Archive: Issue No. 72, August 2003

A very minimal exhibition opening at the Bell Roberts tonight. A single smallish sculpture in the entire gallery. So minimal is this opening that there isn't even the artist, Doreen Southwood, in attendance (or not until most of the guests have departed, anyway). The sculpture is a bronze, a young swimmer balanced anxiously on the edge of a diving board. On her back is � a plug socket? A world of uncertainty is conveyed in her timidly brave pose. It's a lovely piece, but one piece only seems a little less than some Capetonians expect when they come to a gallery opening. Laughing,,Suzette Bell Roberts is to tell me two days later that some anonymous person has written in the guest book: "This is a poor excuse of an exhibition."

In November this year, a show which looks at the cultural production of artists who have left Africa to work in other countries and how this move has impacted on their work will open at the Museum for African Art in New York. Called 'Looking Both Ways', and curated by Laurie Farrell, curator at the museum, the exhibition includes invited artists Moshekwa Langa, Fernando Alvim and Ghada Amer. Laurie has asked me to write the foreword to the catalogue. I always think in advance that assignments like this will be relatively straightforward, but they never are. Writing is a lot like making art - there are some ideas quietly minding their own business inside your head, and suddenly they are out there on a page, about to be exposed to the world, where they will have to fend for themselves against the critics. And only too often - like right now - they don't look as if they are going to be able to fend for themselves. Weaknesses become apparent. That's when you have to re-examine what you thought you think, and the real work of writing - or thinking more deeply through the theme in order to do the writing and attempt to come up with some fresh insights - begins.

Writing for myself is one thing, writing for a curator who is launching a major show is another. Right now, there's too much in this essay I'm not happy with .

This year, for the first time, the Arts & Culture Trust are allowing people and organisations to nominate themselves for the ACT annual awards recognising support of the arts. In every previous year, ArtThrob has been nominated by somebody for the best media of the year category, and twice has reached the final three. Spend the day filling in the forms, writing the motivation and printing out glossy prints of ArtThrob's most recent front page. Closing date is Thursday.

Send my catalogue essay off to New York.

Tonight's opening is at the new Michael Stevenson Gallery in Green Point. Its large, calm spaces provide ideal backgrounds for showing art. "I never wanted to show in a gallery before," says one young artist, "but now I want to show here."

The two artists who are showing tonight are Sandile Zulu of Johannesburg - 'Points of the Delta' and Jeremy Wafer, ex of Durban, but also now living in Johannesburg, whose show is called 'Topographies'. Their work looks incredible together. What a visual treat. Both are deeply concerned with African form, textures and colours, yet one would never mistake the work of one for the other. I must write a review for Art South Africa on the show, so I talk to both artists to hear more about their intentions in making this particular body of work..

Get an email response for New York - Laurie Farrell feels I have not yet adequately addressed the themes of the show. I can see what she means. Work on it most of the day and send off another draft.