In February 2002 the young and talented future Director at the Campbell Collections, UKZN, was appointed to his first position of Curator of the Lwandle Migrant Labour museum outside Cape Town. He held this position until 2004 during which time he was in charge of the overall management of the institution and was actively involved in research and mounting of exhibitions.
His fluency in IsiZulu and Ndebele were vital in giving guided tours of the museum
In 2004 he joined the Robben Island Museum, University of the Western Cape working as a researcher involved with the Mayibuye Archives. He held this position until 2010.
In November 2010 he moved to KwaZulu-Natal to take up the position of Senior Museologist . Campbell Collections. In this capacity he played a vital role in Collection Development, conservation and preservation of the collections in his care, marketing of the museum and its collections, exhibition development and giving guided tours and in the vital function of fund raising for the museum.
In January 2014 Vuzi Buthelezi was appointed Head of Department and Director at the Campbell Collections.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Thursday, December 10, 2015
The 5th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial - Tradition and Innovation - Riga Latvia.
The 5th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial “Unity & Diversity” was held at the Arsenals Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga , Latvia
There were 85 artists selected to take part out of 186 entrants from 28 countries worldwide. These included some well-known artists.
I was the only artist to represent South Africa while there was one other artist from Africa who represented Kenya
The other artists came from as far afield as Japan , China and Costa Rica
I spent just over a week in Riga , the capital city of Latvia Glasgow School of Art in Scotland
The exhibition in the Arsenals Halls was in the old beautiful part of the city near to where I stayed. It was once used as a munition storage place and is cavernous with many open inter-leading rooms with high lofty vaulted ceilings. It was a fine space and the exhibition designed by a museum designer was inspiring and vast. Works were both two and three dimensional in the form of installations and videos.
This exhibition marked my coming of age, with my 21st international exhibition. I have previously shown in nearby Lithuania and Poland but not before in Latvia
To my utter amazement, on the opening night I was presented with the Award of Recognition of the Riga City
My installation on the show was named “Simunye – We are One” (2014). In spite of many problems in our new democracy we have come a long way from the position of pre-1994 Apartheid South Africa . My work is a tribute to Nelson Mandela’s dream of a new unified South Africa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
· Fiona Kirkwood is a pioneer in her field in South Africa
Her unique way of mixing unorthodox materials to make sculptures and installations sets her apart. Her works are usually monumental, dramatic and manifest a powerful physical presence.
Her work since 1980 has involved an exploration of magical, ritual, social, political, environmental, and spiritual and identity themes.
The underlying message, which lies central to much of her work, is a desire to protect all forms of life. At times she has taken on the role of an activist.
Fiona Kirkwood's work has been widely recognized and highly respected internationally. She has exhibited in 12 Solo exhibitions in South Africa and South Korea and 61 group exhibitions both in South Africa and Internationally, including Scotland, Italy, France, India, Poland, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Lithuania, Latvia, Australia, Argentina, United States, Canada, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic and Russia.
She has works in many public and private collections in South Africa
She has received major awards nationally and internationally, including as a Merit Award winner for Vita Craft Now 1997, Pretoria , South Africa ; a First Prize winner at ‘Textile 05’ Kaunas Art Biennial,Lithuania , 2005 and 2015 The Award of Recognition of the Riga City Council at Unity & Diversity, 5th Riga Triennial of Textile and Fibre Art., Riga , Latvia
Apart from her work as a practising artist, Fiona Kirkwood has lectured at several Universities in Fine Art, Art Education and Fashion Design, and run her own Art School
(1) Nokwanda was a neighbour of mine for many years. I watched her grow up as a young girl, who always smiled and waved at me and called my name. She has now become a beautiful young woman.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
THE PHANSI MUSEUM - A repository of cultural diversity and authenticity
Sharon Crampton, previously curator of Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein and Director of the African Art Centre in Durban has recently been appointed as the Director of the Phansi Museum a non-profit, public benefit organisation governed by the Phansi Museum Trust.
The Museum occupies three floors of one of the few domestic national historic monuments in the city, Roberts House. The stately home situated in Esther Roberts Road (previously Frere Road) was built by the parents of Esther Roberts, one of the first female anthropologists in South Africa in 1896 and was declared a national monument in 1980.
The word phansi, pronounced punzi means below or beneath in Zulu and acknowledges the origin or birthplace of ancestral spirits and the place of birth of what is now known as the Phansi Museum.
From a small private collection of artefacts and craftwork in the basement of Roberts House the Museum was accorded private museum status in 2000 and currently houses one of the largest and most spectacular publicly accessible collections of southern African artefacts dating back to the 19th Century, including garments, beadwork, jewellery, earplugs, meat platters and headrests, snuff spoons, tobacco pipes and utensils.
The Phansi Museum has a spectacularly rich collection of over 5 000 artefacts and provides visitors of all ages with a unique cultural experience and brings to life the ethnic diversity of Southern African artisans and craft people. Highlights of the collection include excellent examples of telephone wire basketsrenowned weavers, including Bheki Dlamini, Ntombifuthi Magwaza, Elliot Mkhize, and Alfred Ntuli. The collection wire weaving in Southern Africa and epitomizes a myriad of themes, colour palettes, shapes and sizes. Alongside the telephone wire baskets, are outstanding examples of Ilala Palm baskets by Reuben Ndwandwe, Angeline Masuku and Beauty Nxgongo and clay pots by the Nala family from Eshowe. These vessels mostly originally served as containers for food and liquid and were consequently linked to the rituals that were observed in the preparation and consumption of food and beverages.
In 2015, the Phansi Museum was fortunate enough to receive on loan the collection of the late Frank Jolles, one of the world’s leading scholars of South African beadwork and African material culture artefacts. The collection, which is available for research purposes comprises a fine selection of wedding cloaks (izikoti), clay vessels and exceptionally carved milk pails and platters.
