From: Reina Liza Tolentino liza71@i-manila.com.ph
Subject: Comment on article "Shock on early closing"

I am disappointed about the early closing of the 2nd Johannesburg Biennale and with this decision people from other countries will criticize Johannesburg's municipality's lack of support/protection over the Art industry in South Africa.

I belong to the Arts industry here in the Philippines and my colleagues are going to Johannesberg on mid-January, hoping to see the 2nd Johannesburg Biennale. (all the way from Southeast Asia)

After reading the newsflash on "Reprieve for Biennale" at least we can re-schedule our departure from Manila a few days before its closing on the 18th January (which was the originally set date).

Before I close this message I want to express another issue about the same article. We believe that stating "...by behaving in this incredibly unprofessional third world way?" (last sentence in the first paragraph) is truly politically incorrect. We just like to remind you that we are already in the "global" awareness/transition and this phrase to describe other places is uncalled for nowadays. Next time, kindly be more careful with choosing words to describe points of view.

Congratulations for being able to extend Biennale until the 18th after all the unexpected circumstances.

Sincerely,
Liza

- Your point is taken about the inappropriate use of 'third world'
- Editor

Just sitting here playing with the internet I came across your articles of the exhibition. As a Johannesburg resident of many years standing the ONLY thing that caught my eye in ANY media was the disappointing attendance. It is the 16th December and I cannot tell if the exhibition is still on or where exactly it is. I therefore am reluctant to go and look. Am I blind and stupid or has there been little or no media coverage. I must say the ones discussed here make me feel, oh there they go again with things to shock rather than to enjoy, ugly rather than pleasing to the eye, sick rather than soul feeding. Now I must also say that bienale is not a commonly used word so for fear of appearing uneducated I think many would not even mention it in passing therefore in the main I have not heard one of my many friends talking of the event at all, can you not just be simple for the majority and call it an art festival which rolls off most tongues so easily and then I am sure everyone would be chatting about it making it tantalizing to those who have not been. Maybe I am a minority but those are all my thoughts, thank you for listening.

- You are expressing the thoughts of many in feeling that the Biennale did a very poor job in promoting itself as an exciting and stimulating event for everybody - but nonetheless, I hope you did find your way down to Newtown before the show closed on January 18 to make your own judgement.
- Editor

Sue

Is it logistically impossible to construct the site in such a way that one can click on the sample pic next to the text (and surely there should be a pic for every listing) as a link to a page containing the entire exhibition? That way we can visit every single exhibition in the entire country in cyberspace. That POSSIBILITY is what make this info-technology powerful. Otherwise it is no more than an newspaper printed on computerscreen instead of paper. And how about critiques instead of descriptions?

- No, Philip, it is not logistically impossible. All one would need is to get every exhibiting artist to photograph every work to go on exhibition in good time, then get those images to me and a small staff to get all those pages up each month. Anyone who has tried to get even one good slide out of some artists will know how difficult this would be!

But seriously, we are planning to extend ArtThrob's coverage, and invite submissions. Next month we will give you a post box address to which slides and info can be sent. And we will have our own web address - http://www.artthrob.co.za.

dear sue, am delighted to find your work here. am a graduate of pretoria tech, '69. and have been making art in the wilds of texas and new mexico for at least 20 years now, am busy with digital painting, printed then studio altered, have sold quite a few. problem ... no one quite knows what to call them and where to fit them in contextually. any south african artists with the same problem?

a general hello to all old friends and fellow students and "teachers", best of luck with the cool website.. fond regards.

Dear Sue

I have always admired your work and was delighted to discover your stimulating web site recently. Congratulations!

I have placed a link to it in from the one I manage, which is concerned with design, architecture and planning in Southern Africa. You will find it at: http://www.erols.com/designafrica.

Regards
Michael

-- EA Lynch
SpokenWar
ealynch@spokenwar.com

Thank you
Janet Hackwood
HACKWOOJ@health.qld.gov.au