Archive: Issue No. 63, November 2002

01.11.02 Hentie van der Merwe at Artissima 2002 Art Fair
01.11.02 Kendell Geers in Cologne
01.11.02 Brett Murray in Brussels
01.11.02 Berry Bickle: A Rock and a Far Away Place
01.10.02 South African Family Stories in Amsterdam

01.11.02 Contemporary SA Art in Australia

15.10.02 On The Field's Edge: Africa, Diaspora, Lens

01.09.02 Julia Tiffin : 'Body Art' at the Arthotheque, Reunion

After recently winning the Artissima 2002/ Big Torino Prize, in the visual arts section of the Turin Biennial, emerging talent Hentie van der Merwe has earned a space to exhibit his work at the ninth edition of the Artissima 2002 Art Fair. It will afford van der Merwe an enviable opportunity to showcase his work in a dedicated art market context.

Artissima is said to be Italy's premier contemporary art fair, and showcases a cross-section of works represented by young avant-garde galleries. This year's event will feature selections from 180 galleries, representing contributors from 20 different countries. The art fair includes three curated events. "Present Future" showcases work by young new talent; "New Entries" is devoted to 15 outstanding, young avant-garde galleries; and "Videolab" presents interesting developments in video.

Opening: November 14
Closing: November 17

Artissima 2002
Torino Esposizioni/ Turin Exhibition Centre
Tel: +39. 011. 546284
Fax: +39. 011.5623094
E-mail: info@artissima.it
Website: www.artissima.it

Kendell Geers, recently nominated for the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement, shows in Germany this month. The title to his solo show in Cologne is titled 'Grenzgänger', the exhibition timed to coincide with the international art fair, Art Cologne. The event is held in Cologne between October 30 and November 3, 2002.

Opening: October 30

Luis Campaña Galerie
An der Schanz 1a
D-50735 Köln
Email: luis.campana@t-online.de
Website: www.artcologne.de/servlet/PB/menu/1001904/index.htm

Brett Murray, 2002 winner of the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award, showcases a collection of his pop-inspired wall installations at the Brussels-based Moba Art Gallery. The show, titled 'Big Boys & Boogie Lights', is Murray's first outing in Belgium.

Opening: November 1
Closing: November 24, 2002

Moba Art Gallery, Rue de L'epargne 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 0475 82 52 76 (Sandra Agbessi) or 0475 219 250 (Walter De Weerdt)
Hours: Thursday to Sunday from 2 p.m - 7 p.m

Berry Bickle, the Zimbabwean artist who trained at Rhodes University and now lives in the Mozambique capital of Maputo, has a solo show at Château De Petit-Leez. The show is titled 'A Rock and a Far Away Place.'

Opening: October 16, 2002
Closing: January 12, 2003

Château De Petit-Leez, Rue de Petit-Leez 129, B-5031 Grand-Leez (Gembloux)
Tel: +32 (0) 81 640 866
Fax: +32 (0) 81 640 672
Website: www.dielemangallery.com
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m - 7 p.m.

The rich narrative history of nine South African families is revealed in a significant exhibition opening at the KIT Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

'South African Family Stories: A Group Portrait' describes the origins of South Africa through the experiences of nine individual families. Each family story unfolds across four or five generations, with one or two persons representing each generation. Some of the families selected for the exhibition include well known public figures, such as Sol Plaatje, Marthinus Steyn and Dolly Rathebe, but in general most of the families claim no special public significance. The exhibition is presented as a multimedia presentation, using artwork, photography, film, sound, original documents and objects. A different team of South African artists, photographers, writers and designers was employed to produce each of the nine family stories.

Penny Siopis and photographer Ruth Motau worked on the Plaatje family, while Sam Nhlengethwa and photographer Mothlalefi Mahlabe present the family story of the singer Dolly Rathebe. David Goldblatt paired-up with Claudette Schreuder to profile the Steyn family, Berni Searle interpreting the experiences of the Manuel family from Simonstown. Andrew Verster worked on the Juggernath family from India, while photographer Paul Weinberg and artist Langa Magwa focussed on the family of Zonkezizwe Mthethwa, a respected sangoma living near Ngudwini. The overall composition of the families selected aims to be representative of the social, cultural and geographical variety of people in South Africa.

The exhibition is complemented by a 240-page publication featuring the output of nine writers-researchers interpreting the major moments in the respective families' lives. Each contribution is illustrated with the individual artworks and photographs commissioned for the project. The book also features an introductory essay by Cape Town University's Njabulo Ndebele.

