Julia Rosa Clark
Art South Africa Volume 12: Issue 03

Jody Paulsen, every kind of mood, 2013. 16 synthetic felt suits, wooden hangers and rail. Photograph courtesy of Malibongwe Tyilo for Skattie What Are You Wearing?

Jody Paulsen, the universal fag map, 2013. Felt and glue. Photograph courtesy of Malibongwe Tyilo for Skattie What Are You Wearing?

Daniella Mooney, Parquetry, 2012. Marine ply, mixed Veneer, Canvas, Meranti, African mahogany, Sapele Mahogany, restored antique Bustle-back chair. Image courtesy of Whatiftheworld and Hayden Phipps.

Julia Rosa Clark, (Modernist Poster: Catastrophe), 2007. Collage and gouache on card, acid free glue, pencil, photocopies. Courtesy of the artist and Whatiftheworld.
pre-MaxNormal.TV and Die Antwoord project from Waddy Jones (Ninja) also featuring Sibot, Felix Laband, Markus Wormstorm and Anri Du Toit (Yolandi Visser). Having worked on projects as varied as this, it was inevitable that design elements would come through strongly in her art practice, especially evident in works such as the Modernist Poster Series (2007) and the accomplished navigation of colour, collage and space that defined her trilogy of installation exhibitions ‘Hypocrite’s Lament’ (2007), ‘Fever Jubilee’(2007/8) and ‘Paradise Apparatus’(2010). Importantly, these design aesthetic sensibilities in Clark’s work are always imbued with a selfcritical sense of analysis. Pressed as to where she locates the art/design divide, the artist asserts that “in a traditional sense, the distinction for me lies in the fact that art is about posing questions, while design is fundamentally about finding answers or solving a problem”. Actively resisting any form of thematic finality or conclusion, posing questions is something that Clark’s works are particularly adept at. Often appearing exuberant at first, the works prove concise and meticulously arranged upon closer inspection. There is an organised and considered economy of excess in Clark’s art work that somehow fluctuates between being cluttered to the point of immersion and yet perfectly balanced. As part of the team responsible for the themed holiday window displays, Clark is currently applying her astute design sensibilities to the role of visual merchandise design manager at Woolworths, in addition to planning her next solo exhibition for Whatiftheworld.
21.3, Summer 2005. 19.