The Art of Mongo
2018

MONGO is slang for garbage salvaged from streets and trash heaps. Any rubbish can qualify, whether it’s edible, wearable, useful or indescribable. By definition, somebody must have thought it was worthless.
                                                                   
   Henry Jock Walker's Octopus costume, pictured under the Morphett Street Bridge
A collaborative exhibition led by Francois Knoetze, an artist from Cape Town, South Africa whose practice morphs the rejected material of the masses to become moving, living and magnificent. Knoetze is working alongside 22 local artists in two intensive workshops this February to create a series of glorious costumes from recycled materials sourced from the garbage bins of Adelaide.

Collaborating artists included Francois Knoetze, Bob Daly, Chelsea Farquhar, Lee Gurling, Michelle Jahn, Heidi Kenyon, Mieke Kriegesvelt, Jane Macilwain, Nikki Manning, Kaspar Schmidt Mumm, Emma O’Neil, Rosina Possingham, Kelly Reynolds, Cinzia Schincariol, Cynthia Schwertsik, Matt Shilcock, Jane Skeer, Kathryn Sproul, Henry Jock Walker, Laura Wills, Trevor Wren, Greta Wyatt and Emmaline Zanelli.

This project was supported by OSCA, Sunny’s Pizza, Alpha Box & Dice, Arts SA, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, the City of Adelaide and SMOCK Bureau.


Movie Theatre / Francois Knoetze and guests from OpenSpaceContemporaryArts on Vimeo.

The Art of Mongo workshops - Francois Knoetze from OpenSpaceContemporaryArts on Vimeo.