William Kentridge: Weigh All Tears at Hauser&Wirth

I always wanted to be one of those people who can easily quote something suitable for every situation. Unfortunately my memory has its own opinion on what to store and when to share it. But luckily—for me—there are some exclusions and I am going to indulge—or torture—you in not one but two quotes that came to my mind on seeing this exhibition.

“There's the story, then there's the real story, then there's the story of how the story came to be told. Then there's what you leave out of the story. Which is part of the story too.“ Margaret Atwood.

“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around”. Terry Pratchett.

Silhouettes, historical figures, maps, simplified forms—through an iteration all are telling a story. It feels like a solid theatrical performance: a build up of scale, repetition of details and rhyming of symbols culminate in powerful video art (take it from me, a person who believes that video art is one of the most uncomfortable for viewing in a gallery art forms). History consists of endless stories, amplified and contradictory, history is never consistent—the story on the other hand is. So to make sense of the exhibition you have to make your own story of what you’ve seen. Personally—I am planning to go see it again.

Exhibition period: 17 March—29 May
Gallery address: 14/F, H Queen’s, Central