency, and
performance is an unmasking agent
revealing the West as a perpetrator
of inauthenticity. To ‘colonize’, based
on the humanist pedestal of GrecoRoman ethics, leading into Christian
moralism, Eurocentric narcissism,
ending in Modernist utopianism is
negated by the primal, pagan, preHellenistic tribalism, tolerating
the Batswana to embrace a ‘cult of
Dionysius’ as it were; representing
the marginal folklore of Heavy Metal
regardless of ethnicity, simply because
it speaks the language of tragedy.
Tragedy is an intrinsic art form based
on human suffering, offering pleasure
to its spectators. While most cultures
have developed forms that provoke this
paradoxical response, tragedy refers
mainly to the Ancient Greek dramatic
traditions that play a pivotal role in the
determinism of Western civilization,
and by proxy Colonialism. Marshall
accentuates this sense of tragedy by
acquiring theatrical elements through
Spectacle, temporality, and iconicity,
illustrating the evolutionary strides in
the post-colonial mindset from rebels,
to revolutionaries, to Renegades. In this
way, Marshall actively mythologizes
the Batswana, teetering on the fringe
of fantasy and reality, bearing witness
to the manner in which Heavy Metal is
adopted and adapted in Botswana.
The historical significance of Marshall’s
portraits is further emphasized by
formal considerations of tone, color,
and one-point perspective, using
ambient picture planes, differentiated
focusing and a distorted depth of field.
His formal engagement with the street,
and the African urban environment
in particular, turns his portraits of
Motswana individuals into ‘visions’,
achieving a vivid painterly effect
outside the confines of the artist’s
studio. In this light, it seems ironic
that Marshall’s cult-like visions can
only be accessed through the tragic
social rites of the gallery, occultist in
its purist form. Marshall’s photographs
are vocal about depicting a community
marginalized by society, blurring
the boundaries between liberty and
fraternity. Marshall’s Renegade’s
have found a semblance of an answer
by co-opting Heavy Metal, finding
a substitute for the lack of answers
produced by the Post-colonial enquiry,
permitting them to embrace anything
that popular culture finds unacceptable,
proving the manner in which Africa
is calibrating itself to an increasingly
homogenized world.
Words by Shane de Lange.
3
PLATES
5
Bonemachine (Deeplow)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Mr Rock
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
7
Cannibal
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Phantom Lord Ishmael
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
8
Katie
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Gunsmoke
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
9
Call To Arms
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Dead Demon Rider I
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
10
Morgue Boss (Rock Phex)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
11
Rock Phex
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Maximum II
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
12
Pantera
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Assassin in Stealth
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
13
Undertaker II
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
14
White Devil
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
15
Roxette
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Loyal To None
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
16
Calvin
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
17
Captain
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Joster
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
18
Siera 1
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Skull Beneath The Skin
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
19
Warmaster
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
20
Dead Skin Mask (Moses)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
21
Dev
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Hardcore
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
22
Dethguard
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
23
Budrö
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
24
Hardcore (Hellrider)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
25
Undertaker III
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Binki
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
26
Greedy
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Trooper
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
27
Maximum I
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Apostle in Triumph
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
28
Apothecary Dethrok
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Dead Demon Rider II
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
29
Death
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
30
The Time To Kill Is Now (Trooper)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
31
Venerated Villian (Kenosi)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
32
“It’s just a belief that I have...everything is
electrified nowadays, so therefore the belief
comes through electricity to the people...
we’re playing for our sounds to go inside
the soul of the person and see if they can
awaken some kind of thing in their minds,
because there’s so many sleeping people.”
Jimmi Hendrix
33
Ghost
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Medicine Man
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
34
Sarah
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Siera II
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
35
Drag The Waters (Metal)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Lucifer (In Transition)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
36
General
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Coffinfeeder
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
37
Maiden
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
The Duelist
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
38
Neo Rock
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
The New Number Six (Hardcore)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
39
No need for mercy with a fist full of
hate (Undertaker)
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
40
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
Bound By The Moon
2010
Edition of 8 + 2 AP
Archival Giclee print
Available Sizes:
60 x 60 cm
120 x 120 cm
41
42
Limited edition “Renegades”
signed artists book. 60 portraits
including a foreword and artists
statement: R1,450
43
Pricing and editioning is as follows:
All images are in an edition of 8
+ 2 Artist Proofs.
Prices increase by edition
and size accordingly:
60 x 60 cm
1/8 R3,500
2/8 R4,500
3/8 R5,500
4/8 R6,500
5/8 R7,500
6/8 R8,500
7/8 Reserved
8/8 Reserved
Framing R1,050
120cm x 120cm
Add R1,800 to the above price
stipulations per edition number.
Framing R3,500
Limited edition “Renegades” signed
artists book: 60 portraits including a
foreword and artists statement
R1,450.
(All pricing ex Vat)
44
Notes
Written and designed by Shane de Lange: shane@gilgameshcollective.com
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE & PRICELIST
The Newtown
37 Quinn Street
Newtown
Johannesburg
T +27 (0)72 6580 762
C +27 (0)72 3835 091
inside@rookegallery.com
www.rookegallery.com