ADONIS FRANK ROSS
Born 1955 – Wellington, South Africa
Frank’s use of colour is bold, direct and deliberate. The red is deeply symbolic to him. “I always paint the land in Red. The Red symbolises the unhappiness from our land. There is always trouble. Our people have many problems with land. There is ongoing political trouble.”
The light reflects off the metal tin roofs, drawing your attention closer to the detail in the artwork. The shinning colours highlight the various materials used in construction of dwellings and shops; the brightly coloured clothes drying in the wind over walls and on makeshift washing lines; the dust from the local soccer match and sounds of daily life in the Township come alive. Occasionally in the background the iconic Table Mountain is silhouetted as one is drawn into the energy and vibrancy of South African Township life as captured by Frank’s rough and honest artworks.
Frank received no formal training in art and gained his knowledge from associating with other established and emerging artists. He patiently spent hours observing them working and dedicated substantial time to viewing other artists’ works in galleries. Acclaimed artist Selwyn Pekeur fondly recalls Frank spending many hours late into the night in his studio observing him work and asking questions and then Frank would run the long distance back home to the other side of town to start working into the night himself.
Though humble before his refined talent and expression, the eye of the admirer is drawn to the subtle messages contained in each of his works. To many born outside the Township, it seems that not even hope can survive the environmental squalor. Hope and open dignity is exactly what prospers and drives people in the Townships to improve their lives and certainly that of their children. Normally we look to privacy to support our own pride and reinforce our self worth. In Township life this is the opposite – there is no privacy, but there is hope, respect, fervent religious zeal and an overwhelming sense of community and sharing of hardships – all contributing to the spirit of survival and upliftment which is so important to progress.
Known to all but his family as Frank Ross (having kept the name “Adonis” for his mother and immediate family), he is the true son of the Boland agricultural and wine growing region north of Cape Town, South Africa. He is no stranger to hardship and had to leave school to work and contribute to his family’s income. Frank only completed his junior certificate by studying part-time classes while working.
Frank started working on a casual basis at a local factory making fish tins. Over the years Frank was trained and later promoted to middle management. Then in 1989, the factory was taken over by a large multi-national and Frank was one of four long-standing managers laid off. With a big smile he sees the irony of him having worked in a tin factory and now using the very scrap metal tins as material so often in his artworks.
A ‘Springbok’ and long distance runner, Frank’s father, Solomon Ross remains a role model for Frank’s own life having trained him from a young age to run marathons and adhere to a firm set principles. These principles guided Frank through many years of hardship as he used his retrenchment money to set up his own barber shop which was successful until 1994 when the strict requirements for operating a barber shop were changed and his business was no longer viable.
This loss of his business and his lively hood caused Frank considerable distress. “I would lie awake at night and think about the losses and what could I do and I thought “I can paint!”. His confidence in his talent was soon recognised by his art teacher, Mr. Ronnie Hendricks and with encouragement from his friends and family he took odd jobs gardening and helping out where he could so that he could paint at night and have enough money to pay for paint.
Frank has a wide circle of friends and family and spends time with other artists from the area. Despite having no formal art training he has an inherent appreciation for other artists’ works. His home contains a collection of some fine examples of South African art, many of which he has received in exchange for his own works direct from the artists or gallery owners.
Frank’s love of art coupled with his life’s history and strong religious convictions give him a unique perspective to observe the upmarket brand labels mixed in with the litter and breakdown of services and not make judgement, but a ‘record of progress’.
Notable exhibitions include:
More recently, in early 2009, he had an opening night sell-out exhibition in Switzerland of 34 artworks totalling ZAR 2.9 million.
Corporate and Private Collections include the South African National Treasury, Western Cape Provincial Cabinet, Barbara Lindop, Steven A. Einehof - Chief of Staff for the House Democratic Leader Washington and Trevor Manuel, amongst others.
View Frank Ross’s township art collection on Fine Art Portfolio.
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