The Bitterkomix edition
Have we got news for you.
This week, we release two extra-special edition screen prints by those masters of the medium: Conrad Botes and Anton Kannemeyer. But that’s not all. These large-scale, limited editions of 25 were created as the covers for the latest edition of Bitterkomix, with the release of these works coinciding with the forthcoming launch of Bitterkomix 18.
The controversial publication was first published by Botes and Kannemeyer in 1992, when they were art students living through South Africa’s regime change. Since then, more than 40 artists and writers have contributed to various editions of the satirical magazine. With the current global restrictions on public gatherings, exhibitions and travelling, the duo – who have both pursued individual art careers in parallel to the publication – decided that a focus on publishing books and prints made sense.
Botes explains:
“Publishing offers local and international collectors of Bitterkomix books and prints the chance to engage with what we do. We decided to make screen prints of the front and back cover of Bitterkomix 18, as it would be a great way for collectors of the books to acquire artworks that can be displayed in a conventional manner. Bitterkomix 18 will be unique from previous editions, as it will only feature work by Anton and me.”
Front cover | Conrad Botes
For the cover of Bitterkomix 18, Conrad Botes makes a reference to Francisco Goya’s famous painting, Saturn Devouring His Son, and its allegory of patriarchy and the abuse of power.
The context for this work, in Kannemeyer’s words “is pretty self-explanatory”. And it offers clues about the cutting, uncensored content between the covers – the irreverent satire that Bitterkomix is famous for.
