Archive: Issue No. 88, December 2004

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CAPE TOWN

04.12.04 Stanley Pinker, Peter Clarke and Hylton Nel at MSCG
04.12.04 Louis Jansen van Vuuren at the AVA
04.12.04 'Art Salon' at The Bay
04.12.04 'Data' by Katherine Bull at João Ferreira
04.12.04 'Hands that Shape Humanity' at the Slave Lodge
04.12.04 'Afrinaissance' weaving and printing at The Castle
04.12.04 Lize-Mari Strydom and John Joubert at VEO Gallery
04.12.04 Clementina van der Walt at Irma Stern Museum
04.12.04 '10 Years, 100 Artists' launch at new Bell-Roberts
04.12.04 Michaelis Graduate Exhibition at Hiddingh campus
04.12.04 Jan Verboom at Photographers Gallery ZA

05.11.04 'The Muse of History': Helmut Starcke at the Old Town House
05.11.04 'Voice-overs': Wits brings African artworks to the SANG
05.11.04 Guy Tillim - DaimlerChrysler Award winner at the SANG
05.11.04 'Sacred Geometry' by Sharon Peers at 3rd i Gallery
05.11.04 'A Liberatory Vision': Maggie Laubser at the Sanlam Art Gallery
05.11.04 'Curiosity CLXXV' at Hiddingh Hall, Michaelis School of Fine Art
05.11.04 'Democracy X' (extended) at The Castle of Good Hope
03.10.04 'Ilifa' at Iziko's SANG

STELLENBOSCH

05.11.04 Herman van Nazareth: a review at Sasol Art Museum

CAPE TOWN

Stanley Pinker

Stanley Pinker
Smile at the foot of the ladder, 1988
Mixed media, dimensions unknown

Peter Clarke

Peter Clarke
Mondrian, Fanfare series
Mixed media, 50x35cm

Hylton Nel

Hylton Nel
Glazed ceramic, 230mm


Stanley Pinker, Peter Clarke and Hylton Nel at MSCG

This exhibition promises to be a visual treat of synergies between three very different artists who all have formidable talent and expertise in common.

Stanley Pinker, who turns 80 this year, shows work from his private collection. According to MSCG, the work shows his distinctive blend of humour, metaphor and subversive allusion that has marked his paintings throughout apartheid days and into the present. 'Pinker engages with the characters and contradictions of South African life as well as the history of European easel painting. He uses a visual vocabulary unequivocally South African to explore issues of colonialism and capitalism.'

Peter Clarke is a highly accomplished and versatile visual artist as well as a writer and a poet. He has recently turned his attention from printmaking to collage. About four years ago, Clarke began making collage books that fold up into boxes of various shapes and sizes, which he handcrafts from leather.

This exhibition showcases a series of Clarke's fan-shaped collages that commemorate a combination of literary, historical, Biblical or actual characters drawn from his life. Each fan is accompanied by a few paragraphs of beautifully written text that describes the person's thoughts - either spoken or imagined.

Hylton Nel, the artist-potter, returns to the MSCG after his solo exhibition a year ago. Nel has for the past four decades been producing distinctive plates, bowls, vases, figurines and ornaments from his Karoo studio. He has kept a fairly low profile in this country, with rare South African exhibitions.

MSCG will also launch a book about Peter Clarke and a monograph on Stanley Pinker.

Opens: December 1
Closes: January 15


Louis Jansen van Vuuren

Louis Jansen van Vuuren
Jardin Francais, 2004
Oil painting

Louis Jansen van Vuuren

Louis Jansen van Vuuren
Iris III
Pastel on cotton paper


Louis Jansen van Vuuren at the AVA

Van Vuuren's annual solo exhibition of new work fills all three spaces in the AVA. Van Vuuren has been living in the Limousin region of France for several years and this exhibition showcases his new work on the subject of the enchanted garden. It deals with the visually evocative elements of contrasting views of a large park-like garden at his home in La Creuzette.

According to the AVA's press release, 'the canvas becomes the stage for a series of dream-like interpretations of the plant and flower life of the park ... Vibrant colours and velvety close-ups abound, interwoven with fantasies of secret trysts and assignations'.

This exhibition includes about 20 oils - unusual for Van Vuuren, who mostly works in pastel - and about 10 pastel works on paper. Several pieces are executed on gesso ground, giving them a fresco-like quality.

Van Vuuren is no stranger to South African art lovers due to his numerous exhibitions both here and abroad. He has also lectured in the Fine Art departments at UCT and Stellenbosch University. Next year, Van Vuuren shows in London's Kings Road.

