Nestled between cafes and residential homes on a picturesque street in Cape Town's De Waterkant, Hot House was an enigma which served as a refuge and pleasure palace for local and visiting gay men alike. This exhibition serves as a poetic reimagination and doesn't attempt to relay the goings on of the physical space faithfully. Rather it uses evocation and association as a starting point to explore desire. Memory and invention act as a lens through which to interpret the works of three
contemporary Cape Town-based artists, namely Strauss Louw, Brett Charles Seiler and Shakil Solanki.
Somewhat shrouded in secrecy, Hot House was a bit of a mystery for all those who had not entered its hallowed halls. This obscurity gives birth to a liminal space between reality and fantasy. Each artist's series exists as a separate dream sequence running parallel to each other to broaden our understanding of desire as a radical affirmation of personhood.
Of the artists presented, Strauss Louw's scenes appear the most intimate. His subject is caught in a private moment, unaware of being watched or perceived. Both Rinse and Later capture the seemingly mundane exercises of preparing for the day ahead. First, a somewhat concealed figure is revealed through a misty shower door. This follows the figure perched on the edge of the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist. He is captured from behind, seemingly in a moment of contemplation. The acts themselves are uneventful, however, the sensitivity and proximity with which these moments are captured, speak to a deep intimacy between the image-maker and the subject. This affection is reaffirmed in Louw's transfer of these images onto delicate silk, and his delicate stitching together of individual squares. Louw's process may begin with photography, but it is through his chosen materials and subtle interventions that the true sensitivity is revealed.
Shakil Solanki's carefree ink paintings relay fragmented memories intertwined with dreams. Where the one ends and the next ends is hard to decipher. This blurriness is extended to the painterly technique which has a soft, hazy quality. It's as if the viewer is peering through a steamy room or a fogged-up window. This voyeurism mirrors the mode of viewing in Louw's textile pieces. While these moments are not overtly sexual, they are clandestine and there is a definite eroticism present. These scenes are hot and steamy, like a wet dream. Upon closer viewing, the figures appear to be clad in
ballet attire. The ambiguity of their environment aims to draw parallels between intimate spaces. The changing room of a ballet rehearsal room shares the intimacy of that of a sauna. Changing rooms are charged with an ambiguous and unspoken sexual energy which extends to the performance of ballet. Shakil's figures lightly touch, stretch and embrace exuding this same sensuality.
Brett Seiler's practice has mostly centred on his romantic, yet often troubling, coming-of-age narrative as a queer man blossoming into adulthood during his twenties in Cape Town. Often cheeky, Seiler uses humour and brashness to address some of the complexities faced by gay men and their community. Brett's portraits use simple line work and washes of monochromatic colour to imbue the figures with both thoughtfulness and anonymity. These subjects may be inspired by close acquaintances or created from the artist's imagination. Facial features rendered are simple and
limited, comparative to remembering the particulars of a passers-by's features after a night out. In the context of Hot House, these portraits are tender mementoes of chance encounters. While some of these trysts may turn into more meaningful connections, others forever remain blurry memories of times gone by.
A thread of vulnerability runs through these the heart of these works. The figures don't perform for the delight of the audience. Rather in these private moments, intimacy is laid bare. By piecing together personal memories and make-believe these artists reveal their approaches to romantic love. Hot House embraces desire and the power of fleeting encounters.