Visual arts

Check out Marsi van de Heuvel’s exhibition Entanglement at SMITH

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THE latest exhibition at SMITH is a solo exhibition of new work by Marsi van de Heuvel titled ‘Entanglement’.

This show presents works that experiment with empathy and entanglement; a study of an emotional connected consciousness. The multiplicity of the deep yet ethereal colour of blue, and countless minute pen marks, represent an open ended expanse of human experience.

It serves as sanctuary for vulnerability; a home for emotion. It is an attempt to ease anxieties of today’s fixation with idiosyncratic statuses, and soothe the exhaustion of the constant search for signal, by submerging into an expansive and empathetic rhizome.

“I feel compelled to make work that contributes, and I search to find relevant subject matter that does not exclude; that speaks in the language of every man. I love that art has the power to convey something complex in a simple way,” says Marsi. “My work is a demonstration of dedication, a practice of discipline and patience. The process is slow and meditative, consuming of time and self. The intention is to broaden perspectives of who we are, and where we are.”

Originating from Cape Town, Marsi has known from the beginning that art was all she wanted to pursue. She said: “I felt fortunate to be sure of what I wanted to do. I committed. Although my subject and medium has changed over the years, the concepts in all my work have had common themes that I have come to realize quite recently”.

‘Entanglement’ will run from June 24 to July 18 at SMITH, 56 Church Street, Cape Town.

SMITH is open Tuesday – Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm.

TWENTY: Art in the Time of Democracy

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An exhibition entitled TWENTY: Art in the Time of Democracy featuring works by 115 artists will be presented by UJ Arts & Culture at the UJ Art Gallery from July 1 to August 5.

Gordon Froud, senior lecturer at the University of Johannesburg (FADA) and curator for this show, incorporated a broad range of works by established and emerging South African artists addressing their experiences of the first twenty years of democracy in this country.

Froud originally curated this show for the Appalachian State University Turchin Centre in North Carolina during 2014, which, on its return was exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum. A selection from this exhibition, co-curated by Professor Karen Von Veh (UJ, FADA) will be shown at the 6th International Beijing Biennale later this year.

The artists, amongst others William Kentridge , Mary Sibande, David Goldblatt, Diane Victor, David Koloane, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Vusi Beauchamp, Clive Van der Berg, Paul Emmanuel, Kim Berman, Roger Ballen, Matt Hindley, Marco Cianfanelli, Jodi Bieber, Manfred Zylla, Andy Robertson, Christo Doherty, Mbali Dhlamini, Bevan de Wet, Phumilani Ntuli and Jaco van Schalkwyk, comment on a wide variety of themes such as identity formation within a young democracy, resistance, human rights, land concerns, the Mandela years and HIV/Aids.

The exhibition closes on August 5.

NEED TO KNOW

OPENING SPEAKER: Avitha Sooful, Head of Division and senior lecturer, Fine Arts, University of Pretoria

WALKABOUT: Wednesday, July 22 at 1 pm; Saturday, August 1 at 10.30 am

GALLERY HOURS: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Closed weekends and public holidays.

LOCATION: APK Campus, Cor. Kingsway/University Road, Auckland Park

CONTACT: UJ Art Gallery: 011 559 2099 aedempsey@uj.ac.za

New group exhibition at the BAT Centre in Durban

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The Menzi Mchunu Gallery at the BAT Centre in Durban’s small craft harbour is hosting the Umhlabelo exhibition from Tuesday, June 30 at 6 pm.

This exhibition comprises the work of five Durban-based visual artists – Major Ndlovu, Andile Maphumulo, Khulekani Mkhize, Nhlakanipho Mkhize and Mthobisi Maphumulo – who are members of the group Amasosha (a Zulu word that means soldiers, people who have patience and courage).

The aim of this group is to shape each other in terms of ideas, share skills in the construction of their work and to make art that can have a dialog with the audience of different cultures.

The title of the exhibition Umhlabelo is a Zulu word with two meanings – it is a Zulu medicine that you drink to fix a broken bone and also can be described as a sacrifice. In South Africa we are in a time where we are fixing the residues of our colonial past and through that process of fixing, there are so many sacrifices and offerings to make.

“The works you will see in this exhibition are a reflection of our communities today and role played by the past to shape our reactions on things and our presentation in our society,” says Fortune Bengu, spokesman for the gallery.

Mthobisi Maphumulo was born in 1988 September 9 at IMfume (southcost). He said: “When I was at school I wanted to study art but I was encouraged to study electrical engineering. I dropped out after two years to pursue my passion for art.”

His work takes a critical look at the social construction of our communities. He is also interested in unpacking inhumane processes involved in the construction and socialisation of human stratification from lower class to the upper class. Through his work, he also revisits the colonial history as a point of reference in order to challenge the residue of the colonial past because he feels it still infringes majorly in our present life.

