ART
Foundry’s Louis Olivier has left his prints on Kentridge sculptures
Years from now, people will study this sculpture and see this other thumb print on it and find it belongs to Louis Olivier, says the artist holding a small William Kentridge sculpture in his hands. Olivier’s fingerprint might not be traceable on every Kentridge bronze-cast work, but hundreds, if not thousands, of them have passed through his hands since he began producing sculptures for this world-acclaimed artist. The relationship began in his studio, continued in Kentridge’s and was solidified in more ways than one since establishing the Workhorse Bronze Foundry in Joburg. Olivier guides me through the basement of this four-storey establishment in a dodgy part of the inner city, where a production line churns out Kentridge sculptures. It is hard to hear his voice above the din on the third floor where a worker, or artist (the lines are blurred) refines the details of a bronze statue of a struggle hero destined for Dali Tambo’s sculpture park. This is an art factory of sorts. Art, ...
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