Ava Grauls
Ava Grauls (1982) is a South African / Belgian multimedia artist based in London.
Mapping the Schizophrenic Moment
My multidisciplinary practice—spanning abstract painting, performance, and video—interrogates the politics of place, memory, and national legitimacy. As a South African/Belgian conceptual artist, my work is a visual and performative exploration of the "schizophrenic moment" felt by the 'forever immigrant,' where my personal memory clashes with officially documented history.
My painting practice is founded on a rigorous study of cartography and geopolitical formations. I deconstruct the conventional authority of maps, viewing them not as documents of immutable truth, but as documents of invasion and vested interest. My canvases are abstracted compositions born from research into historical land survey maps, geological diagrams, and early naval surveys. Through expressive, layered painting, I translate these administrative documents of power into an ambiguous, emotional visual language, questioning whose narratives get mapped and whose histories are deliberately obscured.
Informed by my own experience of multiple migrations, including my family’s relocation to a British asbestos mine in Eswatini, a persistent theme in my work is the "management of memories." My art explores the impact of colonialism and state-sanctioned narratives on personal identity. By juxtaposing the hidden histories of a place with my own recollections, I address the unsettling feeling of trusting my memories while rarely finding evidence for them in the official world.
My output deliberately spans diverse forms. My abstract paintings often confront the vast, systemic structures of power, while my performances and videos bring a layer of humor and absurdity to social norms. These interventions aim to expose the subtext of the 'unsaid' in a society preoccupied with borders, ownership, and the fabricated threat of invasion. Ultimately, I use my artistic toolkit to challenge the viewer to recognize that the land we know is continuously being redrawn by both political forces and collective forgetting.
Go to the NEWS in the menu to see up-and-coming exhibitions and CV to view her previous exhibitions.