SA Art times March 2011 by SA ART TIMES

The South African Art Times | March 2011 | Free

ART TIMES

Helena Hugo

Artist of the KKNK 2011 Photo: Christo Harvey

Andries Gouws â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pedestrian Paintings US Woordfees P.J. Olivier Art Centre Stellenbosch, 4-26 March 2011 (021 8083513) Oliewenhuis Art Museum Bloemfontein, 14 July-14 August 2011 (051 4479609) Standard Bank Gallery Johannesburg, 26 October-3 December 2011 (011 6311889) Pretoria Art Museum, 8 December 2011-26 February 2012 (012 3441807) KZNSA Durban, 6-25 March 2012 (031 2023686)

Gallery Michael Heyns is proud to present this 272 page, 31 x 28 cm, coffee table book at our premises in Weavind Park on Saturday 14 May 2011. PRICE: R1500 PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER: R1200 (from 21 February until 29 April 2011)

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FOR MORE INFORMATION: Michael 012 804 0869 Jennifer 082 451 5584 Fax 086 670 1908 jennifer@michaelheyns.co.za

ART TIMES | MARRIOTT’ S RELAAS SHOW, OLIEWENHUIS The South African

Art Times March 2011 Daily news at www.arttimes.co.za

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SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

MARRIOTT’ S RELAAS SHOW, OLIEWENHUIS | ART TIMES

Marriott’s powerful Relaas shows at The Oliewenhuis, Bloemfontein

Rosemarie Marriott’s solo exhibition titled Relaas (Afrikaans for a narrative story) represents a significant development in her ouevre. The sensitivity with which she intuitively manipulates her material to form her objects and childlike forms indicates her sophisticated mastery of concept and medium. In this new body of work she engages with themes from children’s stories and nursery rhymes which carry an underlying message. She attempts to capture the way a child might see and interpret that message, which does not always correspond with the story as it appears. In relaas Marriott ‘ plays’ with a combination of human and imaginary forms to create a body of sculptures, made from found objects and natural materials. Some of the pieces are organic forms ‘trapped’ in bronze. It seems it if her works attempt to capture the life or the soul as it leaves

the body - almost as if it is the time before death however long before this may have been. A paramount force in her art making practice is the combined act of collecting material such as animal skin or parts (from taxidermists and local farms) and the visceral transformation of that material into often tender or startling new forms. Marriott’s intuitive responses to the specific tactility, texture and colour of chosen material (skins, bones etc.) dictates how far the material can be manipulated and transformed. Inchoate ideas develop through working in a labour-intensive way, recognising the potency of the dead animal and realising a new sculptural incarnation from that close proximity and touch. The redemptive quality of giving renewed life to dead or discarded objects is a primary motivation in her work.

Marriott’s show will exhibited at the following venues during 2011: NWU Gallery Potchefstroom 5th April - 3rd May

KZNSA Gallery, Durban 28 June – 24 July

William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley 7th May – end May

New UNISA Art Gallery, Pretoria 4th Oct – 19th October

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

ART TIMES | THE ARTISTS’ PRESS TURNS 20

South African National Gallery ERNEST COLE

PHOTOGRAPHER

Ernest Cole believed passionately in his mission to tell the world in photographs what it meant to be black under Apartheid. In order to publish his book, House of Bondage, he left South Africa and, after more than 23 years of painful exile, died in New York in 1990. Cole left no known negatives and few prints of his monumental work, and the Hasselblad Ernest Cole Collection has never before been internationally exhibited. These extremely rare prints, most of them made by the photographer himself are, for the first time, to be seen publicly in a major exhibition, which is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.

