Mervyn Gers (South African 20th/21st Century) DUMP ON TRUMP

Estimate

R1,500,000 - R2,000,000

Mervyn Gers (South African 20th/21st Century) DUMP ON TRUMP

More Information

LOCATION: CAPE TOWN

unsigned
etching and gold transfer on ceramic
height: 81cm

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist

Stephan Welz & Co is proud to announce a collaboration with Mervyn Gers for our premium auction in June 2025. We will be presenting and offering the first instalment of the ceramic artist’s latest project, DUMP ON DICTATORS, an innovative reclamation of the humble toilet as a provocative medium for social commentary.

Drawing from history, psychology, and contemporary crises, the project explores themes of control, rebellion, and authoritarianism. Gers began researching authoritarianism when South Africa’s bans on alcohol and cigarette sales—disproportionately enforced against vulnerable communities—sparked debates about civil liberties versus public safety.

His work examines the global rise of authoritarianism, drawing parallels between historical events—such as the Industrial Revolution and World War II—and the digital age’s manipulation of inequalities. “The Industrial Revolution’s shift to mechanised labour disrupted communities and social dynamics. Elites used media to suppress dissent while movements glorified progress or exposed injustices,” Gers explains. “These upheavals bred anxiety and radical ideologies. That same pattern exists today, with the digital economy reshaping power and control.”

The idea of using toilets as a medium emerged during the early days of lockdown when panic buying led to a frenzy over toilet paper. It was also influenced by the 2017 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum incident when Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s functional 18-carat gold toilet was offered to Donald Trump after the White House had requested a Van Gogh.

“I have a deep-rooted reaction to authoritarianism, particularly in light of the pandemic. “In response to South Africa’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures, I was frustrated and infuriated.” says Gers. “Some people instinctively obey authority, while others challenge it. Resistance isn’t just emotional—it’s often a justified response to excessive control, especially when decisions lack transparency or public debate, as was the case in South Africa’s lockdown.”

The economic fallout was staggering. South Africa lost 1.5 million jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown—far surpassing the 600,000 jobs lost in the 2008/2009 financial crisis. “Our government’s rigid enforcement of lockdowns disregarded economic realities and mental health impacts,” Gers says. He describes the authoritarian pandemic response as a "virus" of its own. “COVID-19 might as well have been called the ‘Authoritarian Virus’—a global push for control. Today, international institutions shape national policies without democratic accountability. Public health measures should never strip people of autonomy without open discussion. Moments of crisis should never suppress critical thinking.”

Gers spent four years developing this project, meticulously refining every detail. The process involved extensive research, precise artwork assembly, and the creation of printed transfers designed to resemble traditional etchings. Countless experiments with printing techniques and multiple firing tests were conducted to perfect the final product—particularly to prevent the porcelain from cracking. In 2023, he travelled to Stoke-on-Trent to source the ideal cobalt blue on-glaze, using a silk-screen process to replicate the distinctive colours of 18th- and 19th-century “Chinese export porcelain” once traded to North America.

This series is a collaboration with artist Ellalou O’Meara, whose intricate etching techniques add rich layers of storytelling to each piece. A former art lecturer at both the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town, O’Meara studied printmaking in Antwerp in the 1960s and holds a master’s degree in fine arts.

The first to be offered from this series, the America installation entitled DUMP ON TRUMP, explores the ideal of freedom and the threat of authoritarianism. Classical images of Capitol Hill, Constitutional Court, Mount Vernon, the Liberty Bell, and the Statue of Liberty symbolise the ideals of equality alongside leaders such as George Washington, who was known as Father of his Country, and Barack Obama.

The idea of politics as a form of performance is evoked by references to 19th-century toy theatres for children and contrasted with the manipulation of TV culture and violent symbols such as target practice discs. The names of the 43 senators who voted against Donald Trump’s second impeachment run around the interior.

One of the most striking aspects of this installation is the cobalt blue, which is based on the colour of historic Chinese exports to America. Gers experimented with more than 30 variations of this notoriously challenging shade for on-glaze before finding the ideal pigment in the UK’s Stoke-on-Trent in 2023.