SESSIONS eKapa: What went on ?
by Linda Stupart
While Cape/Africa Platform has appointed an Artistic Director and concluded a three day mega-conference, the question remaining in the minds of many conference delegates is: are the organisers really able to put together an international scale art exhibition by September?
That said, SESSIONS eKapa was on the whole a successful and worthwhile set of discussions. The highlights in my mind were the two most controversial and useful sessions: Globalism, Locality and New Topographies of Large Scale Curation with Fernando Alvim and Albano Cardoso of the Luanda Triennale, Ruth Noack of Documenta 12 and Donna Conwell, curator of InSite05 on the panel; and, Messy States of the Art: Transgressing the Boundaries of Art Practice and Activism featuring poet Lesego Rampolokeng, Tracy Rose, Kendell Geers and Thembinkosi Goniwe, none of whom need an introduction.
All of this took place in the shadow of Senegalese curator and publisher N'goné Fall's assertion on Day One that contemporary African art is operating in a 'state of emergency'. This, she stated, reflects not only its critical state but also points to the future possibilities of a new 'emerging' African art practice.
The panelists on Globalism... brought to Cape Town their extensive experience in curating large scale exhibitions in difficult spaces and began to suggest ways in which Cape Town might practically begin to put together such a 'manifestation', as the organisers are calling it. Alvim particularly stressed the importance of 'getting things done' and what he calls the futility of the incessant debates around privilege, race and nuances of African identity that consistently surfaced throughout the conference. These, he claimed, threaten to bury any large scale artistic platform before it even gets off the ground.
The utter circus of Messy States... featured an embarrassingly incoherent and half-asleep Rose, fortunately countered by the ever lyrical Rampolokeng (who delivered his address in rhyme) and the intelligent, if sometimes difficult remarks of Geers and Goniwe. While the latter seemed bogged down in issues against which Alvim had earlier warned, Rampolokeng's astute comment on the conference and art criticism in the country - 'we don�t have a culture of criticism, just a tradition of bitching' - cut right through the mire. Geers argued clearly and concisely that it is because of the fact that fine art in institutions is useless, expensive and elitist that it has the power to provoke social change - through its effect on a powerful, privileged audience. Goniwe had of course repeatedly asserted that art and its institutions are all of those things and that this is its problem in a country like South Africa where racism and classism are so pervasive.
The wrap up session Envisioning the Future, had all the chairs of the various panels sitting together to report back on their respective sessions. They largely refused to do this, Rory Bester in particular calling for Artistic Director Jantjes to speak, with the audience voicing their agreement. It seemed that Cape had systematically refused to discuss any of their plans for the large scale exhibition that SESSIONS eKapa was meant to foreground.
The reason for this, panel chair and Cape task team member Julian Jonker eventually admitted, is that they have none and, as it turned out, the only available flight back to Norway had departed and Jantjes was no longer at the conference. Questions the delegates had regarding the proposed 'not another biennale' planned for September remained unanswered. In their defence, the organisers claimed that Jantjes would have not been able to answer any such questions as his proposal for the manifestation was not so much a concrete plan as something the appointed task team saw had demonstrated 'the way he thinks about things generally'.
All in all, the ending to SESSIONS eKapa did little to instil confidence in the organisation's plans for an international art event. It's difficult to imagine setting up a biennale in nine months with no infrastructure, vision nor plan, and with an art director who, while clearly an impressive and well-regarded figure, has been out of the country for the better part of 30 years. However, one can't ignore the merit of debating these issues in the open and take note of the fact that Cape has successfully raised a tidy sum of money, put in place a five year sponsorship plan, conducted exhaustive research and secured the backing of a number of private and state bodies.
