TUT University students strut their stuff in Johannesburg
by Kresta Tyler Johnson
It was with great intrigue that I attended the dual venue exhibition of under- and post-graduate students from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at Tshwane University of Technology, held simultaneously at Franchise and Gordart galleries in Johannesburg. Infrequently do two major galleries turn over their spaces to a student show, unless there is something exceptional.
Curated by artist Abrie Fourie, the exhibition showcased an array of abilities, from examples of work by �text book' art students lacking ingenuity, to work by the creatives who proved inspired. The work of 11 students was shown at Franchise and that of another ten at Gordart, with one artist's work at both venues. An assortment of media was experimented with, and the Franchise space was particularly conducive to the mix.
At Franchise, a probing, mixed media work by Carina Pietersen entitled Skin samples was given centre stage in the front window. Pietersen created a symmetrically precise installation within an uncertain landscape. The work was composed of multiple pillars, which held intricate bead and yarn work on encased wax pieces with artefactual elements placed below. The work blended a sense of discovery and references to ancient pasts with a contemporary consideration of identity.
Glass as a medium dominated at the Franchise leg of the show, and while displaying some arresting colour combinations, offered creations of mundane objects such as platters, ashtrays and bowls, which failed to convey much new, beyond an ability to create commercial products of a decorative nature.
Seretse Moletane showed an agility with linear subjects in lino prints, while Mar-Louise van Tonder's digital prints were intimate studies of what looked like human skins of the recently perished, where the last breath still emanated outwards.
Kai McEvoy and Donna Kukama both had large assortments of work included, but they failed to offer much beyond a student's investigation of various media and a still undeveloped style. Martin van Aardt was the only artist to be shown in both galleries, and I couldn't help but wonder if this was as a result of the political inclinations prevailing in his work, though some of it was forced.
War and instruments of war were replicated in small casts in Cry over spilled milk and Untitled which had forceful undertones in miniature as they were not readily apparent until investigated closer. The work translated better at Gordart, as the imagery accompanied by the casts was consistent thematically, and appeared at eye level rather than on the floor as they were at Franchise.
Gordart prevailed with some stronger pieces, but was a bit crowded in the smaller space to fully allow the works to be appreciated. Ute Swanepoel's glass was inspired and while accompanied with digital prints, could have easily stood on its own. An3a (Andrea Grobler) brought questions of identity to the forefront in her digital prints, while the lambs in Elaine van der Merwe's Its fleece was white as snow evoked images of sacrificial lambs and fairytales as they floated along.
Lawrence Keefe's Colour System series constructed of oil on corrugated iron was interesting, but claustrophobic as its parts were packed too closely together on one wall.
Thami Msimango in his Transformation series appropriated visual imagery of places with identical drawings overlapped onto pictured environments making one consider issues of place, space and individual identity as defined by one's environment.
Manet Badenhorst's series Musterion comprised delicate but powerful, small pencil renderings celebrating the strength of character of five disabled individuals mounted within the purity of white paper. Some of the strongest images came from the work of Jacques Müller whose oil on board paintings conveyed his evident abilities in utilising the traditional format with a reconfiguration of expected perspectives.
Both venues included video installations, but at neither venue were they operational when I visited. They might as well have not been running them or at least should have included a sign, which asked those interested to request they be shown the works.
Overall the exhibitions at both venues were dense, and while providing some interesting insight into the creative minds of younger artists, left me hoping this was not the best of the best and that more is yet to come from these raw talents.
Closed: February 26
Franchise Gallery
44 Stanley Ave, Milpark, Johannesburg
Tel: (011) 482 7995
Email: franchiseart@iafrica.com
Hours: Tue - Fri 11:00am - 18:30pm, Sat 10:00am - 16:00pm
Gordart Gallery
78 Third Ave, Melville, Johannesburg
Tel: (011) 726 8519
Hours: Wed - Sat 10:30am - 18:00pm
