CAPE Art Circuit
by Kim Gurney
Cape Town inner city came alive last on the night of Wednesday September 27 as galleries and other spaces opened up late as part of CAPE's evening Art Circuit. Hundreds of people made their way between a variety of linked venues in the city and surrounding areas from 5pm onwards. The evening provided a feast of visual art in partial recompense for the postponement of the planned 'TRANS CAPE' art event from September to March next year, with CAPE transport on hand for the entire art route. The various projects were some of the ventures registered for the fringe 'X-CAPE' exhibition, originally scheduled for this month.
'Voyage Ensemble', a group show of South African, Congolese and Mozambican artists curated by Sylvie Groschatau-Phillips, was aimed at fostering relationships between refugee and local artists and breaking down xenophobia. This show in the Scalabrini Centre in Commercial Street seemed to encapsulate the best of the evening's intentions: a new venue, fresh names on the wall and diverse faces in the crowd.
'Voyage Ensemble' resonated strongly, by coincidence, with the words of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu delivered at the 7th Annual Steve Biko lecture the night before at the University of Cape Town. He cautioned South Africans against ethnic strife and xenophobia, insisting that the perceptions of others be acknowledged, and calling for mutual respect.
One of the most striking elements of the Art Circuit was the number of less familiar talents showcased. This trend was most evident at the Scalabrini Centre as well as Greatmore Studios where visiting artists from Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Nigeria and South Korea joined locals in opening their studio doors to visitors.
The offices of CAPE itself hosted four artists new to the Cape Town scene, whose alternative space called the Parking Gallery in Johannesburg has been making the news. Artworks ranged from Bronwyn Lace's intriguing white rat (a live albeit sleeping one) in a perspex cage suspended from the roof to Rat Western's gutter pipes converted into light boxes.
Also on the route was the recently refurbished Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, the venue for a group exhibition in a new space called 'The Public Pool'. Artists on show responded to the loaded notion of 'home'.
And in the city itself, galleries like Bell-Roberts, Erdmann Contemporary and blank projects (hosting a 'Cape Town Biennale' of its own) opened for the night. Brett Murray's 'Sleep Sleep' kicked off at João Ferreira, with the artist's inimical satire taking shape in prints, photographs, bronzes and plastic cut-outs. Cameron Platter, whose '3 Missed Calls' is currently showing alongside Lyndi Sales at Bell-Roberts, also screened a new film Beware the Curves at the Labia Cinema.
The evening continued with spoken word and live music at Long Street's Zula Bar.
