William Kentridge: SELF-PORTRAIT AS A COFFEE POT

Presented by Koffler Arts, with work from the William Kentridge Studio

In Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot, William Kentridge lays bare his creative process. This series nine 30-minute films, was shot in his Johannesburg studio during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and completed in 2023. “Filming began in the first lockdown and the studio mimicked the closed spaces of COVID, but the studio is also an enlarged head, a chamber for thoughts and reflections where all the drawings, photos and detritus on the walls become these thoughts,” says Kentridge.

In the main gallery, we invite visitors to take off their coats, have coffee or tea and a biscuit, and get comfortable in a cozy, living room space inspired by elements from Kentridge’s studio, as they view films of Kentridge at work in this same studio. The room has been designed by celebrated theatre designer, Teresa Przybylski.

We witness Kentridge drawing and painting, pacing the floor and grappling with the ever-present monster of creative doubt. By a clever sleight of hand, Kentridge has  filmed two versions of himself,  transforming this otherwise inner monologue into a robust dialogue about art, work, memory, history and time. And the coffee pot, described by Kentridge as “an indirect metaphorical self-portrait,” is ever-present.

Przybylski researched Kentridge’s style and studio, props and accessories, to enhance the experience of viewing these films by one of the most prolific artists of our time. “Many years ago, I saw his exhibition in Milano, and it left me with a sense of wonder and admiration,” says Przybylski. “The images had a lasting and meaningful impact. His openness to new ideas, incorporation of drawing, film and animation, his ability to manipulate the scale of things, and his masterful command of the art of drawing, are among many things that fascinated me in this presentation.”

For media inquiries please contact Melissa Than mthan@kofflerarts.org.