25 February - 30 April 2011

Government Ave, Company’s Garden, Cape Town Enquiries: Pam Warne 021 481 3956, pwarne@iziko.org.za

Thanks to the Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg, Sweden, the Embassy of Sweden, Pretoria, Skandia and Volvo Trucks

www.iziko.org.za

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

ArtTimes_vVuuren_70x297 1/20/11 12:33 PM Page 1

Living the artist’s dream:

THE ARTISTS’ PRESS TURNS TIMES C M20 Y| ART CM MY CY CMY

creating a fine life and sustainability Tamar Mason reflects on 20 years of Mark Atwood’s The Artists’ Press in White River that has influenced many, many South African’s lives Twenty eleven means that The Artists’ Press is twenty years old. Milestones call for reflection and celebration! Tamar Mason To celebrate the studio will be doing a number of things. As a special treat for the studio Mark Attwood has ordered a pile of big litho stones for the workshop and a special trolley to move them around with which means that he will be able to provide artists with even better surfaces to work on. For the local community children a lino cut competition at the Mohlakwaan Farm School will be held. The best prints will win cash prizes. And then for you dear reader.... a Green Award. The Artists’ Press would like to hear about what green things you are up to. The person who comes up with the most innovative green/environmentally sustainable thing that they are doing with their lives will win a print by Sibonelo Chiliza. So get doing and let the studio know by the end of June (email: mark @artistspress.co.za). Now for the numbers: -122 artists from 7 African countries and 7 other countries have worked in the studio. -Total editions printed: 812 -Printed on contract: 206 -Published by The Artists’ Press: 606 -Editions in stock: 348 -Editions sold out: 258 -Approximate total number of prints printed: 32 480 -Most visitors to the ArtPrintSA website: 5 817 (Nov 2010) -Smallest print editioned: William Kentridge “Untitled” 1999. 12 x13 cm -Largest print editioned: William Kentridge “Learning the Flute” 2004 281 x 356 cm Artists’ books produced: 14 -Psychological conditions encountered in artists: Too many to mention. -Tamarind Master Printers in the house: 2 Vegetables, fruit and nuts growing in the budding food forest: Plenty! Mark Attwood says, “In the last five years we have been consolidating what we do and plan to continue into the next twenty years improving on what we have done. Somewhere along the line we seem to be doing something right, as we seem to weather the storms faced by the art world – perhaps it has something to do with being physically removed from the trajectory of the storms?” SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

It seems fitting that the first suite of prints to be launched by the studio for this year are a bunch of flowers. Sibonelo Chiliza’s botanical images are breathtaking. Printers who have visited the studio and seen his prints are blown away by his ability to take advantage of the full range of what lithography offers; these are prints for hard-core print nuts! Mark Attwood goes on to contextualize all of this with the following story: “A few weeks ago Tamar I went to a talk at Halls (a large Nelspruit company). On our way home we nearly drove into a hippo on the main road. In itself this is an event but following the topic of the talk, and the time of the hippo sighting (9:11pm) we think that we need to take note. Colin Campbell was the speaker. Colin is a traditional healer from Botswana who speaks, teaches and facilitates around the globe as well as working with pre-industrial communities. As we understood his talk our industrialized lives are wrapped up in production and measuring ourselves in terms of production (see list at top!!!); whether it is getting top marks in an exam, manufacturing disposable razors or winning court cases we all measure others and ourselves by how much we produce. When there is one last tree standing in the Amazon we will cut it up to make toothpicks. Our obsession with production and its measurements of personal and national success is at the base of the global environmental crisis. What we need to do is to look at new ways of living in the world and of relating to the environment and each other. To work out how to let go, a good starting point is to get as close as one can to intact wild environments and to immerse oneself as much as possible in them (preferably without the insulation of portable fridge, cell phone, and clouds of deodorant). If we don’t let go of our dependence on production above all else we are going to hit that hippo and it will not be good for either the hippo, the vehicle or us!” Mark Attwood aims to spend the next twenty years bridging the gap between running a print studio dedicated to excellence and to living sustainably on the wild side.

