Marco Cianfanelli (born 30 November 1970) is a South African artist who has been involved in a wide range of projects involving art, architecture and public spaces. Cianfanelli combines computer-generated, data-driven applications with human, expressive, gestural acts to create tension in his work. Cianfanelli is one of a handful of South African artists whose work successfully spans the public and domestic sphere. He began his career painting landscapes and continues to be concerned with romanticized space and that which is marginalized through the very act of romanticizing. Cianfanelli's slick, pared-down,

iconographic Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

recent works are intricately linked with the complexity of loving South Africa. One of Cianfanelli's most recognisable works is the depiction of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

's head that is located at the site of Mandela's capture in Howick, South Africa. Nelson Mandela Capture Site

Nelson Mandela Artwork at Apartheid Museum by Marco Cianfanelli

Career

Education

In 1992, Cianfanelli received his BA/FA (painting) from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

Exhibitions

* 2012

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Te ...

, Johannesburg, South Africa * 2011 SA’ s first Annual International Land Art Event/

Plettenberg Bay Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29,149 population. It was originally named Bahia Formosa ("beautifu ...

* 2009 Absent Fields,

Goodman Gallery Goodman Gallery is an art gallery founded in Johannesburg, South Africa by Linda Givon (previously Goodman) in 1966. The gallery operates spaces in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and London. It represents both established and emerging artists who are re ...

, Johannesburg, South Africa * 2009 Contemporary sculpture in the landscape / Nirox Foundation;

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

* 2008 Intervention,

UNISA The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

Art Gallery, Tswane * 2008 Production Marks,

Grahamstown Festival The National Arts Festival (NAF) is an annual festival of performing arts in Grahamstown, South Africa. It is the largest arts festival on the African continent and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world by visitor numbers. Th ...

, KZNSA Gallery, The Goethe Institute * 2008 Heptad, The Art Space, Johannesburg * 2007 Spier Contemporary, Stellenbosch, Cape Town * 2007 Positive, Sun City * 2007 Aardklop 10,

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty river" ...

* 2006 Projected Development: return to begin, Aardklop Festival artist, Potchefstroom * 2005 Projected Development,

Gallery Momo Gallery MOMO is a South African contemporary art gallery, which represents South African and international artists at its exhibition spaces in Johannesburg and Cape Town. History Gallery MOMO was founded in Johannesburg in 2002 by the South Afri ...

, Johannesburg * 2004 Brett Kebble Art Awards, Cape Town * 2003 ABSA Gallery, Johannesburg * 2002 Once were Painters, KKNK, Oudtshoorn. * 2001 We Love our customers, Hungarian Embassy, New York * 2000 Tour-guides of the inner city – URBAN FUTURES Rembrandt van Rijn Gallery, Johannesburg * 2000 Hoerikwaggo, South African National Gallery, Cape Town * 2000 SASOL New Signatures Revisited, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn * 2000 Emotions and Relations, Sandton civic Art Gallery, Johannesburg * 1999 Channel, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town * 2002 Joint exhibition with Stephanus Rademeyer, The Art Space, Johannesburg * 1998 Atlantis, Mark Coetzee Fine Art Cabinet, Cape Town * 1998 ! Xoe – Site Specific, Nieu-Bethesda,

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

* 1997 Taking Stock, Co-curated and exhibited, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Johannesburg * 1997 Cyst: Works in Paint, Good Hope Gallery, The Castle, Cape Town * 1997 No. 4, Hillbrow Fort, Johannesburg * 1996 Record, Art Space, Newtown Cultural Precinct, Johannesburg

Collections

* SASOL * ABSA * DIADATA * Bloemfontein Art Museum

References

Artists from Johannesburg South African artists South African people of Italian descent 1970 births Living people {{SouthAfrica-artist-stub