Pamela Stretton

Pamela Stretton
Born1980 (1980)
South Africa
Alma materRhodes University
University of Cape Town
AwardsSanlam Vuleka 2005
Websitewww.pamelastretton.com

Pamela Stretton (born 1980) is a South African artist whose work deals predominantly with the female body.[1] Her main medium is digital inkjet prints that combine text and photographs. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Stretton moved to the United Kingdom.[1][2]

Stretton attended Kingswood College, Grahamstown and Queenstown Girls High School.[3]

She received a Bachelor of Fine Art (with distinction) from Rhodes University in 2002 and a Master of Fine Art (with distinction) from the University of Cape Town in 2005.[3][1]

Career

Stretton's work deals predominantly with the female form and its commodification, beautification, and role in popular culture.[1][2] Most of her works are digital inkjet prints that combine photographic images and text; they are composites of barcodes, labels, and advertisements that create a larger image of the female form. The pieces are largely autobiographical, but also carry general themes about popular culture, fashion, health, and food.[3][2] The painstaking and meticulous creation of each piece references obsessive eating disorders.[4] Similarly, the grid mechanism portrays the pressures of conformity.[5] Her style has been called a female version of Chuck Close.[6]

Awards and honors

Stretton was a finalist for the Absa L'Atelier Art Competition in 2003, 2006 and 2007.[3][1] In 2005, she won the Sanlam Vuleka Art Competition and was a finalist for the Brett Kebble Art Awards.[3] The Vuleka was established in 1963 and is Southern Africa's oldest continuous art competition.[7]

She was also a finalist for the inaugural Spier Contemporary Competition and Exhibition in 2007, which Smithsonian Libraries describes as juried.[8][1] The Spier Contemporary was a national biennale competition and exhibit for visual artists and was the largest competition of its kind in South Africa.[9][10][8][1]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Panther, Jay, ed. (2007). Spier Contemporary, 2007: Exhibition & Awards (PDF). Africa Centre. p. 194, 260. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Self Conscious Reflections". Visi. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Artist of the Month March – April 2008: Pamela Stretton". Rose Korder Art. March 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  4. ^ Lambrecht, Bettie (August–September 2006). "Pamela Stretton". Contempo. p. 16. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2023 – via Rose Korder Art.
  5. ^ "Season of Plenty". Monday Paper. Vol. 24, no. 23. University of Cape Town. 3–9 October 2005. p. 2. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2023 – via Rose Korder Art.
  6. ^ Sassen, Robyn (Spring 2007). "Gallery on the Square / Johannesburg". Art South Africa. Vol. 6, no. 1. p. 102. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2012 – via Rose Korder Art.
  7. ^ "Vuleka Competition turns 60". South African Art Times. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Modern African Art : A Basic Reading List". Smithsonian Libraries. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  9. ^ "The Spier Contemporary Competition and Exhibition". www.advance-africa.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  10. ^ "About the Spier Contemporary event - Art Identity in South Africa - Spier Contemporary". 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2023.