Poetry Exhibition Pamphlet, Hillbrow Johannesburg. Signed by Wopko Jensma (1972)

• Artist: Wopko Jensma (born 1939 – disappearance date unknown).

• Edition: This is a limited print run of 500 copies.

• Signature: The pamphlet is signed and dated "W '72" in large, expressive script.

The pamphlet, printed on brown kraft-style paper, features several of Jensma's poems:

• "DOOR": A repetitive, existential piece about waiting and isolation.

• "CITY": Reflective of urban life in "Joburg, Pretoria, Cape town".

• "SOMETIME NEXT TIME": Divided into two sections dealing with themes of growth and internal struggle.

• "GASH": Features a quote by Carlos Drummond de Andrade and explores themes of guilt and conscience.

Wopko Jensma was a significant figure in the South African "vernacular conceptualist" movement.

• He was an anti-apartheid activist who faced a banning order from the National Party, which severely restricted his ability to earn a living.

• His work often blended strangely proportioned human and animal figures with raw, multilingual poetry.

• His life ended in mystery; he was last seen in 1993 at the Johannesburg Salvation Army Men's hostel.

460mm x 240mm

R2,500