#whereareyounowjhb?

Under The Aesthetics of Absence is a multi-disciplinary project that documents the fluctuating conditions of some of Johannesburg’s so called ‘bad-buildings’. Displayed through ‘before’ and ‘after’ spatial accounts in the form of drawings and short texts, the structures display Johannesburg’s policy of erasure to the unsightly, an exquisitely superficial strategy in response to the city’s complex urban problems.

Counterspace sees the eviction policy in terms of ‘aesthetics of absence’, documenting the eeriness of the erasure process – freshly painted colourful window panes; ‘To Let’ signs; benches for private security guards – rather than signs of progressive urban development. (Counterspace 2016:265).

• Collaborators: Jhono Bennett, Euridice Paiva, Amina Kaskar
• References: Bennett, J. ‘Not a ‘No-Go’ Zone’. In Lokko, L. ed. PUPAE: Folio Vol One. GSA Imprint, 2016. pp267-268. Counterspace. ‘The Aesthetics of Absence’. In Lokko, L. ed. PUPAE: Folio Vol One. GSA Imprint, 2016. pp265-266.