A premier attraction of the Museum is the extraordinary collection of 30 life-sized puppets clothed in the ceremonial attire representing various ethnographic districts. Each puppet has a very specific dress code; the colour, material and design of clothing and jewellery indicating where the wearer is from, their age, gender and social status. The puppets have travelled to other Museums in South Africa and to New York and have been seen and admired by thousands. Their design is based both on the marionettes which are strung from the traditional Zulu Maskanda musician’s guitar, to dance as he plays; and the traditional Zulu ‘fertility doll’. The puppets are suspended from cables several feet above the floor in the museum’s display areas.
Presently the Phansi Museum is undergoing several structural alterations and modifications to improve displays and presentations and to include spaces to host temporary exhibitions, educational programmes, workshops and outreach projects. Although we embrace the traditional Museum objectives of collecting, documenting, preserving and disseminating our rich indigenous culture, our aim is to redefine our role in society by increasing our responsibility in shaping community identity and bringing different community groups together. The Phansi Museum collection has reach and resonance and honours the extraordinary ability of ordinary people to shape South Africa’s cultural heritage. By partnering with local authorities and institutions, we aim at providing a stimulating public space where people of all backgrounds can come together and be inspired. We are committed to ensuring that individuals have access to high-quality museum experiences and to initiating active dialogue with potential and existing audiences and special interest groups. Our vision is to be considered as a Museum which stands out as exceptional.
Visiting the Phansi Museum offers a fun and fascinating look at the cultural history that shaped South Africa and the blend of backgrounds and ethnicities that make us so unique. We offer personal guided tours which bring patrons face to face with our past and present through fascinating stories and anecdotes.
Phansi Museum, Roberts House, 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, Durban, South Africa Tel +27 31 206 2889 - Fax +27 31 206 1590 - email: admin@phansi.com or pnkosi@phansi.com
The Museum occupies three floors of one of the few domestic national historic monuments in the city, Roberts House. The stately home situated in Esther Roberts Road (previously Frere Road) was built by the parents of Esther Roberts, one of the first female anthropologists in South Africa in 1896 and was declared a national monument in 1980.
The word phansi, pronounced punzi means below or beneath in Zulu and acknowledges the origin or birthplace of ancestral spirits and the place of birth of what is now known as the Phansi Museum.
From a small private collection of artefacts and craftwork in the basement of Roberts House the Museum was accorded private museum status in 2000 and currently houses one of the largest and most spectacular publicly accessible collections of southern African artefacts dating back to the 19th Century, including garments, beadwork, jewellery, earplugs, meat platters and headrests, snuff spoons, tobacco pipes and utensils.
The Phansi Museum has a spectacularly rich collection of over 5 000 artefacts and provides visitors of all ages with a unique cultural experience and brings to life the ethnic diversity of Southern African artisans and craft people. Highlights of the collection include excellent examples of telephone wire basketsrenowned weavers, including Bheki Dlamini, Ntombifuthi Magwaza, Elliot Mkhize, and Alfred Ntuli. The collection wire weaving in Southern Africa and epitomizes a myriad of themes, colour palettes, shapes and sizes. Alongside the telephone wire baskets, are outstanding examples of Ilala Palm baskets by Reuben Ndwandwe, Angeline Masuku and Beauty Nxgongo and clay pots by the Nala family from Eshowe. These vessels mostly originally served as containers for food and liquid and were consequently linked to the rituals that were observed in the preparation and consumption of food and beverages.
In 2015, the Phansi Museum was fortunate enough to receive on loan the collection of the late Frank Jolles, one of the world’s leading scholars of South African beadwork and African material culture artefacts. The collection, which is available for research purposes comprises a fine selection of wedding cloaks (izikoti), clay vessels and exceptionally carved milk pails and platters.
A premier attraction of the Museum is the extraordinary collection of 30 life-sized puppets clothed in the ceremonial attire representing various ethnographic districts. Each puppet has a very specific dress code; the colour, material and design of clothing and jewellery indicating where the wearer is from, their age, gender and social status. The puppets have travelled to other Museums in South Africa and to New York and have been seen and admired by thousands. Their design is based both on the marionettes which are strung from the traditional Zulu Maskanda musician’s guitar, to dance as he plays; and the traditional Zulu ‘fertility doll’. The puppets are suspended from cables several feet above the floor in the museum’s display areas.
Presently the Phansi Museum is undergoing several structural alterations and modifications to improve displays and presentations and to include spaces to host temporary exhibitions, educational programmes, workshops and outreach projects. Although we embrace the traditional Museum objectives of collecting, documenting, preserving and disseminating our rich indigenous culture, our aim is to redefine our role in society by increasing our responsibility in shaping community identity and bringing different community groups together. The Phansi Museum collection has reach and resonance and honours the extraordinary ability of ordinary people to shape South Africa’s cultural heritage. By partnering with local authorities and institutions, we aim at providing a stimulating public space where people of all backgrounds can come together and be inspired. We are committed to ensuring that individuals have access to high-quality museum experiences and to initiating active dialogue with potential and existing audiences and special interest groups. Our vision is to be considered as a Museum which stands out as exceptional.
Visiting the Phansi Museum offers a fun and fascinating look at the cultural history that shaped South Africa and the blend of backgrounds and ethnicities that make us so unique. We offer personal guided tours which bring patrons face to face with our past and present through fascinating stories and anecdotes.
Phansi Museum, Roberts House, 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, Durban, South Africa Tel +27 31 206 2889 - Fax +27 31 206 1590 - email: admin@phansi.com or pnkosi@phansi.com
Monday, August 3, 2015
The VULTURINE FISH EAGLE
...as part of the Bulwer Park Community Public Sculpture Project.
