A Corner of Home Nico Krijno
A CORNER OF HOME
Nico Krijno
A Corner of Home sourced photographic studies and new work by artists in their home environment from March to August 2020. Small snapshots of the impulse to create.
In the days that have passed and the days that are to come, we'll all be spending more time indoors. A Corner of Home collects photographic studies and new works made by artists in their immediate environments; small snapshots of the impulse to create.
Edited by Trine Stephensen and Joanna Cresswell
1. Where are you living at the moment and how has that environment shaped you creatively? Can you tell us about a favourite detail of this place and why?
Nico Krijno: I'm living in a farmhouse on a mountain about 45 min outside Cape Town - we have been living here for the past 5 years since our first child was born, and it's been a highly idyllic challenging /transformative experience, and as the entire global collective has been hurled into this global crisis, it feels like we've been preparing for this moment for the past 5 years. Globally nothing will ever be the same, our priorities will drastically change. I believe for the better. My favourite detail of this place is the space, the space to watch things grow, the clean air.
2. How have you looked at the materials of home differently in the past weeks? Are there parts of it that have revealed themselves to you in new ways?
My wife and two small daughters left for their family farm 1000 km away a few days before our national lockdown was announced so I can focus on a big assignment (which has now been postponed) - so we have been separated for two weeks now - which is not ideal when you have small children, we are a very tight unit and we are used to being together 24/7. I guess I have just been made aware of how lucky I am being able to live here, friends of mine who live in cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town are not even allowed to go outside and walk their dogs. People are being beaten in the streets by the military if they try to go outside, so I'm very lucky to have this space and freedom
3. Tell us about how you’ve been using photography lately? What are you making or putting in front of the lens?
I've been making some collage work - actually quite a lot of them - that I'm having a lot of fun with. I'm using this time of crisis to focus and reorient myself (some spiritual groundwork), something I haven't had time for in years. I tend to take long breaks from making pictures and then I make a lot of work in a month, so I'm busy filling my cup before the next creative outpour. I’m lucky to have lots of space, so I'm gardening, harvesting olives, hanging out with my dogs, reading, organising my catalogue, and dancing alone in the house while I cook, but I miss my kids and wife a lot now. Our lockdown has just been extended for another two weeks, which will exacerbate an already struggling and tense situation in South Africa. It will be a miracle if the nation doesn't take to the streets soon to burn and loot the shops.
