Who is Conrad Botes?
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| Conrad Botes is an artist who elicits strong opinions. |
| Picture courtesy of Conrad Botes. |
At an exhibition some time ago, one reviewer concluded that Conrad Botes was the spawn of Satan, while another thought he was a prophet.
Conrad Botes studied graphic design and illustration at the University of Stellenbosch. There he met Anton Kannemeyer, and together they founded the magazine Bitterkomix in 1992.
"His biting satire, frequently directed at South African society, politics and religion, is channelled into both his painting and printmaking," says his Cape Town gallerist, Michael Stevenson.
Botes and Kannemeyer continue to publish their work in Bitterkomix, and regularly exhibit in South Africa and Europe.
In 2004 Botes won the Absa l'Atelier award and in 2006 he showed at the 9th Havana Biennale in Cuba. Recent group exhibitions include Africa Comics at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, and Turbulence at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria. His work was also included in Apartheid: The South African Mirror, which opened at the Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona in September 2007. |
