Artist Sas Kloppers with Mining Weekly's Leandi Kolver
Photo by: Matthew De Bie
Ode to the Miner, by Sas Kloppers, is about mining in South Africa and is inspired by the sculptures of miners by Tienie Pritchard. Mining in South Africa was an important determinate of South Africa's political, economic and cultural history.
According to the foreword by Joanita Fourie, Ode to the Miner is unique in many respects; not only does it portray the history of mining in South Africa on quite a unique level, but intertwined with the story of mining and the miners is also the history of the agony and the ecstasy of those who came to seek their fortunes beneath the surface of this Dark Continent. Anecdotes and small slithers of information revealing to the reader more about everyday life in the mining towns and camps add an interesting spice to the book, making it accessible to magnates, miners, artists and lay readers alike.
Kloppers went to great trouble to unearth old photographs, newspaper articles, paintings and other illustrative materials to make this history real to the reader. He brought together in one publication the wealth of precious information about the mining fraternity that can today only be found in books long out of print and gathering dust, or destined for the rubbish pile.
The highlight of this haunting and beautifully told history is the exquisite sculptures of Pritchard, a South African sculptor. His portrayal of the miners at work in the depths of the earth of this Dark Continent affords a place of honour to the many today nameless men who toiled to get the riches out of the pits of darkness to the sorting tables and European markets. Pritchard's sculptures are not crude "first drafts" but true works of art.
About the author
Kloppers mounted his first exhibition in 1990 in Swakopmund, Namibia, on invitation of the Die Muschel Gallery, exhibiting a series of works inspired by the rock art of the Brandberg. Since 1990, he has exhibited widely in South Africa and Africa. Africa’s colour, rhythm, lore and rituals serve as inspiration for his work. He interprets all in his own style, medium and technique, subtly incorporating earthly materials when called for by the theme.
Ode to the Miner is published by Dream Africa Productions and Publishing