ART OF LINE: Why was a top South African arts administrator ignored by Iziko?
by Mario Pissarra
"Where are South Africa's Okwui Enwezors and Olu Oguibes?" asks Gavin Younge in 'The Film That Caused All the Trouble' (aka The Luggage is Still Labelled: Blackness in South African Art, by Vuyile Voyiya and Julie McGee). One may well ask if our own Okwuis and Olus do not exist; or whether they are overlooked and neglected at home or in the diaspora? A conventional narrative is that the South African art world is slowly developing its black curators, art administrators, historians and intellectuals, and that emotional (or politically correct) calls for black leadership ignore this historical reality.
Consider then, my surprise (actually shock) at recently hearing that in the not so distant past the legendary Gavin Jantjes applied for the position of CEO for Iziko Museums, and didn't even get interviewed. This was when the Iziko Council was seeking to remedy its bad judgement in having already made one poor choice for CEO (a phase historians refer to as The Lemon Period).
For the benefit of those unfamiliar with Jantjes, in summary, he is a Cape Town born artist. He attended Michaelis in the late 1960s, and completed his Masters in Germany in 1972, the same year that country granted him political asylum. Subsequently based mostly in the UK and Norway, Jantjes has had significant experience and success as an international artist, researcher, writer, educator, and curator.
Most importantly he has an impressive track record as an arts administrator with several mainstream European cultural institutions. Arguably our man in the northern hemisphere brings with him more experience from the world of international contemporary visual art and museums than perhaps any other South African. And he has 'struggle credentials' too.
As those of us who follow these things know, the Iziko council chose Prof HC Jatti Bredekamp, a historian who appears to have spent most of his professional life cloistered as an academic. I do not know Jantjes and cannot say that he would have been the best choice for the job. But certainly his reputation would have set a benchmark against which other candidates should have been measured.
Since I also do not know Prof Bredekamp, I have to presume that his CV and references were so impressive that Jantjes never stood a chance. Although, having read his bio, I have to ask: where is his management experience outside of heading a university department? (Interestingly the previous incumbent was also an academic.)
The Iziko CEO has had an extended honeymoon period since his appointment late in 2002. Perhaps this year, "when we shall commemorate our nation's decade of democracy [with] exhibitions of excellence" (Bredekamp to the Parliamentary standing committee, April 2003), he can convince us that:
1. He has a vision for Iziko that gives substance to the glib "museums of excellence" that is regularly trotted out as a "mission". In particular, that he has a vision of transformation that means more than the "restructuring" of the status quo with a remote superstructure. (Bredekamp has written on the Iziko homepage that, "[The] restructuring of Iziko is now almost complete, paving the way for transformation at Iziko in the remaining years of this first decade of the African century." What does that mean in practice?);
2. He has the skills to oversee the workings of Iziko's 15 sites, and to ensure that it is not now business as usual for the Old Guard;
3. He has the influence to increase government spending on the arts and to attract sponsorship for big exhibitions;
4. He has the international standing to develop co-operation with other international institutions.
Unless Bredekamp can convince the cynics that he was the right choice, some of us will always harbour the suspicion that Jantjes was too strong a contender, too much likely to have upset the lemon cart.
A few sources have indicated to me their impressions that both CEO appointments (Loman and Bredekamp) had more to do with 'head-hunting' than open and accountable employment procedures - cases of entrenched interests more concerned with preserving themselves than transforming our premier public institutions. But of course one should always ignore the uninformed mutterings of dissidents.
I've been told that Jantjes unsuccessful application was noted at the time in the local paper, in the context of a report on Bredekamp's appointment. So, some 'insiders' may be thinking that this is not 'news', but most people I ask if they know Gavin Jantjes applied for the position of CEO at Iziko reply that they don't even know Iziko has a CEO.
It is depressing that an able contender with a distinguished profile was quietly discarded without being given the opportunity to present himself properly as a candidate. But why am I surprised? After all transformation, particularly as it applies to our museums, and the SANG in particular, has a history of being still born. But that's another story for another day.
