Jabulisa 2006: The Art and Craft of KwaZulu-Natal at Durban Art Gallery
by Elizabeth Perrill
With its May 10 to June 24 run at the Durban Art Gallery (DAG), 'Jabulisa 2006' completed its tour of KwaZulu-Natal. For all the speech-making, at both the Pietermaritzburg and Durban openings, consensus seems to remain that the exhibition co-ordinators did not take to heart Virginia MacKenny's suggestion, in 2000 at the previous 'Jabulisa' that a 'tighter, more directed show next time might produce more with which to engage'. There was chaff to be winnowed out of this exhibition, and the fact that a pared down version of the show travelled to all but the Pietermaritzburg and Durban venues testifies to the feasibility of further curatorial refinement.
Throughout the exhibition, multiple works selected by the same artists, but not specifically designed as series, were obvious culprits in swelling the scale of the exhibition. It is true that narrowing the field in this way may have robbed viewers of appreciating the breadth of some artists' work. Selecting between Gabisile Nkosi's two beautifully printed Ingxoxo series, Victor Khumalo's innovative ceramic works, or just one of Muziwenhlebo Xulu's narrative panels would be to make a sacrifice. However, a more concise show could still produce the breadth curators hoped to present. Unfortunately, the overabundance of lacklustre fabric works on show obscured some truly innovative pieces. Corina Lemmer and Ngoneni Kubekha's love letter panels were outstanding examples of contemporary textile design's unique capacity to merge tactility, attention to the craft of production, and intellectual reflections on individual narratives in the context of social change.
It is laudable that 'Jabulisa 2006' co-ordinators went to great lengths to ensure the exhibition was open to artists working outside of the mainstream, urbanised art world. Panels of judges assembled in Pietermaritzburg, Empangeni, Margate, Newcastle and Durban attempted to select artworks that represent the diversity of the province. Although this process probably encumbered the filtering out of the exhibition's weaker pieces, taking the judges to the art, rather than the art to the judges remains a politically important step in a regional survey show of this type. Many of South Africa's rural arts centres and communities still lack the computing infrastructure or affordable transportation networks that would allow an equitable submission and selection process to be carried out from a centralised urban hub.
Given the effort to avoid urban biases taken by the curatorial team, it is ironic that the exhibition presented an extremely confusing vision of what it means to 'celebrate' artists working in media or genres that fall outside of historically 'high' art. An inconsistency in the descriptive text provided on participating artists within the catalogue and a frustrating return to mercurially applied art/craft terminologies are particularly blatant examples of the less-than-respectful inclusion of artists working in media such as fabric, wood and multimedia. The term 'crafters' is thrown around very loosely in the exhibition text. Indeed, individuals appear to be described as 'crafters' versus 'self-trained artists' within their biographical bylines more often when they have either not provided self-referential text or not had work carried in galleries (who know the financial value of being defined as an 'artist' rather than a 'crafter'). For examples, interested readers should compare the biographical bylines provided for 'crafters' Hlalayedwa Gubane, Ms Qwele or Mfanazi Sokhela with 'self-trained artists' Bheki Nkosi, Thami Khmalo or Njabulo Madiba. The mixed use of terminology muddies the waters in this frustrating division and it remains unclear as to why 'craft' needed to be added to the 'Jabulisa' title.
At the 2006 Pietermaritzburg opening of this exhibition, it was explained that by changing the exhibition title to 'Jabulisa 2006: the art and craft of KwaZulu-Natal', from the 'Jabulisa 2000: the art of KwaZulu-Natal' the committee hoped to expand the possibility that this show could respectfully highlight work falling outside of western media or genres. Why reintroduce this unending debate of art/craft without specific criteria in mind to follow on something as basic as a biographical byline?
Looking more specifically at the Durban incarnation of the show, both in co-curator Brendan Bell's opening remarks and visitors' comments throughout the galleries, the constant refrain was one of surprise at how 'different' the exhibition seemed at the DAG and the Tatham Art Gallery (TAG). Before the opening remarks, many avid exhibition attendees were certain that works at the DAG had not appeared at the initial complete TAG showing of this exhibition. The refreshing perspective and narrative lines running through each of the galleries, drawing connections between pieces that refer to human physicality or spiritual/political struggle, were a testament to the installation team and curatorial skill at the Durban Art Gallery.
Another 'Jabulisa' has come and gone in KwaZulu-Natal. Although the echoes of discontent at rejection and controversies concerning acceptance criteria remain in both the arts community and in Brendan Bell's catalogue essay, this exhibition has served an important purpose: 'Jabulisa 2006' provoked a response from supporters and critics alike. Let us hope that exhibitions of this type will encouraged the arts community to consider itself and reflect upon what it means to practice visual art in KZN. As any practising artist will attest, self-evaluation is always a challenge and certainly is an integral part of the creative process.
Elizabeth Perrill is a PhD Candidate from Indiana University and a Fulbright Scholar currently conducting fieldwork on Zulu Ceramics, KwaZulu-Natal
Opened: May 10
Closes: June 24
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