ART TIMES | THE BAMAKO PHOTOGRAPHIC BIENNIAL: BORDERS REVIEW : SA NATIONAL GALLERY, CAPE TOWN

The Bamako Photographic Biennial: Borders is set to amaze Lloyd Pollak Borders is the theme of the Biennial which examines how real political and geographic frontiers affect people’s lives, identity, and material well-being and determine the patterns of migration and displacement. The barriers cast up by language, culture, religion, politics, color and sexual orientation form a secondary subject. Incontestably the stars of the show are two dauntingly accomplished female iconographers, Zineb Sedira and Kader Attia, both of whom adopt a metaphoric, rather than a naively literal, approach to the theme. Their soaring imaginations execute figures of eight at dizzying altitudes, distilling unforgettable images that elevate the borders theme into compelling visual poetry. Both hail from Algeria, and in my opinion, the most visually expressive, original and conceptually sophisticated work generally stemmed from photographers enmeshed in the Arab orb of civilization. Kader Attia, a French artist of Algerian origins raised in the immigrant banlieues of Paris, sets a dreamy mood of melancholy reverie and still in her ‘Square Rocks’. The suite portrays the unemployed, disaffected youth of Bab el-Oued, an impoverished quartier of Algiers, seated atop the massive, brutalist cement blocks that line the shore. There they while away the hours lost in dreams of a better life on the distant shores of France as they watch the vessels plying their trade between Algeria and Marseilles. These poignant images capture the ardent, but doomed, yearnings of slum dwellers longing to escape abjection, and start a new life with immense tenderness and compassion. The contrast between the gargantuan scale and deadweight of the immense concrete blocks which act as an impassable barrier in the foreground, and the boundless horizon of blue seas and skies, with their promise of expansion and flight, emphasizes the unattainability of cherished pipe dreams, projecting a mood of thwarted hope and denial. Attia associates the blocks with the concrete subsidized housing doled out to France and Algeria’s lumpenproletariat and they thus

represent the fatal stranglehold of poverty that mires Algerian youth in misery just as effectively as if they were embedded in the ponderous cement cubes. Zineb Sedira is another spell-binder who creates reverberating poetic metaphors for the African condition. Her Shipwreck series portrays the Mauritanian coast, a dumping ground for the international shipping industry where the once pristine shore has become a surreal cemetery of plundered hulks. Scavenging metal from the rusting debris of scuttled craft provides the locals with a paltry livelihood, and so, the despoiling of this limpid Homeric shoreline proceeds apace. The littoral also serves as the point of departure for sub-Saharan Africans en route to Europe, and in Seder’s photographs, these themes coalesce, and the decaying vessels beached on the golden dunes, form a monument to Africa’s scuttled hopes and shattered dreams. A biting feminist critique of the patriarchy and the stifling weight of Islamic custom and tradition emerge from Arwa Abouon of Libya’s four huge photographs of father and son, mother and daughter. The two women enveloped head to toe in voluminous garments, turn sideways to gaze at each other, rather than engage with the outside world. Their bodies are swallowed up by the textiles they wear, making them almost invisible as they blend into the background of repeating fabric patterns. The men, by contrast, stand out like solid volumetric pillars: they gaze masterfully at the viewer, and dominate the deep space they inhabit. However, despite their air of virile command, they, like their womenfolk, cannot fully embrace modernity, and their identical outfits obliterate any sign of individuality. Father and son, mother and daughter become mirror images of each other in Abouon’s vision of sameness and conformity. The Zaafrane Cemetery deep in the desert wastes where dust storms submerge the graves and inscriptions forms the Tunisian Lilia Benzid’s subject. To rescue their loved ones from the obliterating sands, the bereaved deck the graves with the clothes and intimate personal possessions of the

deceased. The mysterious Christo-like wrappings humanize the cold tombstones which become weird effigies of the dead that people the deserted necropolis, making the absent touchingly present. Benzid’s spiritual vision transmutes the graveyard into a zone of mystic effervescence where being and matter unite, death is assimilated into life, and ancient pagan cults defy Islamic edicts. Majida Khattari (Morocco) constructs photographs that allude to the European tradition of Orientalist art which eroticized, exoticised and fetishized dusky, North African and Levantine beauties presenting them as a female ‘other’ embodying pure submissive femininity. Portrayed lying outstretched on sofas, or lounging on pillows, the subjects were artfully placed at the disposal of the male viewer who was invited to vicariously possess them. Majida turns the tables, and portrays European women in Arabic attire. Her highly decorative set-ups with their richly upholstered sofas, exotic vessels, jewellery and gorgeous Islamic geometric patterns, closely resemble the decorative harem confections of Jerome, Delacroix, Ingres, Renoir and Matisse However Majida deprives the male viewer of the erotic titillation he expects, by making her fully clad, heavily veiled, female sitters remote and inaccessible. Her portrayal of a glamorous, death-dealing, Arab female terrorist, poised and ready to kill herself, and us, by discharging the suicide bomb in her hand, taps into another cliché lurking in the dark recesses of the prejudiced Western psyche. The staid galleries of the SANG have incandesced with brilliant shutter-generated fireworks ever since the Bamako African Photography Biennial arrived. The pyrotechnical climax occurs in the Liebermann room, and it is here I stand, hearkening to the seductive intonations of one of its curators. I imagined my interviewee would hail from the biennial’s host country of Mali, and Michket Krifa, an elegantly Gallicized femme du monde from Tunisia, struck me as an unlikely spokeswoman for what I stupidly imagined was a purely, black art event.

