LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jane Alexander: Works
built 226 days ago
Jane Alexander is as keenly aware of being misrepresented by others as she is of misrepresenting herself and ... as a rule, does not engage in recorded interviews. An impersonal and austere control is Alexander's favoured code of' operation. And it is this code which has also come to distinguish her work. Her sculpted figures and photomontages militate against the processes of fantasy, falsification and sentiment. One sees and hears no resounding call to change. Still, Alexander does believe she can engage people.
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The sculpture "Butcher Boys" was created by Jane Alexander in 1985/86. The sculpture attracted a great deal of attention, was shown in many countries, and is a key early work. In the choice of motifs, material (mainly plaster), and use of colour (or the absence thereof), the sculpture contains elements that continue to play a decisive role in her later work. Like the three Chinese monkeys, three young men with rams’ heads sit tranquilly on a park bench. Dull-witted, unconnected and sated, they may be interpreted as a manifestation of apartheid. In contrast to the Chinese monkeys, none of these three figures can speak or hear: their mouths have been knocked off, like the noses of ancient sculptures; and where their ears should be, there’s nothing but black holes.
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Alexander's work typically employs a wide range of approaches including installation, photo-based work and sculpture. With a physical and spiritual intensity, Alexander deals with vital social and political issues - such as the impact of apartheid.
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