Opens: November 24
Closes: December 11


Conrad Botes

Conrad Botes
Red Devil
Reverse glass painting, 40 x 40 cm

Andries Gouws

Andries Gouws
Lampshade
Oil on canvas

Ruan Hoffmann

Ruan Hoffmann
Sleep
Vase (ceramic), 51 x 26 cm


'Art Salon' at The Bay

This annual cornucopia of contemporary art curated by art consultant Rose Korber is once again held at The Bay hotel in Camps Bay. This 13th Salon features paintings, drawings, original prints, photography, sculpture and ceramics by 100 of South Africa's top and emerging contemporary artists.

The exhibition will be opened on December 9 by art critic and lecturer, Lloyd Pollak. The show is expected to highlight new directions taken by artists like John Murray, Peter Eastman, Sanell Aggenbach, Hanneke Benade, JP Meyer, Alastair Whitton, Colbert Mashile and Xolile Mtakatya.

It will also showcase many well-known artists whose work has been critically acclaimed in recent international shows. These include Willie Bester, Sam Nhlengethwa, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Conrad Botes, Brett Murray, Beezy Bailey, Deborah Bell and Francine Greenblatt.

Ceramics will be another focus, and new work by the Ardmore Studio, Ian Garrett, Katherine Glenday, Barbara Jackson, Louise Gelderblom and others will be showcased. Contemporary beadwork by Tamlin Blake and Lorin Strieman will also be on view.

Opens: December 10
Closes: December 28


Katherine Bull

Katherine Bull
Untitled
Pigment print on coated paper, 33 x 37.5 cm


'Data' by Katherine Bull at João Ferreira

New print works by Katherine Bull are on show in an exhibition called 'Data'. This body of work is described as an extension of Bull's ongoing critical interrogation of the integrity of the printed record through an investigation of the printing process as subject.

The press release states: 'Bull explores elements of scale and time, fact and fiction in printed representation and its potential for orientation/disorientation in relation to the viewer. But this time, she works with the colour inkjet print as medium and subject.'

Bull will be present in the gallery to draw portraits of visitors willing to sit for her. Contact the gallery to make a booking.

Opens: December 8
Closes: December 30



'Hands that Shape Humanity' at the Slave Lodge

This international traveling exhibition comprises a range of artworks by well-known men and women from all over the world, hosted by the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre. The idea behind the exhibition is for celebrity artists to encapsulate whatever message of wisdom they would like to leave behind for humanity.

The invitees include Desmond Tutu, Anita Roddick, Carlos Santana, Gillian Anderson, Marion Jones, Gary Kasparov, Lennox Lewis, Isabel Allende, Shimon Peres, Jane Campion, Chinua Achebe, Nadine Gordimer, FW de Klerk, Paolo Coelho, Paul Theroux, Johan Lomu and Marc Quinn.

The exhibition will travel the world as an ever-expanding show over the next 12 years. A complete physical and digital version will be housed at the Peace Centre in Cape Town and will be available as a digital exhibition on the internet from 2006.

Opens: November 25



'Afrinaissance' weaving and printing at The Castle

This collaborative exhibition showcases woven and screen-printed works designed by Cape Technikon students and produced by women from Philani Nutrition and Development Project.

Opens: November 22
Closes: December 11


Katherine Wood

Katherine Wood
Life
Oil on canvas


Lize-Mari Strydom and John Joubert at VEO Gallery

The gallery information about this joint exhibition, entitled 'hands, horses and other memories', is accompanied only by two somewhat cryptic quotes. One, attributed to 19th century French poet Charles Baudelaire, reads: 'Life is a hospital, in which every patient is possessed with the desire of changing his (own) bed.' To find out more, visit the gallery before December 4.

Opens: November 23
Closes: December 4

Shortly thereafter, Katherine Wood presents a show entitled 'life' from December 7 until December 18. She is followed by Richard Scott from December 20 until January 1.


Clementina van der Walt

Clementina van der Walt
Commemorative Plate, 2004
Ceramics

Clementina van der Walt

Clementina van der Walt
Portrait Vaseceramics, 2004


Clementina van der Walt at Irma Stern Museum

Clementina van der Walt explores mystery and ritual in her latest show at the Irma Stern Museum. She creates portraits that are inspired by pots and masks used in traditional African cultures. Her spontaneous style includes gestural marks in colourful slips and glazes in her range of masks, vases, bowls and plates that have spiritual suggestions.

The show also includes an edition of etchings on the same theme, and a series of platters commemorating 10 years of democracy.

University of Stellenbosch's Professor Sandra Klopper writes in her introduction to the show that Van der Walt's work explores a sense of 'the in-between' in various ways, including some that resonate with African masking traditions - 'Like death masks, these faces are curiously unsettling for although at one level they seem to record particular individuals, there is often a haunting distance between the image and the person.'

Opens: 6.30pm, December 7
Closes: January 14



'10 Years, 100 Artists' launch at new Bell-Roberts

Bell-Roberts Publishing and Struik Publishers are celebrating the launch of their new book, '10 Years, 100 Artists', with an exhibition of work by some of the artists profiled in the publication.

