Na Die Groot Trek --- After The Long Journey
By Johan Kritzinger and Ian Couch
Over painted Traditional C-prints
Various sizes
2010
'Na Die Groot Trek' is the photographic documentation of a historic journey, made by two artists, in search of a 'new world.'
Johan Kritzinger and Ian Couch have developed a series where they invite others to glance at the sublimely anti-climactic snapshots that capture the essence of their journey. 'NA DIE GROOT TREK' romanticizes the spirit of a deeply layered political journey made in South Africa by the 'Voortrekkers' (literally 'those who went ahead') in the 19th century. The artists however, unlike the Voortrekkers, find themselves continually searching even though what was desired was long forgotten.
All the journey can yields are superficial impressions of self-discovery and re-invention. The framework of these various narratives, overlaid together, form a mysterious dark substance that permeates all the artifacts and signals an unfamiliar presence at large.
