Grahamstown National Festival of the Artsby Carol Brown
Like Cinderella's pumpkin cariage, Grahamstown changes from a sleepy hamlet to a buzzing, crowded street party overnight - the empty dark streets transform into music venues where buskers appear, catching the only few bucks they make in a year. The 'festinos' rush frantically from one show to the next, trading tickets, standing in queues and quaffing lots of beer. There's something about the hype which makes people desperate to get tickets for performances which they ignore when shown in their own cities. Festivals are strange phenomena but they provide great exposure for artists of all kinds.
The content is largely South African nowadays and all sorts of artists have been discovered here. The daily newspaper Cue, staffed mainly by students, is eagerly awaited for its tips on what to see and what to miss. Every evening from 5 - 6pm the cavernous Monument building becomes a meeting place where one can network, mingle with the artists, have a drink and see excerpts from shows.
A new initiative this year was the programme called Hands On Masks Off which provided workshops for festival presenters. These ranged from 'How to Write a Press Release' to 'Tips on Funding' , 'Linking with the Rest of Africa' and various other useful topics. I facilitated a workshop on 'Taking your Artwork from the Studio to the Gallery' and it was surprising to discover that many regular exhibitors on Festivals, and other informal spaces were unaware of the diverse avenues to apply for funding, or how to exhibit in more formal venues, present their artworks professionally and other aspects of professional practice. This process also fills a much needed developmental role which the Festival is well placed to continue. New Festival Director Ismail Mahomed is taking the reins from the legendary Lynette Marais whose shoes will certainly be difficult to fill. Lynette's input has been exceptional and her organisational skills are nothing less than mind-boggling. She will be missed but there is also welcoming anticipation of the new order.
Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for the Visual Arts was Nontsikelelo 'Lolo' Veleko whose 'Wonderland' in the Monument Gallery became more than an art exhibition. The imaginative installation transformed the space into a real wonderland of plastic flowers and artificial lawn complete with a floral swing taken straight out of a Fragonnard painting. Children were swinging and playing music provided by magical little musical players on the walls whilst their mothers munched the chocolates scattered in little gold bags around the plastic garden. And, of course, if you could stop playing, there were great photographs on the walls.
The underbelly of the stage in the Space in the Round provided a quieter, more cerebral atmosphere. This is one of the most interesting and challenging spaces in the Festival with its circular configuration, concrete walls and technological apparatus from the stage above. Curator Brenton Maart of the KZNSA Gallery rose intelligently to the challenge with the exhibition 'Production Marks' which showed some of the country's top contemporary art practitioners - Retha Erasmus, Stephen Hobbs, Marco Cianfanelli, Andrew Verster, Doung Anwaar Jahangeer, Paul Edmunds and Zander Blom. The theme revolved around how artists use the exactitude of mathematics to create chaos and, from that chaos, new forms. The interaction between the architecture of the space and the works was highly successful, and as a result of which the show will travel to two other venues later in the year.
Other shows included 'Past/Present', an exhibition of work by Andrew Verster post-1994 including some of his work from the 60s which provided a context for his current production. Obie Oberholzer's photographic roadshow 'Hotazell' was a true Oberholzer event with vibrant over-the-top colours and images seen through his very distinctive lens all in a frenetic display.
Time did not allow me to see all the shows but I was struck by 'Stigma' by Cape Town artist Damien Schumann whose sound and photographic book installation examined the topic of 'stigma' in society with a great deal of insight, intelligent research and a stark, professional presentation. It was enlightening to watch the viewer spend a great deal of time in the exhibition and really engage with the issues which touch us all.
Among my highlights of performance was the Standard Bank Award winner for Dance, Dada Masilo, whose production of Romeo and Juliet merged contemporary dance and ballet in a vibrant, exciting and passionate rendition of the well known tale. The youth and rebellion of this ill-fated couple was portrayed in a way I have seldom experienced. I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more about her very soon.
And then there was the world famous leader of The Lemonheads, Evan Dando, brought out from the US, who stumbled onto the stage with eyes wide shut, strummed three numbers and in the midst of the fourth mumbled 'I'm going to throw-up' before leaving the stage to the great disappointment of the audience. He was taken home to the Game Lodge where he was staying and the Daily Dispatch quotes him as saying 'I was throwing up so much last night at the lodge that I got a lion roaring outside my window. He thought I was a rival.' Well, it's festival time and if you can't misbehave now, when can you?
This annual event is a showcase for new productions and exhibitions, most of which travel around the country - so if you missed it, keep your eyes open: there's good stuff coming your way.