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SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

THE BAMAKO PHOTOGRAPHIC BIENNIAL: BORDERS REVIEW. SA NATIONAL GALLERY. CAPE TOWN | ART TIMES

Speaking in the impeccable French of the lycéeeducated Francophile elite, Michket’s seductive rolling ‘r’s made her discussion of the Biennale sound like inflammatory phone sex. I learned that over the years the African Photography Biennial, first inaugurated in 1994, has emerged as an increasingly professionally organized, expertly curated survey of photography in Africa and the diaspora, and that it is now a permanent fixture on the international art circuit. A suave diplomat, Michket airily glossed over many an awkward truth, for the Biennale is, and always has been, dogged by intractable problems. Bamako is the capital of Mali, one of the world’s most poverty-stricken nations, and the contrast between the affluence of the international contingent, and the penury of their hosts, creates a fraught atmosphere. Hardly any Malians attend the event which, consequently, appears designed to cater to a wealthy, first world audience. As Mali cannot foot the bill, the French stepped into the breach, and Culturesfrance, an agency of the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Communication, provides the bulk of the funding. All well and good, but France’s lumbering bureaucracy plods along at a snail’s pace, and the endless delays are an intense source of frustration. Differences of class, culture and nationality come into play, and as Paris is so remote from the centre it serves, there is often a yawning gulf between the vision and agenda of the French arts administrators, and those of the African organizers. The hand that clasps the begging bowl cannot call the tune, and Culturesfrance’s goal of showcasing new African talent for predominantly European consumption reveals that reliance on foreign funding has given rise to Eurocentric bias. The creative directors Michket Krifa and Laura Serani (an Italian resident in Paris) were only appointed 10 months before the opening, and the unseemly haste with which they had to operate, explains the erratic quality of the show which ranges from the sublime poetic imagery of Kader Attia to hackneyed, predictable photojournalism that taps the West’s Pavlovian reflex of pity, and confirms the cliché of Africa, as the poor Cinderella of the five continents. In Abdoulaye Barry’s photographs of glue-sniffing street children in Chad; Jodi Bieber’s documentation of the arrest and forced repatriation of illegal immigrants in South Africa, Lebohang Mashiloane’s studies of Somali refugees, and Baudoin Mouanda’s records of buildings blitzed out by the Congolese war, Africa, yet again emerges as a hellhole cursed by eternal poverty, oppression and misery. It seems paradoxical that a show celebrating this continent’s artistic achievement should diffuse such pessimistic notions of Africa as a no-go, disaster area. A teeming horde of passengers waiting to board a vessel are the subject of Ali Mohammed Oman’s Port Sudan. What makes the photograph so telling, is that the patiently attent mass of travelers stretching to the horizon line, are woebegone goats that become stand-ins for the untold numSA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