Bren Brophy, Project Director, Community Murals Project Trust, is leading a group of talented Durban sculptors in the creation of a large sculpture of a Vulturine Fish Eagle (also known as the Palm Nut Vulture) for Bulwer Park in Glenwood. With wings spread and soaring over 7 meters high among the tree tops of the park, the sculpture highlights the major makeover by eThekwini city of a popular outdoor recreation space for locals. The eagle is appropriately positioned, adjacent to the vibrant KZNSA Gallery, one of KZN’s most exciting arts venues. In this way the sculpture project celebrates partnerships that promote artistically interesting and informative public art.
The Eagle is being constructed using unique materials donated by Oricol Environmental Services (Pty) Ltd, a Durban based company awarded a contract by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) for their proven expertise in environmentally friendly and safe destruction of non-compliant goods. These include items such as electric plugs, cables, scissors and plastic combs. Oricol ensures that items such as these are properly and safely destructed to ensure that they never re-enter the market .in an untreated state. The recycled and up-cycled materials used in the Eagle’s construction also provide an innovative and environmentally safe and sustainable alternative medium to a number of traditional materials used to create sculptures.
Leading the movement towards making art out of safely treated discarded consumer goods are Umcebo Designers Robin Opperman and Ujala Sewpersad, together with a group of local crafters who work from their studio across the road from Bulwer Park. Working with sculptor George Halloway these crafters will construct the eagle using galvanized steel round bars and the treated non-compliant .goods. The use of new re-purposed materials for making art is unique and innovative and by choosing to depict the Vulturine Fish Eagle the project engages with the issues and challenges surrounding the conservation of the South African natural environment, specifically our endangered species.
The Vulturine Fish Eagle was chosen as a sculpture for Bulwer park because it is a bird to be found in the forests and savannah areas of sub-Saharan Africa, including KZN
While it is a bird of prey, its diet consists mainly of the fruit of the oil palm; but it also eats crabs, molluscs, locusts and fish. Many of these birds can be found in commercial palm plantations mostly on the coast between Mtunzini and Mozambique, and in Kwa-Zulu Natal. It is considered a rare bird in South Africa but it is not under any immediate threat.
Not only is the bird of significance to the ecology of KZN, but the Ilala palm, its natural habitat, has many important uses within indigenous isiZulu culture and technology, the most widespread being the use of ilala palm leaves in basket weaving.
Grade 5 learners from two preparatory schools in eThekwini will be asked to name the eagle as part of an educational programme that will stimulate dialogue and debate surrounding often illegally imported contraband consumer goods, recycling of goods, and the preservation of our indigenous wildlife and environmental heritage. To create maximum interest in the project among learners in KZN, children’s drawings of the eagle will be exhibited at the KZNSA Gallery.
The decision to depict the Vulturine Fish Eagle in sculpture was motivated by the need to bring to public attention species other than the ‘big five’, because they are largely absent in southern KwaZulu-Natal and also because the KZN district of uThungulu is nationally and internationally synonymous with eco-tourism and in particular, birding-Avi tourism.
MEET THE PROJECT TEAM:
Lead designers: Robin Opperman, Ujala Sewpersad.
Lead sculptor: George Halloway assisted by Earnest Ngcobo.
Crafters: Samuel and Barbara Gwezwa, Shannon Moffett, Beverly Burne, Kelly Lemans.
Networking, research: Shannon Moffett, Sheryl Msomi.
Structural Engineer: Rob Young.
Photography: Harry Lock.
Project Director: Bren Brophy.
With support from the Community Murals Projects Trust.
Special thanks to Lindsay Wayman, Sustainable Development and Communication Officer, Oricol Environmental Services (Pty) Ltd.
Information supplied by Bren Brophy
Independent Arts and Culture Activator.
ABOUT ROBIN OPPERMAN, UMCEBO DESIGN:
Robin
Opperman is one of two Driving forces behind the THE
BULWER
PARK
The
concept of Umcebo Design was born out of a long
history of working with marginalised people of varying
abilities around the idea that art and craft can be elevated to a new level of
creativity and, at the same time, generate valuable income for
participants.
Robin Opperman started the concept experimentally in the 90s
while working as an Art Teacher at Ningizimu School
Robin moved on from the school to run the newly formed Umcebo Trust full-time in the early 2000s. This was an experimental model to see if art and craft could be self-sustaining and support a small core of full-time crafters and a wider community of "outreach" crafters. While the "Trust" achieved much success and especially a lot of attention and publicity; it became evident that the current global economic down-turn would ultimately lead to Umcebo Trust closing down due to lack of funding and overhead pressures.
This was not the end though; not being willing to walk away from the idea, Robin transformed Umcebo Trust into Umcebo Design. The art and craft concept remained the same, but the modus operandi become more "business-like" and "lean".
Robin
now operates with a small core group of artists / crafters / consultants who
bring their unique skills to the party. Most of the craftwork and commission
work is done by Robin and his core group; but where possible and viable, work is
out-sourced to local community crafters who are able to make good money for
themselves on a commission basis.
Umcebo Design continues to produce unique art and craft pieces and works closely with other craft-centred organisations in theDurban
Robin has been involved in the arts and crafts in one form or another his whole adult life. Inspite of this, his formal qualification is that of a Mathematics teacher!
After Graduating from the University of Natal with a Social Science Degree and a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Social Sciences; Robin left the country for a period of four and a half years. This was the late 80's and a time of political turmoil inSouth Africa Zimbabwe
With political change in the air in 1990, Robin returned toDurban
Robin moved on from the school to run the newly formed Umcebo Trust full-time in the early
Umcebo Design continues to produce unique art and craft pieces and works closely with other craft-centred organisations in the
Robin has been involved in the arts and crafts in one form or another his whole adult life. Inspite of this, his formal qualification is that of a Mathematics teacher!
After Graduating from the University of Natal with a Social Science Degree and a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Social Sciences; Robin left the country for a period of four and a half years. This was the late 80's and a time of political turmoil in
With political change in the air in 1990, Robin returned to
Robin moved on from the school to run the newly formed Umcebo Trust full-time in the early
Robin
Opperman
Creative Director
Umcebo Design
2000s.