In an effort to offer audiences as comprehensive a portrait as possible of South Africa, the exhibition includes an independent exhibit known as 'the archive'. The installation, supervised by Penny Siopis, offers visitors a chance to browse through a variety of books, magazines and audio-visual material, the hope being that the archive will offer a contemplative space for visitors wishing to answer questions raised during the exhibition.

South African Family Stories: A Group Portrait appears at KIT Tropenmuseum from 4 October 2002. After is closure on 21 September 2003, the show will travel to South Africa where it will run at Johannesburg's Museum Africa from January 2004. For more information about the exhibition, visit zuidafrika.tropenmuseum.nl.

The KIT Tropenmuseum is open daily from 10.00 -17.00, Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

'The Field's Edge' explores contemporary uses of the camera lens that are inscribed by, and respond to, the legacy of colonial and ethnographic photography. The exhibition brings together a decade of contemporary lens-based art from Africa, the Caribbean, and the US, including traditional photographic prints, digital images, video, and multi-media installation.

During the colonial era, postcards brought images of Africans back to centres of imperial power. Stereotypic photographs of Africans highlighted their physical and cultural differences from Europeans. Using a selection of historical postcards from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, The Field's Edge considers the indelible mark that colonial ethnographic photography has left on the image world.

The Field's Edge focuses on major themes around narratives of domestic life. These lens-based images straddle the intimacy of 'home' and the shared experiences of 'community,' and provide an important opportunity to interrogate the questions of migration, Diaspora, and identity.

According to curators Amanda Carlson and Rory Bester, "African cultures continue to expand beyond the geo-political boundaries that have defined the continent of Africa. There is a new urgency to explore the relationships between these dynamic communities. While photographic technologies are grounded in specific cultural histories, bringing these works together reinvigorates the photographic discourses that include Africa, the Caribbean, and the US."

Participating artists include South Africans Thembinkosi Goniwe, Teboho Mahlatsi, Colin Richards and Berni Searle. Other participating artists include, Odili Donald Odita, Lorna Simpson, Fatimah Tuggar, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons and Carrie Mae Weems.

Opening: October 19
Closing: December 21

USF Contemporary Art Museum
Institute for Research in Art
College of Visual & Performing Arts
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida
Tel: 813 974 4133
Fax: 813 974 5130
Hours: Monday - Friday 10 a.m - 5 p.m, and Saturday 1 - 4 p.m

'Intersections', a show featuring work from the BHP Billiton collection, opens at the RMIT Gallery this month in Melbourne, Australia. Curated by Kendell Geers, the exhibition showcases work from one of South Africa's foremost corporate collections. The show will feature work by Moshekwa Langa, David Koloane, Bernie Searle, Tracy Rose, William Kentridge, Willem Boshoff, Marlene Dumas, Zwelethu Mthethwe, Hentie van der Merwe, Sue Williamson, Jane Alexander, Lisa Brice, Gavin Jantjes, David Goldblatt, Minette Vari, Johannes Phokela, Willie Bester, Siemon Allen, Penny Siopis, Robert Hodgins, Robin Rhode, Paul Stopforth, Ezrom Legae, Elza Miles and Wayne Barker. The exhibition is complemented by a fully illustrated catalogue, which includes texts by former ArtThrob editor Sophie Perryer, as well as Kendell Geers and Nikos Papastergiadis.

Opening: November 14
Closing: March 2

RMIT Gallery
Storey Hall, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9925 1717
Fax: +61 3 9925 1738
Email: rmit.gallery@rmit.edu.au
Website: www.rmit.edu.au/departments/gallery
Hours: Monday - Friday 11 a.m - 5 p.m, Saturday 2 - 5 p.m

South African Julia Tiffin, last seen on a well received solo show at João Ferreira in Cape Town, is showing together with the Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie and Thierry Fontaine of France on an exhibition entitled 'Body Art' at Artothèque of La Reunion Department of France which opened at the end of August and continues till December.

Curated by Caroline de Fondaumière, 'Body Art' seeks to investigate the complicity between the photographic medium and the body of the artist as revealed by the experiences of three plastic designers of different origin and culture.

What is a body, what is matter? Modern science is still wondering about it. The artist can also perceive this indecisive, fragile notion. By choosing to use a two-dimensional surface as a means of expression, the artist invents a new reality.

Opening: August 30
Closing: December 20

Artotheque du Departement de la Reunion
34, Rue Roland Garros, 97400 Saint-Denis, Reunion
Tel: ++ 262 41 7550
Website: www.cg974.fr
Email: artotheque@cg974.fr
Gallery hours: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday 9am to 5pm