Archive: Issue No. 75, November 2003

X
Go to the current edition for SA art News, Reviews & Listings.
INTERNATIONAL LISTINGSARTTHROB
EDITIONS FOR ARTTHROB EDITIONS FOR ARTTHROB    |    5 Years of Artthrob    |    About    |    Contact    |    Archive    |    Subscribe    |    SEARCH   

EUROPE

15.11.03 Mthethwa and Kentridge in Athens, Greece
15.11.03 Siopis and Kentridge at Kappatos Gallery, in Greece
01.11.03 Angela Ferreira in Lisbon
01.11.03 Aryan Kaganof in Utrecht
01.11.03 Ed Young in Berlin
15.10.03 Williamson and van der Merwe in Cologne
15.10.03 Jürgen Schadeberg in Berlin
01.10.03 'Next Flag' in Luxembourg

AMERICAS

15.11.03 Mashile, Kentridge, Murray and Mthethwa in New York
15.11.03 Conrad Botes in New York
01.11.03 Geers and Langa at Museum for African Art
15.09.03 Amaler-Raviv, Mthethwa, Nhlengethwa, Place & Yudelman on 8th Havana Biennial
01.09.03 Langa, Geers & Allen at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

EUROPE

William Kentridge

William Kentridge


Mthethwa and Kentridge on 'Outlook', in Greece

Zwelethu Mthethwa and William Kentridge are participating on 'OUTLOOK'. This international art exhibition "aims to break new ground within the established context of contemporary art, revealing the contradictions inherent in our consciousness and the latent concerns of our time".

The exhibition also develops a sense of continuity by taking a new look at some key artistic figures from previous generations. The exhibition is inextricably linked to the city of Athens. Venues include: Technopolis, a former Athenian gasworks dating back to the mid-19th century (www.athens-technopolis.gr); the Benaki Museum one of Athens' most impressive and innovative exhibition spaces (www.benaki.gr); and The Factory, Athens's biggest exhibition space.

Also participating is 2001 Bag Factory resident Gustavo Artigas, of Mexico. Amongst the numerous art world heavies in attendance: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gregory Crewdson, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Damien Hirst, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Sarah Lucas, Raymond Pettibon, Wolfgang Tillmans, Luc, Tuymans, Jeff Wall and Gillian Wearing.

Opens: October 24
Closes: January 25, 2004


Penny Siopis

Penny Siopis


Siopis and Kentridge at Kappatos Gallery, in Greece

Penny Siopis presents her new, miniature paintings, from her 'Shame' series. Shame usually is associated with disgrace or loss of dignity. In South Africa, however, this word often takes on a different context. Siopis states: "Shame is also colloquially an expression of sympathy and identification with the hurt of others. If you fall in the street people might exclaim "shame", or cry out "sorry", even though they are not to blame for the incident."

This series makes visual a word that previously didn't have a physical form through the use of different media such as oil, stamps and found objects presented in her installation of found objects.

Learning the Flute is the title of William Kentridge's new film, which is accompanied by new etchings of the same name.

Opens: November 12
Closes: January 31, 2004



Angela Ferreira in Lisbonn

'No place at all' is the sculptor ngela Ferreira's first comprehensive exhibition to present an anthology of her work.

Born in Maputo, Mozambique, in 1958, Ferreira shares her life between South Africa and Portugal. Her dual nationality, Portuguese and South African, and above all her dual experience of both realities, invests her work with a sense of dialogue, her work reflecting upon the places where cultural exchange occurs, where the forces and powers that configure identities play out.

After graduating from the University of Cape Town Ferreira moved to Lisbon and became "one of the most relevant artists of the generation that came to the forefront in the beginning of 1990s". Among these she was the only one dealing with Portugal's colonial history. Ferreira's work is not confined to historical specificities but is directed at a broader reality, namely the historical relationship between the West and its peripheries. Ferreira's work also question the critical possibilities of the sculptural practices inherited from modernity.

In the consistently unusual form in which objects, images, memories and architectures are organised in her work, one can glimpse a strategy of inquiry which is not circumscribed by cultural determination, but which rather implicates and confronts the most intimate aspects of the subject with global movements.