Creative Director
Umcebo Design
2000s.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Focus on Acquisitions at The Durban Art Gallery
A major function of galleries worldwide is to acquire works of art for their permanent collections. At the Durban Art Gallery the present focus is on collecting artworks mainly by contemporary Durban artists whose work reflects topical issues, locally or globally. In this way these works are relevant to the very society the gallery serves.
Mdu Xakaza, Director of the Durban Art Gallery, writes:
The Durban Art Gallery pays great attention to promising work by young emerging artists in and around Durban. Artists include Mthobisi Maphumulo, Wonder Mbambo and Sthenjwa Luthuli.
Should their work prove to be of consistently high artistic standard, the Gallery would consider acquiring it for the collection. Recently the Gallery purchased a painting by the young Durban artist, Xolile Mazibuko, who is based at the BAT Centre, off Durban’s CBD. This artist is a member of the Shembe Church, also known as the Nazareth Baptist Church. She explores the Shembe Church and other elements associated with it as the main theme in her paintings.
Mhlonishwa Chiliza and Zinhle Khumalo are two artists who graduated from formal art institutions in Durban. As with work by other young up-and-coming artists the Gallery must constantly view the work by all these emerging artists to ensure that they continue to produce work of a standard suitable for being included in the permanent collection.
Once works by these and other artists enter our collection we use them to engage the public in various educational programmes. These include seminars, public walkabouts, and art exhibitions arranged so as to focus on the school curriculum The Gallery places great emphasis on the educational needs of scholars in Grades 10 to 12, in particular.
The Durban Art Gallery receives funding once every financial year to be used solely for acquiring works of art for the permanent collection. Art galleries continually collect works for their permanent collections, but their holdings may never be regarded as being entirely ‘complete’ or up to date.
The value of the Durban Art Gallery’s permanent collection - as with collections in other art museums – represents a considerable artistic investment for the City of Durban. . The emphasis is not on the monetary value of the collection: its value lies in being part of Durban’s heritage. . The educational value of the collection is equally significant. Indeed, perhaps the most important service that the Durban Art Gallery offers is education which empowers visitors and inspires them to contribute towards changing society for the better. The Durban Art Gallery’s collection is permanent and as such it belongs first and foremost to Durban, but also to people beyond this city. The most important aspect of the collection is its educational rather than its financial value.
RECENTLY ACQUIRED WORKS BY THE GALLERY
The Durban Art Gallery is very anxious not to miss out on the acquisition of important new works by artists who have recently entered the art scene in Durban. Acquiring works by these young artists assists the Gallery in continually updating its permanent collection. Highly promising young artists deserve recognition through being represented in the Gallery’s collection.
The relevance of the subject matter is very important in deciding whether to
acquire particular works for the collection. Art works which depict current topical issues locally or globally – are of great interest to the Gallery and important for educational activities at the Gallery
Whenever possible, the Gallery collects works by highly renowned South African artists, in particular: such works are an important asset for the City and the public, and an immeasurable artistic investment as part of the Gallery’s permanent collection
The Durban Art Gallery is a public institution. For this reason the Gallery believes that the public should have a say in what works are being considered for acquisition. To this end The Gallery is currently establishing a new Acquisitions Committee.
The Gallery recently acquired the following works for the permanent collection:
Pitika Ntuli
Pitika Ntuli (1942, Springs, Gauteng).
South African sculptor, poet, writer, and academic. Spent 32 years in exile in Swaziland and the UK. While abroad taught art at Camberwell College of Art and University of East London. Since his return to this country has taught at Wits and UKZN. Has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions. Public sculptures to be found in Swaziland.
Paul Sibisi (1948, Durban)
Studied art at Ndaleni Educational Training School, KZN. 1969-1971 taught art at Appelbosch Training College, Oswatini. 1973-1974 studied at the ELC Art and Craft Centre, Rorke’s Drift 1987 spent six months at Fircraft College, Birmingham, UK studying art education and graphic techniques. From 1974 to date has held one person exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions. Sibisi is involved in setting up cultural art workshops in KZN. Work represented in public art collections in KZN.
Grace Kotze (1968, Durban)
She says: “I work primarily as a painter but also curate and teach [art] part time. …..“My paintings function on an autobiographical level documenting both my internal and external vision. I paint places and people from my everyday life, using the familiar as a direct link to an emotive sense of self.”
Hendrik Stroebel (1954, Durban) 1985-1988
Studied Fine Art and Ceramics at DUT. 1990 began lecturing art at DUT FA Department of Ceramics. 1994-1999 traveled to Egypt and the Middle East. Influences of his travels are first seen in his early large ceramic urns, and in later work consisting of embroidered pieces set in ceramic frames. His work is represented in public and private collections.
Mdu Xakaza, Director of the Durban Art Gallery, writes:
The Durban Art Gallery pays great attention to promising work by young emerging artists in and around Durban. Artists include Mthobisi Maphumulo, Wonder Mbambo and Sthenjwa Luthuli.
Should their work prove to be of consistently high artistic standard, the Gallery would consider acquiring it for the collection. Recently the Gallery purchased a painting by the young Durban artist, Xolile Mazibuko, who is based at the BAT Centre, off Durban’s CBD. This artist is a member of the Shembe Church, also known as the Nazareth Baptist Church. She explores the Shembe Church and other elements associated with it as the main theme in her paintings.
Mhlonishwa Chiliza and Zinhle Khumalo are two artists who graduated from formal art institutions in Durban. As with work by other young up-and-coming artists the Gallery must constantly view the work by all these emerging artists to ensure that they continue to produce work of a standard suitable for being included in the permanent collection.
