Georgia Papageorge
Encyclopedia
Georgia Papageorge is a South Africa
n installation art
ist active in the field of earth art.
A native of Simonstown, Cape Province
, Papageorge earned her bachelor's degree
in fine arts from the University of South Africa
in Pretoria
in 1979; she earned a higher diploma
in graphics
from Pretoria Technikon in 1981. She turned to art after the death from cancer
of her two-year-old daughter. Much of Papageorge's work explores geological
rift
s, tying them metaphor
ically to personal and political upheaval. Her more recent pieces have explored the Gondwanaland schism. In 2003 she completed her work, "Africa Rifting: Lines of Fire, Namibia/Brazil," which featured flowing red material on the sandy beaches of Africa and Brazil. This work was filmed on September 11, 2001 and presents a powerful contrast to the events in the United States at the time.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
ist active in the field of earth art.
A native of Simonstown, Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
, Papageorge earned her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in fine arts from the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
in 1979; she earned a higher diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
from Pretoria Technikon in 1981. She turned to art after the death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of her two-year-old daughter. Much of Papageorge's work explores geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
rift
Rift
In geology, a rift or chasm is a place where the Earth's crust and lithosphere are being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics....
s, tying them metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ically to personal and political upheaval. Her more recent pieces have explored the Gondwanaland schism. In 2003 she completed her work, "Africa Rifting: Lines of Fire, Namibia/Brazil," which featured flowing red material on the sandy beaches of Africa and Brazil. This work was filmed on September 11, 2001 and presents a powerful contrast to the events in the United States at the time.