Feedback is an open forum for readers to share
any comments and insights relevant to art practice in South Africa.
We reserve the right to edit all submissions.
From: Themba Shibase
Date received: November 22
Subject: Francesca Verga's review of my exhibition
The Colonial Gaze: In contemporary South African Art Criticism
This short essay is a response to what I conceive of as one of the most poisonous acts performed by certain individuals in our art society who hide behind the masks of art reviewer/critic.
This response has been sparked by Francesca Verga's review on ArtThrob of my solo exhibition 'd-Urban Critique' which was shown at the KZNSA between October 25 and November 13, 2005. One of the objectives or purposes of exhibitions, art exhibitions to be more particular, is to initiate dialogue or debate around certain issues. Often these are issues inclined to social, political, and to some extent personal substance. In many instances the general public is the intended audience for these exhibitions. I have strong reservations on the question of whether this intended audience does engage extensively enough with these exhibitions if not with art at all.
There are many reasons why the South African public is not art-literate or even appreciative of fine art. I believe that one of these reasons is the foreignness of this practice. Fine art is undeniably a practice centered on Eurocentric principles and ideology. A lot of people, particularly those of European descent would very much prefer to have a clear distinction between fine art as a form of luxury for the elitist middle and upper classes and craft as that which could be left for the native Africans who should not be allowed space to exercise their individualistic expression. Craft is favoured for black artists by such ill minded people simply because of its generic nature.
It is on this clear division line that I base my criticism of Verga's review. So typical of the colonial gaze that informs her thinking, she states in her review that, 'The repeated use of the goat and traditional cultural elements such as ukhamba grounds Shibase's work in a particularly African context'. Verga seems more to me a victim of the colonial discourse that she attempts to project on to me her colonial gaze-informed analysis. From the above quote, it is so clear that she cannot see or investigate beyond the colour, nationality and or ethnicity of the artist.
More than anything, she seems to make a huge effort in trying to locate the artist in both his geographical and ethnical history. By doing so not only does she ridicule but also disempowers the artist and his effort to forge an individualistic voice, which is not surprising from a person who clearly operates within the principles that were forged by her great grand fathers. Verga has based her above opinion on images that depict ukhumba and a goat. I find it strange that she does this because out of an exhibition of more than 30 images, ukhumba is only depicted twice and the goat thrice. On the other hand, the depiction of the skyscraper features in more than half of the pictures on exhibition. It is, however, not so surprising that this is downplayed to almost non-existence.
What Verga has done here is, in fact, a very popular exercise amongst white critics and reviewers who abide by the old order, especially when analysing works by artists of colour. This brings forth for discussion the question of critics and reviewers of South African Contemporary Art. Who appoints them and what are the criteria that govern the appointment of such people? Another important question that needs to be addressed is this: are there forums put in place to allow for a continuous dialogue on topics raised or initiated by these people?
When people use a public medium to voice their concerns, they have to be held accountable for their claims. Otherwise we will have a situation where people like Verga pop up all over the country, making wild claims about artists' work and getting away with it. The least we could do is engage them in discussions where they are expected to answer for some of their observations and claims. If this is not done then the purpose of exhibiting needs to be redefined or investigated.
I think it is important that I make it clear that this is not a retaliation to Francesca Verga's review but merely an attempt to engage her and interested people in a discussion on the issues raised in this short paper.
Francesca Verga responds:
In response to Themba Shibase's essay entitled The Colonial Gaze: in Contemporary South African Art Criticism, which acted as a response to my review of his exhibition titled 'd�urban critique', there are a few comments that I wish to make:
Firstly, the initiative from Shibase to create dialogue, debate and discussion is welcomed.
It should be pointed out that prior to writing my review on this particular exhibition. I took the time to discuss aspects of the artist's work in a 20-30 minute telephone conversation with him. It is of course true that a goat is not uniquely an African symbol, but any of the comments regarding aspects of the works were based upon our discussion, such as the use of iconic imagery and the exploration of identity.
Shibase is working within the area of the exploration of identity and what this means in this country today - an area which is currently being explored by a number of South African artists such as Churchill Madikida, Tracey Rose, Doreen Southwood and others, and it was in this context that I reflected upon his work in my review.
Secondly, the issue surrounding the appointment of a white critic is something that needs to be clarified. Is it accurate/fair to class a young 25-year old white female as being of the 'old order'? I would think not. It is unfortunate that the race card so often seems to be pulled out when the reviewer is white and the artist is of colour.
The consideration of Shibase's work in this case cannot be separated from issues of colour, because it is his questioning of his black identity in relation to urbanisation that is at the core of this exhibition. It is unavoidable when viewing this body of work to separate these issues.
Concerning my appointment as KZN editor of ArtThrob:
My appointment was made after submitting my credentials, in response to an advertisement that had existed on the ArtThrob for more than 6 months prior to my applying for the post. I was appointed on a two-month trial basis before being made a permanent contributor. I believe that I am more that qualified to engage with/in South African contemporary art, having acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a majors in Art History, English and Classical Civilization. I have a BA (Hons) in Art History and I am currently pursuing my Master's in Art History, which appropriately focuses on aspects of contemporary South African art. I work in the contemporary arts environment, having volunteered at the Durban Art Gallery for a number of years. I am on the Red Eye Art committee, which serves to profile and expose young up-and-coming artists. I have also contributed to various publications that the Durban Art Gallery has produced and recently attended the 'Critical Voices' writing workshop facilitated by Art South Africa editor Sean O'Toole.
The Feedback section for dialogue and interaction has existed on the ArtThrob site since its inception in 1997. Readers may also submit reviews, though this option is seldom taken up. One of the main aims of ArtThrob is to encourage discourse and the exchange of views on all matters concerning the production and reception of art in South Africa.
