CAMERON PLATTER
Of the all the local artists I can think of, Cameron Platter must be the one who has the most fun. The drawings and prints presented in his Life is Very Interesting exhibition surely suggest as much. These images purport to be moments snatched from a larger narrative. Woven into his noir-style narrative are exotic and fantastical creatures, somewhere between animal and human, fighting on the sides of either megalomania or passionate love, pausing only to drink Martinis under palm trees.
The fact that one has come to expect these indulgent, yet highly witty and humorous stories from Platter, further indicate how successful he has been in creating an ad hoc industry around them. Apart from the original pencil drawings, a series of digital reproductions of the drawings (providing an overview of the story) and a large text-based print (recounting the narrative) are also on offer. Elsewhere, Platter has achieved success with animations and short films of a similar tenet. In fact, it would seem that Platter is capable of providing his audience with endless adventures and intrigues from the fictional world he has created.
What makes this so remarkable is the fact that on the surface, these are not classically the stuff of fine art, or even fine animation. The original drawings are created with coloured pencils and crayons, with no attempt at traditional rendering or the like. Indeed, some of the figures are somewhat awkwardly naive, as though a child had drawn the outlines and coloured them in with hard, dense strokes.
But I do not mean this as a criticism. In many other senses, Platter's images are remarkably well executed; very strong pattern and design sense make them visually pleasing. But much more important is the strength of his unifying vision, which convincingly entices us to suspend our disbelief, and, like Platter, indulge in a simple fantasy where men are men, cars are sporty and fast, villains dictatorial and women sexy and available. Moreover, the simplicity of his style underscores the playfulness and fantastical nature of the work.
And therein lies the crux of the appeal of Life is Very lnteresting. As the title of the exhibition would suggest, banality and cliche define the tone of Platter's narratives. However, they appear in surprising combinations. Apart from the noir references, we also find surreal variations on the African safari, science fiction (in the return of the ever popular Zebras from outer space), tropical island accoutrements, and soft porn. Most bizarrely, the battle of Rorke's Drift makes an appearance in Platter's show, albeit the third one (which we are told takes place around 3079). In an oddly apt moment, Platter name-drops John Muafangejo alongside Marvin Gaye.
Perhaps the charm of Platter's work is simply the result of these strange combinations, and of his hyperbolic characters dressed in absurd costumes, driven by the straightforward motivations of love, power, money and street justice. And as for life being interesting? Judging from the seemingly unlikely success he has garnered from his representations of crocodiles and penguins, I am sure for Cameron Platter it is.
Carine Zaayman
Extract from: Zaayman, Carine. “Reviews: Cameron Platter.” Art South Africa, Vol 04, Issue 02, Summer, 2005, Page 79
