The Keiskamma Art Project
The Keiskamma Altarpiece 2009,
Mixed Media, 4.15 x 6.8 meters.
Having seen the Keiskamma Altarpiece, which is on display at the IZIKO Slave Lodge until the 31st of January 2010 as part of the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS project, I recently had the privilege of visiting Hamburg, where this massive tapestry was made.
Hamburg is a tiny village in the Eastern Cape. It’s known for its excellent fishing and remarkable natural beauty. I went there to attend a friend’s wedding and, as you drive along the 50 kilometre dirt road, the real terms of the place become clear: It’s pretty damn poor. It has also been ravaged by Aids. It was here in 2000 that Dr. Carol Hofmeyr, trying to find a place to practice as an artist, started a small community embroidery project in order to try and contribute economically. In time she was convinced to work in a local clinic, which grew into a health programme distributing ARVs to the village and surrounding areas. These two aspects were formed into the Keiskamma Trust in 2002, a special relationship between health and art. More on the Aids Treatment programme can be found here.
The art project began providing women with training and material to start small craftwork businesses. However, big recognition and reward lies not in the arena of craft, but converting craft skills into art objects. The trained women embarked on a large scale tapestry, which was completed in 2004. Known as the Keiskamma Tapestry, it is based on the Bayeux Tapestry, a medieval French cloth which narrates the story of the Norman conquest of England. The Keiskamma Tapestry, similarly, tells the story of the Xhosa in the Eastern Cape. It is 120 metres long and was made by over 100 women. It also became a place to meet, develop relationships and talk about local issues, including HIV/Aids. The tapestry toured South Africa, and now hangs in the Parliament building. Since then, the ladies of the Keiskamma area have produced two more large scale tapestries, The Creation Altarpiece and the Keiskamma Altarpiece.
The Keiskamma Altarpiece has toured the world to much critical acclaim. It is based on the Issenheim Altarpiece, a German/French 16th Century painting depicting the crucifixion, as well as sufferers from St Anthony’s Fire, a disease the Issenheim monks were well known for treating. The Keiskamma version has similar themes of hope and salvation, as well as honouring the elders of the community. What struck me, from visiting the workshop in Hamburg where a new large scale embroidery is underway, is the amazing sense of hope and community these projects have provided: a melding of art-making and health that is inspiring to see.
