Archive: Issue No. 93, May 2005

9.05.05 Peter Mackenzie's 'Vying Posie' at the NSA
9.05.05 'Trespass' by Mondli Mdanda at artSpace

26.04.05 Guy Tillim at the Durban Art Gallery
 

Photographer Peter Mackenzie of Johannesburg's Market Photography Workshop returns to the city of his childhood to present a nuanced look at his old haunts. Mackenzie's family was forced to move to Wentworth in the 1960s under the provisions of the Group Areas Act, and though he is now based in Johannesburg, Mackenzie says he still regards the area as 'my kasie - my township'. The title of his show, 'Vying Posie', is local slang, and means 'looking at the place'.

'I am from Wentworth but not of Wentworth, a concept that has guided - sometimes inadvertently - my way of seeing the people of this place', says Mackenzie. The photographer says his work, presented both as an exhibition and as a book, reflects the ambivalent feelings of frustration, both his and those of the community, which stem from an apathy within a political system Wentworth residents feel has once again marginalised them.

Opens: May 10
Closes May 29

The top sculpture student at the Durban Institute of Technology, Mondli Mdanda, will show sculptures and paintings at artSpace from mid May on a show entitled 'Trespass'.

Mdanda is fascinated by small, significant actions which take place in isolation. His work investigates social issues, class, identity, lost space and homelessness. His sculptures incorporate steel, wire, wood and found materials.

The artist was a finalist for the Emma Smith Overseas Scholarship last year and was also involved in 'Tangencya', a recent collaborative project in Durban. This exhibition has been sponsored by the National Arts Council.

Opens: 6.30pm, May 16
Closes: June 4

Known for his images of conflict in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Eritrea, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, DaimlerChrysler award winner Guy Tillim's new work is based on tensions in the inner city of Johannebsurg. Made in 2004, the work addresses the shifts in control over the city between the forces of law, criminals and ordinary residents. The question is posed as to whether Johannesburg will revert to being a city of exclusion, or if it is possible for a new, vibrant and dynamic city to emerge.

Explaining Tillim's work, Rory Bester, art historian, curator and the chairperson on the DaimlerChrysler adjudication panel said, "Tillim has a creative and poetic voice. Even though he works in a familiar tradition, his images are open to broader interpretation. They do not reveal an elaborated consciousness of technique such as the use of black and white or colour, and light, but an intimacy that brings the viewer closer to the subject."

April 6 to May 30