Thursday, September 8

Dineo Seshee Bopape, with a vitrine of dying flowers beneath

a frosted glass cover perforated by a plug hole

Every year, the Paul Klee Museum in Bern runs a Sommerakademie in August for 12 young artists, selected from nominees around the world. Nominators are invited to Bern for the final wrap-up events of the 12 day session, and this year, I finally had a nominee selected as a fellow: Dineo Seshee Bopape.

Curator Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist chose as her theme, Juicy Contaminated Circle: from Art to Life and back, and the discussions of the first wrap up afternoon were followed by a performance which involved the fellows serving juicy contaminated cocktails to the assembly. You drank them at your own risk. Many took the risk. Several times over.

A selection of juicy contaminated cocktails

The evening finished with a buffet dinner in a marquee set up next to the swiftly flowing Aare. By this time, the rain was bucketing down, and I felt sorry for the catering team trying to get a braai going under umbrellas, but in true art world fashion, the party went on regardless …

Cooking in the rain