Once works by these and other artists enter our collection we use them to engage the public in various educational programmes. These include seminars, public walkabouts, and art exhibitions arranged so as to focus on the school curriculum The Gallery places great emphasis on the educational needs of scholars in Grades 10 to 12, in particular.
The Durban Art Gallery receives funding once every financial year to be used solely for acquiring works of art for the permanent collection. Art galleries continually collect works for their permanent collections, but their holdings may never be regarded as being entirely ‘complete’ or up to date.
The value of the Durban Art Gallery’s permanent collection - as with collections in other art museums – represents a considerable artistic investment for the City of Durban. . The emphasis is not on the monetary value of the collection: its value lies in being part of Durban’s heritage. . The educational value of the collection is equally significant. Indeed, perhaps the most important service that the Durban Art Gallery offers is education which empowers visitors and inspires them to contribute towards changing society for the better. The Durban Art Gallery’s collection is permanent and as such it belongs first and foremost to Durban, but also to people beyond this city. The most important aspect of the collection is its educational rather than its financial value.
RECENTLY ACQUIRED WORKS BY THE GALLERY
The Durban Art Gallery is very anxious not to miss out on the acquisition of important new works by artists who have recently entered the art scene in Durban. Acquiring works by these young artists assists the Gallery in continually updating its permanent collection. Highly promising young artists deserve recognition through being represented in the Gallery’s collection.
The relevance of the subject matter is very important in deciding whether to
acquire particular works for the collection. Art works which depict current topical issues locally or globally – are of great interest to the Gallery and important for educational activities at the Gallery
Whenever possible, the Gallery collects works by highly renowned South African artists, in particular: such works are an important asset for the City and the public, and an immeasurable artistic investment as part of the Gallery’s permanent collection
The Durban Art Gallery is a public institution. For this reason the Gallery believes that the public should have a say in what works are being considered for acquisition. To this end The Gallery is currently establishing a new Acquisitions Committee.
The Gallery recently acquired the following works for the permanent collection:
Pitika Ntuli
Please
don’t push me around anymore, undated
Found
objects (wheelbarrow,
spade)
178
x 70 x 160 cm cm
Pitika
Ntuli’s subject matter is interesting because it
promotes deeper engagement with current social issues which are remnants of the
past socio-political reality in South Africa
Paul
Sibisi
Be
my guest – MALAIKA, 2013
Pen
and acrylic on canvas
Sgd
BL MPSIBISI 2013
49.8
x 149.8 cm
The
subject matter of this painting focuses on the workers and their mode of
transport. The work reflects on daily
conditions under which
the workers still live and work. This concept is reinforced through the use of
the foreground objects such as tools and clocks which are images which
represent labour;
while on the far left side of the format there is a laptop, an image which may be associated with
management rather than with labour. This work is a continuation of Paul Sibisi’s interest in social
issues. The subtlety with which
he treats the subject matter is important as it leaves space for engagement with
the viewer.
Grace Kotze
To Cradle (Belly), 2012
Oil on canvas
70 x 140 x 4 cm
Sgd BL G Kotze
Donated by the
artist
To Cradle
(Belly) by Grace Kotze, a Durban
The donation of this
powerful painting is an
important addition to the Gallery ’s
permanent collection. The work adds to
the artistic heritage in Durban
Hendrik Stroebel
Traded 2012
Embroidery with ceramic frame
34 x 23cm
Traded by Hendrik Stroebel is an excellent example of the artist’s expertise in his use of the combination of
two different media: ceramics and cotton
thread.
Pitika Ntuli (1942, Springs, Gauteng).
South African sculptor, poet, writer, and academic. Spent 32 years in exile in Swaziland and the UK. While abroad taught art at Camberwell College of Art and University of East London. Since his return to this country has taught at Wits and UKZN. Has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions. Public sculptures to be found in Swaziland.
Paul Sibisi (1948, Durban)
Studied art at Ndaleni Educational Training School, KZN. 1969-1971 taught art at Appelbosch Training College, Oswatini. 1973-1974 studied at the ELC Art and Craft Centre, Rorke’s Drift 1987 spent six months at Fircraft College, Birmingham, UK studying art education and graphic techniques. From 1974 to date has held one person exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions. Sibisi is involved in setting up cultural art workshops in KZN. Work represented in public art collections in KZN.
Grace Kotze (1968, Durban)
She says: “I work primarily as a painter but also curate and teach [art] part time. …..“My paintings function on an autobiographical level documenting both my internal and external vision. I paint places and people from my everyday life, using the familiar as a direct link to an emotive sense of self.”
Hendrik Stroebel (1954, Durban) 1985-1988
Studied Fine Art and Ceramics at DUT. 1990 began lecturing art at DUT FA Department of Ceramics. 1994-1999 traveled to Egypt and the Middle East. Influences of his travels are first seen in his early large ceramic urns, and in later work consisting of embroidered pieces set in ceramic frames. His work is represented in public and private collections.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Turning on the Light, a tribute by Kobus Moolman
The article, Turning on the Light, is a tribute by Kobus Moolman, a South African writer, to one particular painting by the South African artist, Andries Gouws (1).
Kobus has long admired the paintings of Andries Gouws and he was delighted to have been invited to write an article on a particular work by this painter. Originally entitled Grahamstown Residence Room with Red Curtains by Andries Gouws, Kobus has given this painting a new title -Turning on the Light - for this article. Andries generously allowed Kobus to use the image of this painting on the cover of his latest collection of poems, A Book of Rooms (Deep South, 2014) This is what Kobus has written about the painting:
It is an oil on canvas painting which dates from 2009-2011. It is a small room with a narrow single bed. The bed is unmade. As if the occupant had only just got up and left.
A tall window leans over the bed. There is a red curtain drawn across the window. To keep the colour of the room in.
