'Women's Spaces' at the Annexe Gallery of the Iziko South African National Gallery
by Nandipha Mntambo
One is drawn into the Annexe Gallery by an inviting atmosphere, to which the performance So long a walk - an adventure in stilettoschoreographed by Fiona du Plooy, adds an interesting element. Curated with wisdom and sensitivity by Gabi Ngcobo, a coherent and exciting aesthetic resonates throughout this exhibition space. The exhibition, entitled 'Women's Spaces', emerged from the project 'Gender Equality in the Visual Arts: Women in Dialogue', a partnership between the Arts and Media Access Centre (AMAC) in Cape Town, the Wiks People's College in Uppsala and the Association of Artists for Africa (KFA) in Stockholm.
The show draws its inspiration from workshops, lectures and talks around race, gender and representation in the visual arts, where students have engaged with these issues and the impact they have on their personal lives, daily struggles and aspirations for the future. The issues encountered in the works are broad and range across constructions of both male and female sexual identities and cultural values and norms.
Through the use of photography, Gcotyelwa Mashiqa's Through the Looking Hole expresses how she feels and how she would like to be treated in her role as a woman. Her black and white photographs, executed with great sensitivity and insight, explore her observations of how women are denied a space to speak or to ask questions in their households. She seeks to examine how women of her culture are treated in their homes and communities as well as how in turn these women, including herself, define themselves within these environments.
Emma Öhnell's tent installation, The Tält (The Tent) is inspired by her love for learning from people in her surroundings. Through this work Ohnell makes the viewer aware of the necessity to physically engage with artwork as well as art form. Visitors to this work are encouraged to actively engage and participate in the artist's creation by leaving behind a message or comment in the form of text, picture or found object.
As one travels through the space, sight, smell and touch combine to enrich the dialogue between the themes explored in each work. Through the use of various media, the students' work engages with the body's sensory functions. Mandisa Ngqulana's brown coffee and mixed media work reflects her observations of how sex has become a commodity - advertised, bought and sold. One's nostrils are filled with the feint aroma of ground coffee beans while sharing the feelings of loneliness and isolation expressed by the artist. Joy Nikelo explores similar ideas in Submission which deals with issues of tradition, ritual practice and the social rules regarding a new Xhosa bride, as well as the mourning period of the Xhosa widow. These opposing situations are explored through her comment on the feelings of submission experienced in both.
Desireé Higa's reflections on her identity as a black lesbian woman bring into focus the myth that being gay is not 'African'. She re-positions herself within Xhosa culture through her use of beadwork and photography, creating the space for a voice that is uniquely hers.
The South African art world remains a politically contested space where discourses of race, gender and sexuality are still very exclusionary. The ways in which these participating South African students have responded to this through their creation is striking. The work on exhibition, however, although visually appealing, shows little intense interrogation of the chosen theme. One hopes, though, that the promise shown by these students will be nurtured and strengthened.
This project confronts and responds to issues relating to socially and historically perpetuated gender imbalances by destabilising fixed gender categories. It is interesting and inspiring to see how the male students in the group related to this theme and how the inequalities between the sexes are interpreted and engaged with. The inclusion of the male voice promotes a space for dialogue that encourages men and women to join forces to work against race and gender discrimination.
Nandipha Mntambo is currently completing her Master's in Fine Art at Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town
Opened: November 29
Closed: December 17
Annexe Gallery, Iziko South African National Gallery
Government Avenue, Company Gardens
Tel: (021) 467 4660
Email: cquerido@iziko.org.za
www.museums.org.za/iziko
Hours: Tue - Sun 10am - 5pm
