Karen Stewart & Ed Suter

Karen Stewart
Born South Africa (1970), lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa

Ed Suter
Born United Kingdom (1967), lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa

Fly-overs and Drive-bys 2019
photographies, paper collages
Courtesy of the artists

This is a collaborative project between photographer Ed Suter and collage artist Karen Stewart. In this work they work with images taken of the everyday functional but overlooked spaces around Cape Town, South Africa that carry both foot and vehicular commuters to and from their places of work, worship and home. These images have a sense of infinity and seem to ask the audience: “Where is this going, and is this how we get there?” There is a surprising grace and harmony the artists see in the use of harsh concrete forms, places of function and unexpected beauty amidst the non-stop roar of traffic noise.

Functionally these spaces connect people with the city but they also have an elegance and odd potential for contemplation. We ask viewers to connect with how the people walking through the spaces feel – what do they see, what are they thinking? Although they are not visible in the images their presence is implied. The images challenge those fortunate enough to drive, to connect with the experience of a daily commuter moving through these apparently inhospitable spaces on foot. The images raise questions relating to the topic of economic disparity in an African city with a huge wealth gap. In this body of work we create a feeling of an ideal state, a reflective space for us to think about how we are in our radically changing cities, both physically and emotionally.

Our work speaks strongly to the Biennial theme, each expressing our different yet emotive responses to our built environment. The photographic images are Ed’s responses to the theme. Eds photographs are juxtaposed with the paper collage works by Karen.