William Kentridge (South Africa 1955-)
Rumours and Impossibilities

Artwork date: 2010
Signature details: signed and numbered 2/30 in pencil in the margin
Exhibited: Boston University Art Gallery, 'Three Artists at the Caversham Press: Deborah Bell, Robert Hodgins and William Kentridge', 8 February 8 to 27 March 2011, another impression from the edition exhibited.
Annandale Galleries, Sydney, 'William Kentridge: Universal Archive (parts 7 – 23)', 6 March to 21 April 2012, an example from the edition exhibited.
Literature: 'William Kentridge: Universal Archive (parts 7 – 23)'. (2012). [Exhibition catalogue]. Annandale Galleries, Sydney, 6 March to 21 April 2012, an example from the edition illustrated on p. 23.
Exchange Rates*: USD 11 943,83 – 15 201,24
EURO 10 854,03 – 13 814,22
GBP 9 134,30 – 11 625,48

(1)

160 x 108 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Johannesburg.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

William Kentridge’s Rumours and Impossibilities is a powerful example of the artist’s sustained engagement with printmaking, a medium central to his visual language. Created in collaboration with master printer Malcolm Christian at the Caversham Press, this colour silkscreen is based on an earlier linocut titled Rumours.

The work bears the qualities of Kentridge’s early experiments in print, recalling his famous 1976 linocut of his grandfather relaxing in a deck chair. The sharp contrast of black and white, and the lively, carved lines, which are typical of linocut; yet here these qualities are amplified through the unexpected introduction of colour; rare in his practice but used to compelling effect. Kentridge also credits this medium with helping shape the character Soho Eckstein, who first appeared in his 1989 film Johannesburg: 2nd Greatest City After Paris and went on to become the central figure in the Drawings for Projection film cycle (1989–2003).

Rumours, the basis for this print, originated from text Kentridge encountered during his research for his opera production of The Nose. The tiers of the woman’s dress in this image are directly drawn from one of the opera’s costumes. Kentridge’s practice thrives on such echoes: images often carry the memory of past works while anticipating those to come.

The inclusion of the phrase “Refuse the 7 Point Perspective” further underscores this approach, highlighting Kentridge's consistent challenge to the idea of having just one fixed way of seeing things; a philosophy central to his work across media. Rumours and Impossibilities stands as both a return to foundational forms and a meditation on perception and memory.

Mtha Poni

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate Modern, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; George Eastman Museum, New York; Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu; Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), Michigan; The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; University of Cape Town and the Zietz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa; Cape Town.