As generations of SA culture pilgrims know, the middle of the year brings the
Grahamstown Festival. This month sees Durban Editor Carol Brown trading sundresses and sandals for brogues and thermals, and heading for the inhospitable climatic reality of the Eastern Cape for this important event. In
NEWS she reports back.
Elsewhere, it’s a case of ‘another month, another competition’: the MTN New Contemporaries is close to announcing its 2008 winner, to be chosen from Dineo Bopape, Dan Halter, Michael MacGarry and Themba Shibase.
Continuing a series of seismic shifts in art scene power brokers (Linda Givon’s sale of the Goodman, Marilyn Martin’s retirement from the SANG), news has come to ArtThrob that Clive Kellner, chief curator of the JAG, has not renewed his contract for next year, and will remain only till the end of 2008.
This month, check out our small section of book reviews, in which I look at three catalogues received recently: one from Michael Stevenson and two from Warren Siebrits.
Also, see more Short Cuts.
MICHAEL SMITH
MANAGING EDITOR
NEXT UPDATE: August 9.
CAPE
Although a number of galleries have closed for July, there are still a couple of interesting things to check out in a cold and wet Cape Town. Michael Stevenson focuses on Mozambique with the work of Guy Tillim, Ângela Ferreira and Manthia Diawara, while blank projects continues to host intervention style events which should be enlivened by the 'mental' team of Gimberg, Nerf and de Wet.
GAUTENG
'Urbanisation' is a major mid-career solo for Kay Hassan at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Elsewhere, July is local 'award-nominees-exhibit-peacefully-while-waiting-for-competition-results' month. Hentie van der Merwe and Avashoni Mainganye, both finalists in the 2008 Sasol Wax Art Award, show at the Goodman and Gordart Gallery respectively. While the MTN New Contemporaries finalists' exhibition takes place at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery early this month, nominee Michael MacGarry opens a solo entitled 'When enough people start saying the same thing' at Art Extra.
KWAZULU-NATAL
As difficult as it is to believe, Greg Streak holds his first one-person exhibtion at Bank Gallery this month. At the KZNSA, Columbian artist Carlos Motta shows a series of videos documenting street protest in the Americas, and 'Start: The Nivea Art Award 2008' presents its finalists' exhibition there too.
INTERNATIONAL
Kendell Geers presents his solo show 'POSTPUNKPAGANPOP' in Zürich. 'Home Lands - Land Marks' is a major exhibition in London, featuring seven South Africans including William Kentridge, Santu Mofokeng, Bernie Searle and Guy Tillim, while David Goldblatt and Pieter Hugo are included on 'Street and Studio' at the Tate Modern, and young South Africa collectives join in 'EMERGENCE' in New York Harbour.
FEATURE
This month we have three short book reviews.
FEATURE
In Short Cuts Editor Mike Smith and Gauteng Editor Cara Snyman sum up a few shows they visited recently.
CAPE
Katharine Jacobs reviews 'Between Meaning and Matter' which served to inaugurate the Bell-Roberts' new space just next door to Michael Stevenson and downstairs from the Goodman. Confessing that her expectations were high, she leaves slightly disappointed although she does draw some satisfying curatorial links between works by Norman O'Flynn, Anthony Strack, Amelia Smith, and Kevin Brand, and takes delight in video pieces by Jacques Coetzer and Fahama Pecou.
GAUTENG
Cara Snyman reviews 'Ánima' a show featuring digital prints by Fernando Maquieira and Pasqual Tarazona at Resolution Gallery. The former's large portraits of primates and the latter's evocative ink blot-type works both consider 'the broad themes of life and death, of human mortality, though the image of the animal'.
KWAZULU NATAL
Carol Brown reviews Wilma Cruise's 'Cocks, Asses, & (I Can't Hear)' at Kizo Gallery. The artist's life-size figures are immediately striking, and her examination of the relationship between animals and humans, using the body as 'palette and page on which I project the inchoate and unsaid in an attempt to understand'. Also, Sally-Ann Murray reviews Leora Farber's Dis-Location / Re-Location' at the Durban Art Gallery.
STUDENT REVIEWS
Johannesburg-based student Lauren von Gogh visits Whatiftheworld for the first time. 'Prints and Editions', she suggests, 'has a lot to offer from the 15 artists/collaborations on show, illustrating innovative ways of re-imagining the idea of prints and editions'.
LOCAL
Carol Brown reports back from the Grahamstown National Festival of the Arts, and the MTN New Contemporaries Exhibition opens in Johannesburg. Kudzanai Chiurai stages One Vote event and print exhibition in Johannesburg, while Pexicon launch ArtVault.co.za. In an intriguing twist of events, it seems Clive Kellner is to leave the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
INTERNATIONAL
Carol Brown has recently returned from her visit to Dak'Art 2008.
Avant Car Guard continue their contributions to our site, with an intriguing set of images. Ta, boys.
Cara Snyman writes on Johannesburg-based, multi-talented Gerhard Marx.
Chad Rossouw spends time on the Vansa Western Cape site, lamenting the reluctance of readers and artists down here to participate.
Chad Rossouw evaluates Cape's Young Curators Workshop, focusing on 'Touching Moments' http://southafricannationalgallery.blogspot.com/
The British Council invites submissions from Design Curators, Greatmore Studios calls for artists to contribute to a celebratory raffle event, and the The Origins Centre Gallery at Wits invites artists to pitch proposals.
Jonah Sack responds briefly to one of our previous Short Cuts.
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Next print up will be from Lisa Brice. Watch this space for her stunning new print, made especially for ArtThrob.
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