Based on lectures given at Oxford in 2024, this book reveals what precedes creation: the passing of time, creative procrastination, everyday gestures, bad ideas, and pacing around the desk. Kentridge recounts with humour and clarity how, one day, something emerges and becomes a work of art.
From his grandfather’s arrival in Johannesburg to his father’s activism against apartheid, Kentridge weaves together family history and artistic reflection, particularly on his early attempts to link art and politics. Through six chapters and a journey through his various studios, right up to his current studio in Johannesburg, the book explores the boundaries between the personal and the collective, the creative process and the artist’s responsibility.