They include Usha Seejarim, Bridgette Baker, Kevin Brand, Jean Brundrit, Roderick Sauls, Samson Mudzunga, Fanie Jason, Doreen Southwood, Matt Hindley, Cameron Platter, Brett Murray, Kathryn Smith, Willie Bester, Minnette Vári, Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, Nicholas Hlobo, Terry Kurgan and Mgcineni Sobopha.

Director of the SANG, Marilyn Martin will give the opening address. The exhibition also marks the launch of the new Bell-Roberts Gallery on Bree Street, between Shortmarket and Hout streets.

Opens: December 8
Closes: December 18



Michaelis Graduate Exhibition at Hiddingh Campus

The annual exhibition of work by UCT's Michaelis School of Fine Art graduates takes place this month at the Hiddingh Campus. The exhibition always provides ground for speculation on which young artists to keep an eye on, as well as a broad showcase of the school's dominant concerns.

Opens: 6pm, December 1
Closes: December 22


Jan Verboom

Jan Verboom
Photograph from Cuba series


Jan Verboom at Photographers Gallery ZA

'Journey', an exhibition of images from the semi-arid landscapes of the Northern Cape and Namibia, are on show alongside photographs taken in Cuba by Jan Verboom. This is Verboom's second solo exhibition. His work has been included in several exhibitions locally and abroad. He lives and works in Cape Town.

The show comprises silver gelatine prints, in stark contrast to the current fad for digital prints, taken on a Mamiya M7 camera. All images are numbered and part of a limited series of 20, archivally printed and toned to collectors' specifications.

Opens: December 14
Closes: January 15


Helmut Starcke

Helmut Starcke
Clio, 2001
acrylic on canvas


'The Muse of History': Helmut Starcke at the Old Town House

Helmut Starcke, a former lecturer at Michaelis School of Fine Art, shows a series of reworked celebrated Dutch masterpieces in this exhibition at the Old Town Hall. He juxtaposes classical figures from the Golden Age of 17th century art with characters and artifacts from Africa.

According to the artist, the show comprises 'mediations and meditations on the Dutch colonial adventure, with specific reference to Africa and the history of the Cape of Good Hope, colonised by the Dutch in 1652'.

The Old Town House, which houses the famous Michaelis Collection of 17th Century Netherlandish art, is therefore an appropriate exhibition context and setting. According to curator Hayden Proud, many of the interiors evoked in Starcke's works resonate with the proportions, lighting and architectural details of the venue itself.

Opens: November 17
Closes: April 2005



'Voice-overs': Wits brings African artworks to the SANG

This exhibition comprises exceptional pieces chosen from the Standard Bank Collection of African Art at the University of the Witwatersrand Art Galleries. Curatorial responsibility lies with Wits experts Anitra Nettleton, Karel Nel, Julia Charlton and Fiona Rankin-Smith.

The collection from west, central and southern Africa includes a wide range of media and includes classical to contemporary techniques. The 120 items were chosen by 53 specialists with strong connections to Wits University. Each selector has also contributed a text in the form of poetry, short stories, artworks, narrative writing and traditional academic research.

Items on show include Jackson Hlungwane's Gabriel from the Altar of God, a Chokwe figurative staff from Angola, Sam Nhlengethwa's commentary on the death of Steve Biko It Left Him Cold, and a rare southern African beadwork panel dating from the 19th century.

Opens: November 20
Closes: February 6, 2005


Guy Tillim

Guy Tillim
Cape Augulhas flats, Esselen St, Hillbrow, April 2004


Guy Tillim at the SANG

Photographer Guy Tillim is no stranger to Cape Town gallery enthusiasts. Michael Stevenson Contemporary Gallery hosted in June a series of works called 'Leopold and Mobutu' from the Congo region.

Tillim's reputation, however, extends way beyond the Mother City. He is the most recent recipient of the prestigious DaimlerChrysler Award for Photography and this month the SANG exhibits his photographic work.

Tillim began taking photographs professionally in 1986 and has built up a strong reputation for his documentary-style work. In this show, Tillim turns his photographer's gaze from conflict-ridden sites in Africa to the inner-city life of Johannesburg. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

Opens: November 27
Closes: March 21, 2005


Sharon Peers

Sharon Peers
Untitled


'Sacred Geometry' by Sharon Peers at 3rd i Gallery

Later this month, local photographer Sharon Peers exhibits 'Sacred Geometry: Language of Light' at 3rd i gallery. This exhibition of lithographic handprints is inspired by the concepts of sacred geometry and archetypal shapes and forms in nature.

Peers says of her work: 'I am motivated to inspire people through my images, to draw them into the creative process involved in appreciating nature's beauty. It touches my heart how perfect nature is .... to the minutest detail.'