'No Place at All' is a major and comprehensive presentation of Ferreira's work, focusing on the issues related to urbanism and politics. It includes 11 works produced from 1992 to 2003 and one new project. A bilingual catalogue, in Portuguese and English, accompanies the exhibition and includes two essays, one by Pedro Lapa, the other by Andrew Renton.

Opens: October 23
Closes: January 18, 2004


Aryan Kaganof

Aryan Kaganof and Dick Tuinder
Sanctuary Mental Space
Invitation image


Aryan Kaganof in Utrecht

Bad boy artist Aryan Kaganof exhibits in a show titled 'SMS', with Dick Tuinder, presenting a work about alter ego's and mental masks. Kaganof forms his own identity in a composition consisting of work by the artists Nicola Deane (South Africa), Alexandra Kallos (Greece), Philipp Virus (Germany), Catherine Henegan (South Africa), Milijana Babic (Croatia/South Africa) and the Illuseum (Netherlands). Dick Tuinder meanwhile composes himself using six alter egos' he has invented for himself, including the mascot of the show, the irrepressible Sally De Winter.

Henk Oosterling, Professor of Philosophy at Erasmus University, Rotterdam has this to say: "Kaganof weaves as a common theme throughout 'SMS', the political issue of the moment. What role do identities play in a world, which in spite of its self-confessed humanism, is still bursting with violence? Can the irrepressible need for identity regulate excessive violence? How much identity can we tolerate in a globalised world? He [Kaganof] recognises that� identity has become merely a surface effect� that the secret of identity does not lie in the inner self of individuals, nor even in the shared territory of History, but in the mediatisation (sic) itself. If we try through the media to catch a glimpse of the inner Self lurking underneath, we miss this superficial insight: Identity is as flat as a digital code on an interface".

Kaganof's multi-part identities are further fragmented when Catherine Henegan chooses in her representation to also co-opt other artists to collaborate with her in her 5x7 meter space. She herself will show a video projection of The Island, shot on an island between two lanes of traffic on Jan Smuts Ave in Rosebank, and depicting a child playing on the sand in a sea of traffic. In addition Henegan has invited Jimmy Wordsworth Rage (a visual artist/poet/ performer), Sagi Groner (video and sound artist), Valentijn Kortekaas (sound artist), Frederico Bonelli and TeZ (of Sub Multimedia Re_Search Laboratory) and Aryan Kaganof (himself) to collaborate with her over the duration of the 'SMS' exhibition.

For Henegan this work will no longer be a search for identity but rather the manifestation of one through a collective photosynthesis of the energies combined. These artists have all been previous collaborators whose artistic practice and diversity have all made a large impact and had an influence on the form and content of her own work.

The evening programmes, which all start at 7pm at the museum, are as follows:

November 4 : Screening of Virgins: Nicola's First Orgasm by Kaganof and Deane. There will be an opening performance ritual by the entire cast.

November 9: Screening of The Snuff Collection by Aryan Kaganof, with introduction by Henk Oosterling, professor of philosophy at Erasmus University.

November 16: Screening of The Suprematist Compositions by Aryan Kaganof, with introduction by Anna Tilroe, art critic of the NRC Handelsblad.

November 18: Screening of A Funeral by Aryan Kaganof (36min, 2003). This world premiere will take place at the 'tHoogt Cinema in Utrecht with a presentation of Dick Tuinder's Europa prize-winning Radio Play The Family.

November 19: Screening of and performance by 'The Children': Incest featuring Tomoko Mukaiyama (piano), Dick Tuinder (synth) and Aryan Kaganof (voice and noise) playing compositions by Ramon Dos Santos and The Children.

November 23: DVD presentation with performances by entire cast. Special guest Philipp Virus, deejay/veejay from Berlin.

A catalogues will be available at � 37,50.

Opens: November 4
Closes: November 24


Ed Young

Ed Young
Killing Teddy
Video


Ed Young in Berlin

Ed Young, the young Michaelis MFA student currently making a name for himself, will exhibit his Killing Teddy video work on Rencontres Internationales, in Berlin.

