A R T T H R O B

CAPE

After a very successful show at Goodman in Johannesburg, Malcolm Payne, Professor of Fine Art at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, will show 'Illuminated Manuscripts' at the Irma Stern. "Blocked energy, releasing of energy and entrances to a different dimension" will (hopefully) be unravelled by Nicholas Hales at João Ferreira. Work by two of the titans of South African art, Edoardo Villa and Cecil Skotnes may be seen at Lanzerac until next month. Amongst the fare on offer as part of Geoff Grundlingh's initiative, the Month of Photography, will be Tony Meintjes, showing at the impressive 34 on Long gallery. David Goldblatt's new major body of work may be seen at Michael Stevenson. Romance and sport jostle each other in two photographic shows at Bell-Roberts.

GAUTENG

The Dumile Feni retrospective at JAG seeks to place the artist in historical perspective. Artspace shows three artists dealing with intimate scales in their work. The Mapula Embroidery project and Monkeybiz show at Gallery on the Square. Frances Goodman will further explore the possibilities of sound in her solo show at Goodman. Zayd Minty's superb exploration of work emanating from the South Asian diaspora, 'A Place Called Home', comes to JAG after successful runs at the NSA and Iziko SANG. 'Promised Land' is the evocative title of Bonita Alice's one person exhibition at The Premises. According to Bonny the works on display "allude to death but do not fetishise it".

KWAZULU-NATAL

Potential danger in everyday objects is but one theme explored by Faye Sutherland at artSPACE durban. The NSA's laudable Young Artists' Project finds its third resident in Vaughn Sadie while the annual NSA members' exhibition celebrates the society's own centenary this year.

INTERNATIONAL

Cape Town-based printmaker Stephen Inggs explores the complexities of using photographic source material in his sensitive light-sensitive emulsion prints at the AIPAD Photography Show in New York this month. James Webb remains as busy as ever with four shows which will see him use, inter alia, bird calls from South Africa to subvert the aural environment.

Michelle Matthews gets to grips with the catalogue of 'Curiosity CLXX', the exhibition celebrating 175 years of research at UCT. Kim Gurney reviews an world-class exhibition of Japanese netsuke as well as three artists at the AVA. Renée Holleman provides a retrospective review of Hannelie Taute's show at João Fereirra. Tangencya/Thinta, a large scale multi-national inter-disciplinary arts-based project involving 31 artists, two curators and a theorist raised important questions for the Durban cultural milieu, observes Gabi Ngcobo. Robyn Sassen sees Daphne Prevoo's recent installation at PAM as a coup while the history of South Africa is sensitively and meaningfully reflected in a rare showing of the SABC's outstanding corporate collection. Sassen uses the Gauteng outing of Jacki McInnes' show as an opportunity to reflect on her role as critic. Paul Emmanuel's impresses at the Old Fort. Joost Bosland takes a look at how an American audience may interpret the Kentridge show at New York's Met before taking on the New York journalistic profession in a review of two African artists in the Big Apple.

After a European reflection last issue, Joost Bosland begins his column, AzaNYa, from the New York this month. In that metropolis he finds a hidden treasure and does good PR for William Kentridge. In Cape Town the Month of Photography (MOP) promises to make the Mother City an exciting place to catch the best in new lens-based work. The National Arts Festival in Grahamstown is looking for a new deputy. ArtThrob is looking to appoint a new KZN Editor - please see our posting in Exchange

Sue looks over her New Year's resolutions and then it's off to Douala...

Bruce Arnott, the distinguished and acclaimed sculptor, who continually surprises with his humour, erudition and ever-present human touch, is this month's Artbio subject. [This will be available later in the month.]

Aeolian Ride, a marriage of cycling and art, which ArtThrob reported on recently in the news section, has its own site. Carine Zaayman pedals through it.

A fascinating venture that mixes hand crafted and digitally crafted work - the brainchild of Marcus Neustetter and Nathaniel Stern - throws open interesting and exciting possibilities in the production of new media work.

This month, the Brett Kebble Art Awards are looking to fill the prestigious position of Curatorial Fellow for the next awards as well as call for animators to share and compare in Cape Town. And Artthrob is looking for a new KZN editor...

A short request for help in locating someone is all we have this month.

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Special announcement! There are only four more prints by William Kentridge left for sale. They will be on online auction - the best offer by the 10 March will secure them. Make an offer by emailing your bids to editions@artthrob.co.za.

Editions for ArtThrob's latest print takes the form of a set of ten exquisitely designed cut and printed ivory cards entitled The Story of Thulani Nganga by artist Peet Pienaar, creator of the brilliant Afro magazine. Everyone who has seen the set wants one.

Available now: outstanding prints by William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Hentie van der Merwe, Penny Siopis and Tracey Rose.