CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS UJ Art Gallery, opens 17 October 2018
T
he UJ Art Gallery is hosting ‘Continuing Conversations’, an exhibition of portraits from the permanent collection of MTN and the University of Johannesburg, as well as selected portraits from MTN and UJ’s joint Emerging Artists Portrait Development Programme.
Wilma Cruise, Phillemon Hlungwani, Maggie Laubser, Judith Mason, George Pemba, Cecil Skotnes, Irma Stern and Edoardo Villa. About 40 works have been selected from across the UJ collection, consisting of 1 500 artworks in total; and the MTN collection, consisting of 1 400 artworks.
The exhibition opens on 17 October and is curated by Niel Nortje, manager of the MTN Art Collection, and Annali Dempsey, curator of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Art Collection.
Neil Nortje offers some context: “The MTN SA Foundation believes that forming strategic partnerships with reputable institutions such as the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, enables both institutions to maximise the impact of their art collections and ensure increased visibility for both. Furthermore it strengthens relationships; broadens the pool of accessible services and resources to the arts fraternity; expands stakeholder engagement opportunities; supports the curation of meaningful mentorships in the field and enables the dissemination of knowledge for arts education utilising Information Communications Technology (ICT) solutions.”
Following last year’s successful ‘Shifting Conversations’ exhibition which engaged with works of colonial and post-colonial narratives, the curatorial focus in ‘Continuing Conversations’ is on portraits depicting concepts of power, the juxtaposition of power and powerlessness, identity and body politics, perceptions of the other and the exotic, memory, and the masks we wear. Works included in this exhibition are by artists such as Gerard Bhengu, Reshada Crouse,
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Above: Hamali Khoosal Right: Norman Catherine, Congo Fever
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