Archive: Issue No. 65, January 2003

16.01.03 Mark Hipper at Joáo Ferreira
16.01.03 Louis Jansen van Vuuren at the AVA
16.01.03 KRISP at The Arts Association of Bellville
16.12.02 Tours of the Kentridge Retrospective for the deaf
16.12.02 Comics Brew at Bell-Roberts
01.12.02 Ariel Cohen at 240 Long Street
15.11.02 William Kentridge Retrospective at the SANG

01.12.02 Larry Scully at the Sasol Art Museum

16.12.02 Contemporary Ceramics in Nieu-Bethesda

Mark Hipper is used to attracting controversy with his work, but seems to have produced a less provocative but equally intriguing body of work for this show. 'The Inquisitors' comprises beautifully finished, carved wooden elements emerging organically from the gallery's walls. "They do not represent anything, instead they embody an action, a motion..." says Hipper of this work, which manages to both amuse and threaten at the same time.

Opens: January 6
Closes: January 18

João Ferreira Gallery, 80 Hout Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 423 5403 or 082 490 2977
Fax: 021 423 2136
Email: info@joaoferreiragallery.com
Website: www.joaoferreiragallery.com
Hours: Tue - Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat 10am - 2pm

Louis Jansen van Vuuren's annual exhibition at the AVA consists entirely of new work. Van Vuuren's recent move to France shows strongly here, particularly in his characteristic interpretation of the seasons, landscape and the richness and style of typical French gardens, and especially in a series of pastel drawings of roses and irises. At the same time, van Vuuren develops the local South African landscape into an object of desire in the series entitled, 'My Heart Longs for the Boland' (sic).

Van Vuuren's professional biography dates back to the mid-1960s when he first started exhibiting. He has subsequently shown numerous times in South Africa and abroad. His work is represented in most major public and corporate art collections locally and in numerous private collections, both nationally and internationally.

Opening 6pm, Thursday January 9
Closes: February 1

Association for Visual Arts, 35 Church Street, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 424 7436
Fax: (021) 423 2637
Email: avaart@iafrica.com
Website: www.ava.co.za
Hours: Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm, Sat 10am - 1pm

Art.b - the recently revamped Arts Association of Bellville - is hosting an exhibition of work by emerging artists entitled 'KRISP'. The exhibition aims to create a platform for artists who have not necessarily had formal training, but whose work is fresh and of a high standard. The participating artists are Vicki Crawley, Dominique Edwards, JP Meyer (who gets my vote of confidence), Eustacia Riley and Diedr� Watson.

Opening: 7pm, Wednesday January 15
Closes: February 6

Art. b., Library Centre, Carel van Aswegen Street, Bellville
Tel: (021) 918 2301/2287
Fax: (021) 918 2083
Email: artb@icon.co.za
Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm

A sign-language interpreter will conduct tours of the Kentridge Retrospective currently running at the SANG for the benefit of deaf viewers.

Times: 1pm, January 16, February 13 and March 6

South African National Gallery, Government Avenue, Company Gardens, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 467 4660 or 481 3800
Email: cquerido@iziko.org.za

A six-month programme dedicated to Comic Art began with the Bitterkomic exhibition at Art on Paper in Johannesburg and ends with a conference and workshops at the Department of Graphic Design at Wits Technikon in February. The festival has touched down at various other venues in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. 'Comics Brew' presents a show of original comic artwork by T. Ott and Kalonji from Switzerland, Stassen from Belgium and Rabaté from France, with Karlien de Villiers, ND Mazin, Brendon Bell-Roberts and the Igubu Collective. The Comics Brew catalogue and comics by the above will be on sale. Bell-Roberts and Igubu will be in attendance to sign comics.

Opens: 6.30pm, Wednesday December 18
Closes: January 18, 2003

Bell-Roberts Art Gallery, 199 Loop Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 422 1100
Fax: 021 423 3135
Email: suzette@bell-roberts.com
Website: www.bell-roberts.com
Hours: Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm, Sat 10am - 1pm

Ariel Cohen was introduced to Cape Town audiences during this year's Month of Photography. His show 'Smashed' took place on an outdoor wall of the Saint Martini Church on Long Street. His photographs drew interesting, if tough, comparisons between the weathered faces of Cape Town's destitute and smashed vehicles. His new body of work, to be shown at the same venue, is entitled 'Push' and focuses on the Mother City's population of homeless who earn a hard living selling scrap, which they transport piled high on shopping trolleys. At the same time as highlighting the plight of these people, Cohen is also seeking to create a unique platform for local photographers to present work of social relevance to the public at large.

Cohen has secured sponsorship from Sappi, Dulux, Dragan Systems and Graphic Laminates. Public Eye is assisting with publicising the event.

Opens: 8pm, Monday, December 2
Closes: January 31, 2003

240 Long Street (adjacent to Marvel Bar)
Tel: 082 406-4699
Email: ariel@absamail.co.za

William Kentridge has been selected the South African National Gallery as the venue for his major South African solo exhibition. Kentridge, whose importance as an artist scarcely needs to be explained, has an oeuvre that spans film and theatre as much as visual art. Despite his international stature, Kentridge is still based in Johannesburg. He is probably most renowned for his animated films, which explore the complex and often violent history of South Africa.
This retrospective has been curated by the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Concurrently with this exhibition, Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones of 'Handspring Puppets' with whom Kentridge has collaborated on many projects, notably Ubu and the Truth Commission, will exhibit a number of their extraordinary puppets from the 10 years over which they have been collaborating.

Special Opening: 12 pm, Saturday November 30

Opens: December 1, 2002
Closes: March 23, 2003

South African National Gallery, Government Avenue, Company Gardens, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 465 1628
Fax: (021) 461 0045
Email: ebedford@iziko.org.za
Website: www.museums.org.za/sang
Hours: Tues - Sun 10am - 5pm

'Larry Scully 80', a retrospective exhibition of his work, celebrates the well known Stellenbosch-based artist's 80th birthday. Scully, who headed the University's Fine Arts department, has remained an active painter for more than half a century. He is as well known for his large-scale murals on the Stellenbosch campus as he his for his multi-projector slideshows accompanied by music that he presents from time to time.

Opens: 6pm, Wednesday, December 4
Closes: February 3, 2003

Sasol Art Museum, 52 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch
Tel: (021) 808 3524
Fax: (021) 808 3669
Email: usmuseum@sun.ac.za
Hours: Tues - Fri, 9am - 4.30pm, Wed 9am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm, Sun 2pm - 17pm

'Thrown and Altered�' is an essential vacation diversion for anyone en route the liquid charms of the Cape coastline. An exhibition of contemporary ceramics by Charmaine Haines Noëlle Obers and Clementina van der Walt, the event takes place at the Ibis Art Centre in Nieu-Bethesda.

Opening: 6pm, December 10
Closing: January 20, 2003

Ibis art centre, Martin Street, Nieu-Bethesda
Tel/Fax: (049) 841-1623
Website: www.ibisartcentre.co.za