It is daylight beyond the room. The light has soaked through the curtain. The curtain glows. As if something more than sunlight were shining out there. Beyond the red fabric and the old walls of the building. There is a switch against the wall on one side of the window. Just above a small set of drawers. There is an electric plug on the other side of the curtain, just above a small table. The light leaks out from all around the edges of the closed curtain.
Leaking into the room. Filling the room up. And I wonder who has plugged the day in at the wall. And switched it on.
And what would happen to the bed with the red pillows and the red bedspread and the little table and the small set of drawers if the same person were to turn off the switch against the wall and pull out the plug? Would the room stop working? And what would the original occupant of the room do when he returned and found that his room no longer came on? Is it possible I wonder – looking at the room – this old red room that is so familiar to me – as familiar as if I were the one who had just got up and stepped outside – to stretch my legs maybe, or share a joke with a neighbour, or just to stand in the cold dark passageway away from the light for a moment – Is it possible to start the light up again once it has been turned off?
Copies of A Book of Rooms (Deep South, 2014). can be ordered from kobusman@telkomsa.net.
(1) Andries Gouws (b. 1952 Johannesburg) is a major South African painter who studied art at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunst, Amsterdam, Netherlands,. His works, greatly admired by Kobus Moolman, are represented in major art museums in SA.
Between 2000 and 2014 he published a
number of books. These include:
2007.
Full
Circle Johannesburg
2014. A Book of Rooms. Grahamstown:
Kobus has long admired the paintings of Andries Gouws and he was delighted to have been invited to write an article on a particular work by this painter. Originally entitled Grahamstown Residence Room with Red Curtains by Andries Gouws, Kobus has given this painting a new title -Turning on the Light - for this article. Andries generously allowed Kobus to use the image of this painting on the cover of his latest collection of poems, A Book of Rooms (Deep South, 2014) This is what Kobus has written about the painting:
It is an oil on canvas painting which dates from 2009-2011. It is a small room with a narrow single bed. The bed is unmade. As if the occupant had only just got up and left.
A tall window leans over the bed. There is a red curtain drawn across the window. To keep the colour of the room in.
It is daylight beyond the room. The light has soaked through the curtain. The curtain glows. As if something more than sunlight were shining out there. Beyond the red fabric and the old walls of the building. There is a switch against the wall on one side of the window. Just above a small set of drawers. There is an electric plug on the other side of the curtain, just above a small table. The light leaks out from all around the edges of the closed curtain.
Leaking into the room. Filling the room up. And I wonder who has plugged the day in at the wall. And switched it on.
And what would happen to the bed with the red pillows and the red bedspread and the little table and the small set of drawers if the same person were to turn off the switch against the wall and pull out the plug? Would the room stop working? And what would the original occupant of the room do when he returned and found that his room no longer came on? Is it possible I wonder – looking at the room – this old red room that is so familiar to me – as familiar as if I were the one who had just got up and stepped outside – to stretch my legs maybe, or share a joke with a neighbour, or just to stand in the cold dark passageway away from the light for a moment – Is it possible to start the light up again once it has been turned off?
Copies of A Book of Rooms (Deep South, 2014). can be ordered from kobusman@telkomsa.net.
(1) Andries Gouws (b. 1952 Johannesburg) is a major South African painter who studied art at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunst, Amsterdam, Netherlands,. His works, greatly admired by Kobus Moolman, are represented in major art museums in SA.
Kobus Moolman (1964
- )
is a multiple award-winning poet, playwright and short
story writer. He holds a PhD and is a senior
lecturer in creative writing in the Department of English at the UKZN, Pietermaritzburg
He has published five individual collections
of poetry: Time Like Stone
(University of Natal Press, 2000); Feet of
the Sky (Brevitas, 2004); Separating the Seas (University of
KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2007);
Light and After (Deep South, 2010) and Left
Over (Dye Hard Press, 2013).
He has also published two collections of plays, as well as editing the
journal Fidelities from 1995
to 2007 and the anthology, Tilling the Hard
Soil (UKZN Press, 2010), containing poetry, prose and art by
South African writers living with disabilities. During this period he received several awards, including the Ingrid
Jonker Prize, the South African Literary Award for poetry and the BBC African
Theatre Award. At present he works as an academic in English Studies at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal in
Pietermaritzburg.
Between 2000 and 2014 he published a
number of books. These include:
Time
like Stone. Pietermaritzburg:
University of
KwaZulu-Natal
5
Poetry.
Johannesburg
Feet
of the Sky.
Howick: Brevitas Press. 2003
Blind
Voices: a collection of radio plays.
Johannesburg
2008.
Anatomy. (Limited edition, illustrated chapbook.) Lidgetton: Caversham
Press.
2010.
Light and After. Grahamstown: Deep
South .
2010.
(editor) Tilling
the Hard Soil: Poetry and Prose by South African Writers Living with
Disabilities. Pietermaritzburg:
University of
KwaZulu-Natal
2013.
Left Over. Johannesburg
2014. A Book of Rooms. Grahamstown: Deep
South
Monday, February 2, 2015
The African Art Centre shares three artists to watch:
WONDER MBAMBO:
Wonder Mbambo was born in KwaNgcolosi in Durban
After completing high school Wonder moved to the Mayville Township, situated on the outskirts of Durban and in 2010, he enrolled for Art Classes offered by the BAT Centre. Through these classes he was introduced to a new environment bustling with creativity. Here, the opportunity to interact with other practising artists fromDurban
In 2011, he was accepted to take part in the Velobala Art Classes, an African Art Centre outreach programme initiated in 1994, which introduced him to the profession of visual art making and the history and practice of the profession. Wonder took advantage of the year long course by performing exceedingly well, resulting in his being selected for the Velobala Mentorship Programme, where he was tutored by well known artist and lecturer at theUniversity of Technology, Themba Shibase.