Umhlabelo runs until July 31. The Menzi Mchunu Gallery is open from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 4 pm. Entrance is free.

A work by Mthobisi Mkhize.

A work by Mthobisi Mkhize.

Mthobisi Maphumulo's ' Voices of my people' .

Mthobisi Maphumulo’s ‘ Voices of my people’ .

This work by Khulekani Mkhize will be on show at the BAT Centre.

This work by Khulekani Mkhize will be on show at the BAT Centre.

Durban Art Gallery hosts thought-provoking exhibitions

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THE associations between life and death are at the heart of Janet Solomon’s exhibition Green Screen which can be viewed at the Durban Art Gallery until June 28.

Speaking about the exhibition, which includes photographs and paintings, Solomon says that she is comparing the use of green screen in the digital world to the way in which museums traditionally display groups of people or animals in dioramas.

“The diorama is a construction similar to a stage set housed in a glass showcase and is intended to give a context to the reconstructed humans and animals,” she says. “This results in a false sense of reality, comparable to how the green screen manipulates the digital image.”

Photographed images of taxidermied animals trapped in artificial situations are accompanied by paintings of living people and creatures in natural environments and the ravages and threats of climate change and other ecological destruction.

The juxtapositions between the frozen moments of history and the ravages of the present examine ideas of freedom and entrapment and question how we look at the distance between object and subject.

Green Screen is Solomon’s fifth solo show and comprises of over 30 works created between 2011 and 2014.

Also at the gallery is Suikerbossie/Sugarbush, a one-woman show by Durban artist Janet Solomon, which interrogates Afrikaner culture and identity.

This grappling with identity is placed in the context of her family history and life experiences through video, digital collages, performance, drawing, ceramics, mixed media and sculptural installation.

“This interrogation forms part of a critical transformative inquiry which explores the death, rebirth and growth of my personal identity through art practice,” Maurel says.

“It is through writing and telling our stories we use the power of narratives to deconstruct and reconstruct new identities, in order to begin to heal.

“I have been struggling against Afrikaner myths and beliefs, such as the Afrikaner as the chosen people and the authority of the patriarch.

“Twenty years of democracy has brought about a multi-cultural environment, which is very different from that which existed when I grew up during apartheid. It has provided a space for a metamorphosis of my personal identity through an interrogation of Afrikaner culture and identity in my art practice.”

  • The Durban Art Gallery (DAG) is open Monday to Saturday from 8.30 am until 4 pm, and Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm. Entry is free. Inquiries: 031 311 2264/9. The DAG is on the second floor of the Durban City Hall building. Enter opposite the Playhouse.
Still image from: Suikerbosie video performance

Still image from: Suikerbosie video performance

Africa in All her Glory at Iziko

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The winners of the Nature’s Best Photography (NBP) Africa competition will be announced at a gala awards ceremony at the Iziko South African Museum (ISAM) in Cape Town on June 23.

The winning entries will then be showcased as part of an exhibition entitled: Nature’s Best Photography Africa, on public display from June 24 until September 16. There will be 70 photographs on show in the exhibition which captures the splendour of Africa with a single shutter of the camera lens. Nature and photographic enthusiasts should not to miss this spectacular showcase.

Organised by NBP Africa, in partnership with Iziko Museums of South Africa, NBP USA, and Nikon South Africa, the competition was launched on April 2 and ran until May 2. Photographers from all over the world were invited to enter the competition by submitting photographs taken on their travels in Africa.

“Showcasing the majesty and splendour of Africa through these (art) works, evokes a sense of enthralment, respect and concern – not only for our continent, but for our planet,” said Hamish Robertson, Director of Natural History, Iziko Museums of South Africa. “The preservation of our natural resources is not an activity we can or should leave for future generations. Museums have an important role in educating, creating awareness, and providing solutions-based platforms of public engagement. It is acutely apt, on the eve of its 190th year of existence, to host this phenomenal photographic exhibition at the oldest Natural History Museum in Southern Africa.”

The 12 winning categories are: African Landscapes, African Culture, Wild Cats of Africa, Birds of Africa, Mammals of Africa, Reptiles of Africa, Africa Underwater, Africa Up Close, Africa Wildlife Story, Youth Award Under 13 Years, Youth Award 13 – 18 years, and Video.

“The judging panel was very impressed by the quality of many of the entries and it was not easy to select the winners to represent the 12 categories,” said Lou Coetzer, the head adjudicator.

Adult category winners will be awarded prizes in the form of specialist photographic safaris to the combined value of R1 million. The awards, sponsored by Coetzer Nature Photography Safaris and the &Beyond Group, will take the winners to the Masai Mara in Kenya or to the Serengeti in Tanzania for an unforgettable experience in Africa’s finest wildlife environs. Winners in the youth categories will receive world-class accommodation at the luxurious Thulani Lodge in Hoedspruit, sponsored by A Spring of Hope and Coetzer Nature Photography.

