Konradski (Conrad Botes) and Joe Dog (Anton Kannemeyer). Bitterkomix. 1998–2002
Konradski and Joe Dog (Conrad Botes, South African, born 1969; lives Cape Town and Anton Kannemeyer, South African, born 1967; lives Cape Town). Clockwise from top left: Bitterkomix Special Edition. 2002. Artist's book. Page: 11 1/2 x 8 1/8" (29.2 x 20.7 cm). Publisher: Bitterkomix Pulp, Cape Town. Printer: Steff Momberg, Pretoria. Edition: 80. Gift of the artists, 2007. The Best of Bitterkomix (Vol. 1). 1998, published 2001. Artist's book (back cover, front cover, spread). Page: 9 5/16 x 6 9/16" (23.7 x 16.7 cm). Publisher: Bitterkomix Pulp, Cape Town. Printer: Altstadt Printing, Cape Town. Edition: 2,000. General Print Fund, 2006. Best of Bitterkomix (Vol. 2). 2002. Artist's book. Page: 9 7/16 x 6 5/8" (24 x 16.8 cm). Publisher: Bitterkomix Pulp, Cape Town. Printer: Alstadt Printing, Cape Town. Edition: 2,000. Gift of the artists, 2007. i-komix no. 13 (i-jusi no. 13). 2000. Artist's book. Insert by Scott Robertson. Insert: 16 9/16 x 11 11/16" (42 x 29.7 cm). Publisher: Orange Juice Design, Durban. Printer: Fishwicks, Durban. Edition: 500. Gift of the artists, 2007. © 2011 Conrad Botes and Anton Kannemeyer
In this irreverent comic book, Anton Kannemeyer and Conrad Botes (under the aliases Joe Dog and Konradski) present a dark and biting critique of the conservative, Afrikaner cultural mainstream in which both artists were raised. Bittercomix’s content has shifted over the years as South Africa has changed, but it continues to combine eroticism, violence, and the absurd to address stereotypes around gender, sexuality, race, and domesticity and challenge ongoing government censorship in South Africa.