After completing high school Wonder moved to the Mayville Township, situated on the outskirts of Durban and in 2010, he enrolled for Art Classes offered by the BAT Centre. Through these classes he was introduced to a new environment bustling with creativity. Here, the opportunity to interact with other practising artists from
In 2011, he was accepted to take part in the Velobala Art Classes, an African Art Centre outreach programme initiated in 1994, which introduced him to the profession of visual art making and the history and practice of the profession. Wonder took advantage of the year long course by performing exceedingly well, resulting in his being selected for the Velobala Mentorship Programme, where he was tutored by well known artist and lecturer at the
Wonder is
a young and highly motivated artist who expresses himself through the medium of
charcoal and chalk pastel on paper. His intriguing figurative drawings are
executed in a unique style which sets him apart from many young up and coming artists in Durban Durban Durban Johannesburg
In 2010 he was awarded with the BAT Centre Award for best performing student.
Wonder Mbambo at DUT:
In 2010 he was awarded with the BAT Centre Award for best performing student.
Wonder Mbambo at DUT:
As
part of its external engagement with the African Art Centre (AAC),
the DUT Department of Fine Art and Jewellery Design launched the Velobala Mentorship Programme, a six-month training course for artists. To mark the end of the mentorship programme which began in April 2012 the Department of Fine Art and Jewellery Design exhibited the works of the four mentees at the DUT Art
The work which went on exhibition featured class assessments of the mentees from the beginning of the programme as well as their conceptual projects.
The work which went on exhibition featured class assessments of the mentees from the beginning of the programme as well as their conceptual projects.
The
mentorship programme developed as a
result of DUT’s longstanding
relationship with the African Art
Centre which is a Durban-based organisationthat
plays a pivotal role in promoting and training black artists and craftspeople
in
For a number of years, theDUT City
For a number of years, the
Seeing
the vast talent of some of the artists, the Fine Art and Jewellery Design Department, in partnership with
the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and the AAC, started the Velobala Mentorship Programme, an
initiative geared towards catalysing the
careers of advanced students of the AAC. DUT Lecturer in
the Fine Art and Jewellery Design
Department, Themba Shibase, was appointed to facilitate the
mentorship programme.
The assessments given to the mentees were all centred around life. “The idea behind the many hours of drawing from life was to emphasise the view that artists should be people with a high degree of observing their environments whether social, political, economic, environmental or personal. And that artists are no longer just those people who live in the solitude of their studios and paint their uncontested ideas of the world," said Shibase.
Wonder Mbambo, one of the mentees said art is practically his life. Before enrolling with the AAC, Mbambo had various stints which included a short course for artists, teaching drawing and even operating his own art studio, all at the Bat Centre, Victoria Embankment, Durban.
The assessments given to the mentees were all centred around life. “The idea behind the many hours of drawing from life was to emphasise the view that artists should be people with a high degree of observing their environments whether social, political, economic, environmental or personal. And that artists are no longer just those people who live in the solitude of their studios and paint their uncontested ideas of the world," said Shibase.
Wonder Mbambo, one of the mentees said art is practically his life. Before enrolling with the AAC, Mbambo had various stints which included a short course for artists, teaching drawing and even operating his own art studio, all at the Bat Centre, Victoria Embankment, Durban.
“This
mentorship programme has been
very helpful”
Mbambo said, adding that it had helped him understand the theoretical side
of art and has seen him grow as a conceptual artist. He alsorealised that art
is not just about one’s skill but how one nurtures that skill and brings a
message to one’s work.
His conceptual work featured a collection of artworks that were painted around the theme of stick fighting. The theme was inspired by the transformation of the male species. His work looks at the changes in the way men are brought up. “In the Zulu culture, things like cow herding and stick fighting mould one to be a man or to have that personage. The practice of stick fighting teaches one to understand body language. It brings communities together. It is also a game of pride; it’s about who becomes victorious,” said Mbambo.
The artist said young men in this age have substituted stick fighting for sex, which Mbambo said has become a game just like stick fighting. His work illustrates old customs of African men and how these affected their lives. Other artworks are illustrations of sex as well as disease and homosexuality.
His conceptual work featured a collection of artworks that were painted around the theme of stick fighting. The theme was inspired by the transformation of the male species. His work looks at the changes in the way men are brought up. “In the Zulu culture, things like cow herding and stick fighting mould one to be a man or to have that personage. The practice of stick fighting teaches one to understand body language. It brings communities together. It is also a game of pride; it’s about who becomes victorious,” said Mbambo.
The artist said young men in this age have substituted stick fighting for sex, which Mbambo said has become a game just like stick fighting. His work illustrates old customs of African men and how these affected their lives. Other artworks are illustrations of sex as well as disease and homosexuality.
MTHOBISI MAPHUMULO:
Brian Mthobisi Maphumulo (which means “he who calms” in Zulu), was born in September in 1988 in Imfume on the South Coast of
His interest in art clearly manifested at the age of 9 when he engaged in craft work with plastic and clay. He only began his formal training in art in 2010 at the
At the beginning of 2011, Mthobisi was selected to participate in the Velobala Art Classes, a one-year Saturday programme organised and facilitated by the African Art Centre at the
STHENJWA LUTHULI:
Sthenjwa was born in Bothas Hill on
He joined the BAT Centre Visual Art classes in 2010 and says that these art classes introduced him to the professional art industry. Through taking part in these classes, Sthenjwa felt encouraged to explore and further develop his art skills. In 2011, he enrolled for the Velobala Saturday Art Classes hosted by the African Art Centre. At the conclusion of these classes in 2011, Sthenjwa was selected to take part in a Velobala Mentorship Programme as a result of his dedication and talent.
During his participation in the programme, Sthenjwa gained additional knowledge and practice in visual art making, art history and other practical art skills such as colour theory. “I gained a lot through the Velobala Mentorship Programme. I began to understand how art materials are utilised in a creative conceptual manner.”
He says that he is inspired by a number of artists such as Edward Hopper, Gerard Sekoto, Ephraim Ngatane and Yinka Shonibare.