Opens: November 11
Closes: November 22



Williamson and van der Merwe in Cologne

36 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, 70% of whom live in Africa. All groups and sections of the population are affected: government ministers and workers, employees and farmers, parents and orphans, police officers and nurses, doctors and soldiers, homosexuals, teachers, taxi drivers, prostitutes and street vendors.

'Sexuality and Death: Aids in contemporary African art' presents Aids as it is seen from the perspective of the African artist. At the beginning of the 1980s when the first AIDS cases were made public, art offered one of the few legitimate possibilities in Africa to express personal and social experiences with this illness. The starting point of the artists' works is as multifaceted as the illness itself.

On the one hand, artists such as Sue Williamson use their works as a means of communication in Aids prevention. On the other hand, myths, traditions, and resistance are reflected in their works, which all too often hinder the fight against Aids. 'Sexuality and Death' is the title and the didactic and structural leitmotif of the exhibition. The causes and consequences of HIV infection and Aids illness will form the core of discussion.

The show is curated by Dr. Kay Schaefer, a specialist in tropical diseases in Africa and "an expert in contemporary African art". Schaefer has selected 20 African artists from 11 countries. Amongst the 20 are Pascale Marthine Tayou, Hentie van der Merwe, Ingrid Mwangi and Sue Williamson.

Opens: October 19, 2003
Closes: January 25, 2004


Jürgen Schadeberg

Jürgen Schadeberg

Jürgen Schadeberg
Images from Invitation


Jürgen Schadeberg in Berlin

A protégé of the legendary 1950s Drum magazine years, J�rgen Schadeberg emerged as one of South Africa's foremost black and white photographers. Documenting the short-lived jazz years of Sophiatown, including notable portraits of some of its leading cultural figures, Schadeberg's works have become popular collectables. Alongside Bob Gosani and Peter Magubane, his work documents the vibrancy and self-assuredness of a period.

'Beyond Apartheid' comprises recent photographs from a six-month photo essay project on Kliptown, in Johannesburg. Shot in collaboration with four trainee photographers, the show explores familiar post-apartheid territory, the shack dwellings once rendered invisible by apartheid legislation and segregation. This show is a collaborative project of the Goethe-Institutes in Berlin and Johannesburg with the Arsenal/Friends of the German Cinema, Galerie Peter Herrmann and the Kalkscheune.

The show will open at the two venues on October 23, at 7pm at the Goethe Institute, and 8.30pm at Peter Herrmann Gallery. Mrs. Christina Rau, spouse of the German President, and Prof. Dr. J. Limbach, President of the Goethe Institute will open Schadeberg's show.

Opens: October 23
Closes: January 15, 2004



'Next Flag' in Luxembourg

Billed as "an African sniper project for European spaces", 'Next Flag', featuring artists Olu Oguibe of Nigeria and William Kentridge of South Africa opens at the Casino Luxembourg under director Enrico Lunghi on October 4. The opening night is also DJ night from 9 pm. The project is a cooperative endeavour spearheaded by Fernando Alvim, and Simon Njami and coordinated by Iris Buchholz with a whole string of European art spaces including Camouflage in Brussels, the Migros Museum in Zurich, Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Circulo de Bella Artes in Madrid participating .

Opens: October 4
Closes: November 30

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

David Krut Projects

David Krut Projects
Invitation image


Mashile, Kentridge, Murray and Mthethwa in New York

David Krut presents new and recent print works by Colbert Mashile, William Kentridge, Zwelethu Mthethwa and John Murray. All of the four these artists are eminently comfortable with the print medium.

Opens: November 6
Closes: December 6



Conrad Botes in New York

Conrad Botes (aka Konradksi of Bitterkomix fame) will be exhibiting at the Scene Gallery in New York. The Scene Gallery was invited by Art Omi (a residency program in upstate New York) to be one of the visiting galleries who would meet and engage with the artists selected on this year's program. Botes was one of the 30 artists in this year's program, which was where The Scene Gallery first encountered his work and ideas.

