Nicholas Hlobo’s monstrously engorged black rubber creature
fills an entire gallery at the Stevenson on Joost Buckland’s ‘Fiction as
Fiction (or a ninth Johannesburg Biennale)’ in the latest show to open for the
Cape Town summer season. A longing for the reinstatement of the Johannesburg
Biennale, presented only twice, in 1995 and 1997 is a perennial theme in the
South African art world, and here Buckland expertly puts together his concept of
what such an event might have looked like today… It is hard to single out
artists in this fine show, but look out for strong work by Kemang Wa Lehulere
as you walk into the Stevenson.
The New Church Gallery in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town
The first big show to start the ball rolling was the opening
of the innovative New Church Gallery, the brainchild of collector Piet Viljoen,
who took the unprecedented (iin South Africa) step of buying an entire house to
display a changing selection of
works from his exceptional collection.
Wim Botha,
Amanda Bloch and Piet Viljoen
Half of the top floor of the Victorian house in New Church
Street has been removed to make a space for large scale installations – in the
case of the first show, curated by Penny Siopis and appropriately called No. 1
- the dominating work is a suspended steel and fluorescent light tube work by
Wim Botha. Other artists on the show included Bridget Baker, Paul Edmunds and
Georgina Gratrix. In his opening speech, Viljoen talked of how his love of art
had enriched his life, and finished by encouraging his audience to ‘Buy art!’
If only … The New Church will be open by appointment, and soon perhaps at a
regular time weekly.
Brett Murray, Sanell Aggenbach, and Jeanne and Conrad Botes.
On Wednesday of last week, Mikhael Subotzky’s Standard Bank
Young Artist show, ‘Retinal Shift’ opened at the National Gallery in Cape Town.
The crowds at the opening did not allow for sustained viewing of the artist’s
four channel video based on an interview with of one of guards at the Monument
Theatre in Grahamstown, where the show started. But one was able to view a
multitude of photos from Subotzky’s working life, hung salon style and utterly
riveting.
Mikhael Subotzky stands in front of photographs of his own eyeballs, a
key image in ‘Retinal Shift’
Last night, thick black braided ropes guided viewers up the
steps of the City Hall and towards installations by local artists. One trail
led to a little nook under the stairs, lined with tartan plastic. There, if you
had the patience to sit down for a few hours, a Congolese duo would add braids
to your own hairdo, making it as spectacular as you wished. It was all a part
of the GIPCA Live Art Festival, which, in a five day programme, included
performances all around the city.
Hair braiding as performance
on GIPCA’S Live Art Festival
Opening at the Goodman in Cape Town on the 18th,
is the latest William Kentridge exhibition, with the rather South African
sounding title of ‘NO, IT IS’. Perfectly timed for the summer season.