Exhibitions:
2010: Who am I Group Exhibition at the Durban Art
2010: June 16 Group Exhibition, BAT Centre
2011: Izikhwepha Zethu. Durban Art
2011: Don’t Panic - Group Exhibition, Durban Art
2011: Velobala Group Exhibition, African Art Centre
2012: Velobala Group Exhibition, African Art Centre
2012: Velobala Mentorship Programme Group Exhibition, African Art Centre
2013: Velobala Group Exhibition, African Art Centre
2012: Group exhibition in Bremen, Germany
2014: Emerging Eyes, Group Exhibition at the African Art Centre, Durban
Public Art Projects
2010: Mosaic at Sakhithemba Centre (Illovu outside
2011: Renewing BAT Centre Mural in Durban
2012: Mural of a Waterfall in the bridge (Don’t Panic project by Gabi Ngcobo)
2012: Mural in Concardia – Tunnel in
Collections:
Nando’s Art Collection
Leiterin der Stadtischen Galerie
Abbreviations:
AAC: African Art Centre,
DUT:
Thursday, December 4, 2014
REFLECTIONS By Gert Swart
For Jill's newsletter I've chosen to reflect on a few sculptures I've made over a 20 year period in my career, starting with a work I di d in my second and last year at the Technikon Natal Art School - and endi ng with a 'new millennium' piece. I must admit that I find it di fficult writing about my own work. Somuch goes into making a work of art that it is hard to know where to begin. As soon as I start thinking about a particular work, other pieces that share strong links with it come into focus, making it di fficult to speak about the one while ignoring the others. And then there is always the broader context in which the works are made that needs to be taken into consideration. It will become obvious that most of the works selected were influenced by the political fervour inSouth Africa
Lectern
1983
Mild steel and marble.
Collection: Craig Bartholomew.
Photo: Obie Oberholtzer.)
In 1983, the big question for me, an aspiring artist was: How do I express myself amidst the raging political turmoil in South Africa di senfranchised majority of South Africans. This concept was expressed in several pieces that I made in 1983 and, to some extent, but in a more understated way, was the rationale for the Lectern.
Lectern has a white, dressed-marble top (probably a cornice from an old colonial-style buildi ng). Beneath this top I cradled metal branches (broken-ness) that were held in place by a candelabra-like structure (quest for an ethical/spiritual underpinning of ideals). The ensemble's silent scream pleaded for a restoration of things - for the good of all - to take place.
Contemplation: Restoration,
1985.
Wood. Collection Tatham Art Gallery
Photo: Peter Greenwood.)
By 1985 the battle against apartheid had escalated exponentially. This piece was carved from a single block of wood which, at first glance, suggests a completeness of sorts but, on closer investigation, reveals something quite di fferent.
The altar-like table is draped in a cloth that tries to mimic the ancient forest in which it once sang freely. The bowl on the altar can neither hold water nor supply nourishment for the trees that form it. As if to emphasize this state of enervation, a fish held in limbo by cleft sticks, is the concern of five strangely animated chairs powerless to do anything about the situation.
Birth,
1994.
Bronze edi tion 9
Photo: Walter Hayn.)
I started working on this piece around the time that Nelson Mandela was released from prison, eventually completing the yellowwood original in 1994 whenSouth Africa
The fish-form of Contemplation: Restoration is now at one with a tumescent, bowl-like womb: a fecundi ty from which much was to be expected.
Grace,
1996.
Metal and wood, painted.
Collection: Tatham Art Gallery
Photo: Helgaard Steyn Catalogue.)
In Grace, the fish-form of Contemplation: Restoration and Birth has been transformed into a dynamic boat-like form. It is significant that this boat is made from a pile (note the metal pyramid-point). Piles are driven into unstable ground for buildi ng purposes. The 'planting' of piles in a politically contested landscape can be seen as an act of sheer arrogance, especially when it is driven into the soil of di senfranchised peoples.
In my sculpture, the pile - in its speedi ng boat-form, is an expression of the newly found freedom for all South Africans. Nestled in the boat-form is a smaller, seed-boat.
Owl,
1997.
Bronze edi tion of 11.
Photo: Walter Hayn.)
Only 3 years into our new-found democracy, the halcyon days of our rainbow-nation were fast fadi ng. The nefarious goings-on during the dark days of Apartheid were being exposed on a daily basis as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission went about its mandate.
An introspective owl-man stands alone on a mound. Beneath the mound is a lateral tunnel with a septum in the middle, separating the one end from the other. The owl-man's feet straddle this hidden septum, perhaps suggesting that he is a product of both sides of .the invidi ous di vide. From behind, steps lead up to the top of the mound. The only logical way off would be for him to retrace his steps. The owl-man is incapable of flight!
In my Father's House
2003
Wood.
Collection: Marit and Peter Greenwood.
Photo: Anthony Wilson.)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
As I approached my 48th birthday I felt a deep weariness overcome me, I had lost my sense of
being, I felt like an outsider! The opening lines from Dante's Inferno came into sharp focus:
.jpg)
Midway on our life's journey, I found myselfIn a dark woods, the right road lost. To tell
About those woods is hard -- so tangled and rough . . . "
As if to reassure myself I started carving 48 sculptures: one for each of the years that I had lived. They all had the same overall di mensions but di ffered in form. These I housed in a structure in which the pieces could be endlessly rearranged. With each permutation new synergies are formed, creating an inner dynamic that will rejuvenate the aesthetic of the piece.
The matriclan is like the forest; if you are outside it is dense,
if you are inside you see that each tree has its own position.
if you are inside you see that each tree has its own position.
(A proverb from In My Father's House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture by Kwame Appiah, Oxford University Press, 1993.)The days of the Volk en Vaderland of the Apartheid era (something South Africa had in common with Nazi Germany
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)