According to the gallery, "Conrad's work deals with issues that are new and relevant to a New York audience. His medium of painting on glass and his somewhat cartoon like style is bold and graphic and suits the aesthetic of the gallery. His approach to image making has a somewhat collage style and this is a medium we are drawn to. We represent a number of artists who work in this 'urgent' way".

Botes himself has commented: "The paintings that I make have its roots in comic book drawing, which I have been drawing for over a decade... As with comics, I love to approach painting in a very eclectic manner, combining cartoon stereotypes with more figurative ways of representation. This eclectic approach is also prevalent in the content of my work; where one often finds a combination of humorous with disturbing subject matter".

"The narrative content of my work is usually related to race, gender and violence and their disturbing relationship to power and hierarchy. Rather than delivering future vision (sic) or a solution to problems, these narratives try to present situations around power and hierarchy in a very direct and confrontational way. I love to think of my work as a post mortem of the society and culture from which I emerged."

Opens: December 4
Closes: January 31, 2004



Geers and Langa at Museum for African Art

Kendell Geers and Moshekwa Langa, who recently appeared together on 'Black President' at New York's new Museum of Contemporary Art, are set to show together again. 'Looking Both Ways: Art of the Contemporary African Diaspora' is a group show presenting works by twelve artists from all four extremities of the African continent.

The common link shared by these disparate artists is that they all live and work in Western countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The title Looking Both Ways refers to the artists' practice of looking at the psychic terrain between Africa and the West, a terrain of shifting physical contexts, aesthetic ambitions and expressions.

The full list of participating artists is: Fernando Alvim, Ghada Amer, Olad�l� A. Bamgboy�, Allan deSouza, Kendell Geers, Moshekwa Langa, Hassan Musa, N'Dilo Mutima, Wangechi Mutu, Ingrid Mwangi, Zineb Sedira and Yinka Shonibare.

Opens: November 13
Closes: March 1, 2004



Amaler-Raviv, Mthethwa, Nhlengethwa, Place & Yudelman on 8th Havana Biennial

Although touted a biennial, the Havana event has long been a triennial. Only twice has there actually been two years separating biennials: between the first and second (1984 and 1986) and between the third and fourth (1989 and 1991).

This year's event will showcase more than 150 artists and groups. Three African states are represented, with the participant list including: Arlene Amaler-Raviv (South Africa), Luis Bastos (Zimbabwe), David Brazier (Zimbabwe), Calvin Dondo (Zimbabwe), Rehab El Sadek (Egypt), Tapfuma Gutsa (Zimbabwe), Hasan Khan (Egypt), Zwelethu Mthethwa (South Africa), Sabah Nacem (Egypt), Ousmane Ndiaye Dago (Senegal), Sam Nhlengethwa (South Africa), Rodney Place (South Africa), Dale Yudelman (South Africa) and Dominique Zinkpé (Benin).

The event is organised by the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, and curated by Hilda María Rodríguez Enríquez (Director), José Manuel Noceda Fernández, Nelson Herrera Ysla, Ibis Hernández Abascal, Margarita S�nchez Prieto, José Fern�ndez Portal and guests Group RAIN. The theme is interchangeably interpreted as Art with Life, or Art and Life.

It is worth noting that the majority of invited artists have had to pay their own expenses (transportation, airfare, accommodations, materials, etc.). This is true of most of the South African participants.

In addition to the central event being held at several exhibition venues, a performance festival, a symposium, and various special exhibitions and projects will also be taking place. As usual Cuban art will be shown across Havana, and not only in official galleries, but certainly in private studios and alternative venues, too.

Opens: November 1, at 4pm
Closes: December 15, 2003



Langa, Geers & Allen at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

'A Fiction of Authenticity: Contemporary Africa Abroad' brings together an important generation of artists working in a variety of mediums - sculpture, painting, photography, installation, video and performance - exploring issues of authenticity.

Artists creating new work for the exhibition are Siemon Allen (South Africa/Washington DC), Fatma Charfi (Tunisia/Bern, Switzerland), Godfried Donkor (Ghana/London), Mary Evans (Nigeria/London), Meschac Gaba (Benin/Amsterdam), Kendell Geers (South Africa/Brussels), Moshekwa Langa (South Africa/Amsterdam) Ingrid Mwangi (Kenya/Ludwigshafen, Germany), Odili Donald Odita (Nigeria/Tampa, Florida), Owusu-Ankomah (Ghana/Lilienthal, Germany) and Zineb Sedira (Algeria/London).