Iziko Museums of South Africa has partnered with Natures Best Photography Africa and will host the annual competition, gala awards and exhibition. The winning photographs from NBP Africa will be showcased as part of the African category in the Natures Best Photography USA exhibition, hosted annually at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

“Our core objectives are to encourage photographic excellence amongst existing photographers, to attract new audiences to photography, to foster an appreciation for and conservation of our natural resources and to promote the continent of Africa to a massive global audience,” says Craig Mark, director of NBPAfrica.

Lou Coetzer will be conducting a walkabout on June 24 at 10 am and will share his insight on the judging criteria, and the reasons for the selection of these particular images. The walkabout is free-of-charge and open to the public.

To find out more about Natures Best Photography Africa, or to order the catalogue visit the website http://www.naturesbestphotographyafrica.com or email info@naturesbestphotographyafrica.com

Photographic exhibition in the Durban Botanic Gardens

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ALLIANCE Française de Durban and the Durban Botanic Gardens, in collaboration with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), are hosting the international exhibition, Women in Resistance (Femmes en résistance), by French photographer, Pierre-Yves Ginet.
The work, which will be on show in the Sunken Gardens at the Durban Botanic Gardens from June 20, aims to recognise the struggle, contribution and sacrifice of women around the world.
The exhibition is an essay of portraits with bilingual English and French text. It features 25 photo panels of 25 groups of women in 25 countries — from the fight of Congolese women for victims of sexual violence, to the fight of Tibetan nuns in Asia for education, and the fight of Argentinian women against dictatorship.
“Women represent more than half of humanity but many are still today, excluded from their country’s economic, political and social life. They are more vulnerable to poverty, lack of education and wars,” says Ginet.
In his work, the photographer wanted to depart from the stereotypical representation of women as victims. Instead his images give priority to the struggles led by many of them.
“I have always been a traveller and then I started taking pictures as a tourist,” says Ginet. “From 1991, I had a dual role of photo amateur journalist.
“I was a financial analyst at the time and used up unpaid leave, but from 1998, I became 100% committed to being a photojournalist.
“For me, the ultimate journey was Tibet, in 1991. I was shocked by the destruction of the heritage. Under the ubiquitous Chinese army, Tibetans are reduced to begging and there is rampant prostitution.
“The shock was there: it was an encounter with the reality that I did not expect. I went as a tourist and I came back as a journalist.”
Theres is a local, interactive element to this art project on Facebook.
The page Women in Resistance Exhibition, Durban & KZN is open to all and the idea is for participants to go to the exhibition take a selfie in front of the Women in Resistance Exhibition, Durban & KZN backdrop and to upload it to the Facebook page with an inspiring text.
• Women in Resistance/Femmes en Résistance is at the Sunken Garden in the Durban Botanic Gardens, from June 20 to July 10. Admission is free.

Flatfoot Dance Company to share the art of dance

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DURBAN’S Flatfoot Dance Company invites visual artists and dancers to be part of a unique and innovative residency at artSPACE Durban from June 22 to 26.
Local artists will have the chance to paint, draw and create around the dancers as they rehearse, dance and assemble choreography at the gallery at 3 Millar Road, Durban.
The week will culminate in a perfomance of Lliane Loot’s stunning days like these on Friday, June 26 at 6.30 pm.
days like these is a dance theatre work created by Loots in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Karen Logan as a visual film and dance feast that looks at modern day storytelling and the politics of history and memory.
artSPACE durban curator, Karen Bradtke, will select some of the art works generated over the week to put on display in the gallery at next Friday’s event.
The cost is R100 per day for each artist and R350 for the week. For the special evening portraiture session on Wednesday, the cost is R100.
For the Friday event, the charge is R50, but if you have been part of the artist residency, there will be a 50% discount on tickets.
For more information and bookings phone 031 312 0793 or email: info@artspace-durban.com

For information about the Friday night performance, contact Clare at 082 875 6065.

Flatfoot Dance Company will be in residence at artSPACE durban next week.

Flatfoot Dance Company will be in residence at artSPACE durban next week.

Sculptures on show at the Artisan Gallery

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Sculptural showcase

Opening on Sunday, June 21 at 3 pm for 3.30 pm at the Artisan Gallery in Florida Road, Durban, is an exhibition of Maureen Quin’s bronze sculptures and drawings. Carol Brown will be the guest speaker. There will be two walkabouts, one on June 22 and the other on July 3. With a career spanning six decades, Quin’s versatility reflects both her European and Africa n heritage. Through her long career she has proved to be one of South Africa’s most progressive sculptors. Her training and travels have brought her into contact with both the classical masterpieces in the museums, and with the works of Henry Moore, the Surrealists, the attenuated forms of Modigliani and current trends. The exhibition runs until July 4. Inquiries: Ingrid on 031 312 4364 or email info@artisan.co.za.

Symphony.

Symphony.