Peers is co-owner of Framing co. inc. 3rd i Gallery as well as an emerging photographic talent.

Opens: November 13
Closes: January 29, 2005


Maggie Laubser

Maggie Laubser
Self Portrait, 1928
475 x 340 mm (Copyright: Stellenbosch University)

Maggie Laubser

Maggie Laubser
Cat and Japonicas, 1936
oil on board 560 x 610mm (Copyright: Stellenbosch University)

Maggie Laubser

Maggie Laubser
Poplars, n.d. (1922-1924)
oil on cardboard, 335 x 400mm (copyright: Stellenbosch University)


A Liberatory Vision: Maggie Laubser at the Sanlam Art Gallery

This exhibition of 88 works by arguably one of South Africa's greatest artists includes a unique representation of some of Maggie Laubser's earlier work dating from 1914 to around 1940. The exhibition, drawn from the Sanlam Art Collection, is accompanied by a special catalogue with text by art historian Elza Miles.

Laubser holds a special position in South Africa's art history, according to Sanlam Art Collection curator Stefan Hundt - 'As viewers of her work, we can share in a limited way the intellectual and emotional liberation she achieved through her paintings. Her vision will remain a reminder of the power of art to change how we view reality.'

Opens: October 27
Closes: December 31



'Curiosity CLXXV' at the Michaelis School of Fine Art

Curated by Pippa Skotnes, Gwen van Embden and Fritha Langerman, this exhibition, part of the University of Cape Town's 175th anniversary celebrations, seeks to 'celebrate curiosity and scholarship, and the symbolic and narrative power of objects.' Historical treasures, curious paraphernalia of bygone days, teaching equipment, unique research materials and academic vestments will all be brought together in a vast installation at UCT's original campus, currently the home of its Art School.

The curators have scoured every old cupboard and every nook and cranny of the departments that make up the University. From these sometimes neglected and dusty locations they have taken objects that resonate with historical importance or are unusual, bizarre or are simply curious or strange. 175 cabinets fill Hiddingh Hall, echoing the 'cabinets of curiosity' of adventurous collectors and researchers of the past. According to Skotnes, who heads the Michaelis School of Fine Art, 'Objects have an extraordinary mobility of meaning. We hope that this act of curatorship will generate new ideas about UCT collections.'

Numerous staff members, artists and academics of the University have contributed objects or even 'curated' an individual cabinet. The exhibition promises to draw attention to the way in which material objects are intimately entwined in the creation of other forms of knowledge.

Opens: Tuesday November 23
Closes: April 1, 2005



Democracy X at The Castle of Good Hope

This exhibition, in South Africa's oldest colonial building, brings together over 300 artefacts, contemporary artworks, documents, photographs, sound and film. Most of these are from Iziko's own collections but the exhibition also includes items on loan from public and private collections throughout South Africa.

The exhibition spans seven rooms, beginning with the early traces of the human past, the first farmers and early southern African states, and leading to colonial dispossession and African resistance. Mining, urbanisation and apartheid precede the turning points of the 1970s until democracy in 1994. A special room is dedicated to the Truth Commission.

Interviews with and self-portraits of 28 year-old South Africans conclude the exhibition. Sue Williamson's Messages from the Moat, a permanent installation piece on slavery at the Cape, looks right at home in the basement of the Castle's Block B.

Opened: April 21
Closes: January 15 2005

SEE REVIEWS    SEE REVIEWS



'Ilifa' at SANG

An exhibition which opened on Heritage Day showcases 150 African artworks acquired by the gallery over the past decade. 'Ilifa Labantu Heritage of the People' is curated by Carol Kaufmann, Iziko's African art specialist. She says: 'The post-1994 sense of freedom has encouraged South Africans to look to the north to rediscover cultural affiliations with the rest of the continent.'

'Ilifa' includes textiles from Ghana, beaded crowns and gold-weights from Nigeria, Kuba ceremonial beadwork from the DRC and 'repatriated' works like engraved Nguni cattle horns depicting scenes from the Zulu war of 1879.

The exhibition will include a series of organised tours. Contact Carol Kaufmann on (021) 467 4672 or email ckaufmann@iziko.org.za

Opened: September 24 2004
Closes: April 2005

STELLENBOSCH


Herman van Nazareth: a review at Sasol Art Museum

Sasol Art Museum is holding a retrospective of four decades of Herman van Nazareth's artwork. The exhibition will be opened by the Arts and Culture Minister, Dr Pallo Jordan. Amanda Botha is the guest curator.

Van Nazareth played an important role in particular during the apartheid years with his socio-political artwork that commented on the inhumanity of abuse of power. According to the US Gallery, his fresh approach combined with his strong voice fought against injustice. His depiction of power figures also provided an insight into the history of South Africa.

Opens: 6.30pm, November 10
Closes: February 12, 2005

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