All artists, born either near the end of colonialism or shortly after (with the exception of South Africa) are making new work in response to the thematic, a fiction of authenticity. As products of the 1960s and 1970s, this important generation of artists challenge the Western invented notion of an authentic Africa. Rooted in exile, diaspora and interculturalism, each artist is creating a new body of work that transcends past limitations of geography, culture, race, ethnicity and nationhood.

This exhibition considers their conceptual art practices, international perspectives and recent entrance into the global area that has created a shift in the way we consider post-modern/post-colonial art production.

Siemon Allen investigates how nation building and identity are created through media attention or the lack of it at specific historical moments. He collects information (stamps, books, newspapers and film) to reveal ways in which perception is formed over time. Interested in world opinion of the U.N. Conference on Racism, held in his hometown of Durban, South Africa, in the fall of 2001, Allen collected United States news coverage of this controversial event, including all mentions of South Africa. The conference coincided with the events of September 11, 2001, thus altering Allen's first impulse for the direction of his work. For 'A Fiction of Authenticity', he has created a new minimalist grid that presents his research over the course of two years. He illustrates this by weaving both the internal and external view of one nation (South Africa) as presented by the media during these coinciding events.

Moshekwa Langa is creating a new body of work combining his interest in the accumulation/dispersal of media, materials and perspectives to gain access to an understanding of home and home away from home. For him, home is rural South Africa and Amsterdam. Langa maps out the often-incongruent movement of the diaspora experience and for 'A Fiction of Authenticity', is creating a new series of expressive painting exploring fictional narratives about the origins of human existence. Culling from fables, mythologies and history, Langa presents non-sequential mappings combined with abstract and representational forms that illustrate various alternative creation myths.

Based in contemporary conceptual practices, Kendell Geers's videos, sound pieces, performances and installations challenge the structure of things, particularly institutional politics, language, history and cultural boundaries. For the Contemporary, Geers will create a neon sign - a single word, SLAUGHTER - near the grounds of the museum, under the name Geers & K.O. Lab. The "S" in the word SLAUGHTER will flicker slightly, change color and fizzle out to reveal the word LAUGHTER, illustrating words within words, and subliminal messages that exist within our daily modes of communication: written and spoken language. SLAUGHTER will be mounted on a building across the street from the Contemporary, making the off-site piece public art available to all.

'A Fiction of Authenticity: Contemporary Africa Abroad' is co-curated by Shannon Fitzgerald, curator, the Contemporary and Tumelo Mosaka, assistant curator, Brooklyn Museum of Art and will travel to venues in the United States - to be announced soon.

A fully illustrated catalogue, produced by the Contemporary, with essays by co-curators Shannon Fitzgerald and Tumelo Mosaka, as well as new essays by Orlando Britto Jinorio, Ery Camara, Okwui Enwezor, Salah Hassan and Gilane Tawadros, accompanies the exhibition.

An unprecedented six-part lecture series and symposium featuring all exhibiting artists, curators and catalogue essayists is being organized in conjunction with the exhibition. The schedule is as follows:

September 20, 2003 - Symposium 10am - 2pm
Gilane Tawadros with exhibiting artists Fatma Charfi, Godfried Donkor and Zineb Sedira Orlando Britto Jinorio with exhibiting artists Meschac Gaba, Ingrid Mwangi and Owusu-Ankomah

October 16, 2003 - 7pm
Salah Hassan: African Modernism
October 23, 2003 - 7pm
Ery Camara: Demystifying Authenticity
November 6, 2003 - 7pm
Tumelo Mosaka with exhibiting artists Siemon Allen, Mary Evans and Moshekwa Langa
December 11, 2003 - 7pm
Shannon Fitzgerald with exhibiting artists Kendell Geers and Odili Donald Odita

Opens: September 20
Closes: January 3, 2004

ARTTHROB EDITIONS FOR ARTTHROB