bers of Sudanese who long to quit their country but cannot. Riotously festive image of exotically garbed men on stilts circling round each other at the Trinidad carnival are provided by Zak Ove (Trinidad and Tobago). There is a strong sense of immemorial African pageant and ritual, revealing that the spirit of the Dark Continent, which slaves transported to the island centuries ago, remains intact. The Carnival reenacts the historical scenarios of enslavement and transportation to the New World, commemorating the links between Africa and the Caribbean, and providing a safety valve enabling Trinidadians to forget their underdog status by parodying the master/slave relationship, and merrily sending up the status quo. In one of Mohamed Camera photos of Malians in Paris, a recent émigrée, a tall, regal, turbaned lady accoutered in flowing yards of ethereal pink voile, stands next to her humble pile of possessions, as she cautiously lifts a blind to peep outside at her adopted country in a room glowing with the pink reflections cast by her gown. The photograph of this beautiful woman diffidently facing an uncertain future addresses themes of exclusion and containment and alludes to the borders erected by French prejudice and Malian poverty. The contribution of South African photographers, which includes the agitprop of that hugely overrated activist, Zanele Muholi, appeared distinctly lacklustre when compared to the freedom of invention seen in the work of the North Africans. Graeme Williams however came up trumps. A flair for cropping and unusual viewpoints emerges from his taut, rigorous compositions. His Thabong Township – a gorgeous blaze of scarlet and cerise - is bisected by the bold diagonals of towels hanging on a washing line and parting to reveal a bowed, cowed woman in a doek hopelessly sweeping up the dust that will immediately reinvade the space. One towel is emblazoned with a shapely, lip-sticked blond, and the sad irony is that affluence, glamour and freedom are always incarnated by white models. Only the Pan-African exhibition - the core event of the Biennial – came to Cape Town. Humanity is both the theme, and the quality most evident in the work of so many African photographers. This emerged particularly forcefully from the 20 or so other group shows and solos which together formed a magnificent survey of photographic portraiture – formal, informal, archival, ethnographic and contemporary. It was truly uplifting to see how much talent, and occasionally genius, is native to this continent, and how often this transmutes the photograph into art rather than mere documentation. One ardently hopes that the SANG will host many more Bamako Biennials as both the public, and our local photographers, can learn so much from them. 11

ART TIMES | MARTIN LAYTON OBITUARY

Martin Layton 1951-2011

At the end of January, well-known South African landscape painter, Martin Layton, died unexpectedly at his home in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape. Regarded as a giving and devoted family man, he had just celebrated a 40th wedding anniversary and his 60th birthday with close friends and his family. Popularly categorized as a surrealist – a description with which he was not comfortable, Layton preferred to refer to his work as ‘dimensionism’ – for him, a process of taking familiar objects and placing them in unfamiliar surroundings, bending the elements of time and space to stimulate or confuse the viewer’s apprehension of the subject matter. His images resonate with huge silences and only register human presence as a remnant of passage through the landscape – a peculiarity which is recognized as a facet or

ambience of landscape in the Eastern Cape by many of its artists.He was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England in 1951, immigrating to South Africa with his parents in 1957 at the time of the Suez crisis. He was sent to school at Muir College for boys in Uitenhage where he took art as an extra-mural subject, subsequently going on to the Russell Road Technical College in Port Elizabeth to study commercial art. As an adult and as an artist, he attributed his fascination with wide vistas, open spaces and desolate landscapes to early trips with his parents into the Karoo in the hinterland near Uitenhage. When he started working, he became an electronics technician working at the National Credit Register (NCR). He married in 1971, starting a home in Port Elizabeth with his wife Sharon.

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

MARTIN LAYTON OBITUARY | ART TIMES In 1974 the couple left for New Zealand where they settled in Lower Hutt near Wellington. Here, Martin joined a reprographics company where he became national service manager and the company’s technical trainer. Their daughter Chanel was born in 1978. Later, he joined a leading pharmaceutical company where he pursued his career in the electro-medical field. In 1981, the family returned to Port Elizabeth where he continued his career in electronics working for Tek Electronics (originally SATV). For a while, he moved to the factory in East London where he worked in the Technical Lab where he was responsible for the design and development of simulcast modules for colour televisions. During this period he began to hone his painting skills preparing for his first solo exhibition, subsequently holding others later in both in East London and in King Williamstown. At the time, he worked in water colour and acrylic using a photo-realism technique to record historical buildings in both cities, most of which have now disappeared or been modernized. His background in the electronics industry proved to be seminal to the development of his oeuvre and was to inform the approach he took to the subject matter in his paintings. In television, both perspective and geometry play an important role. ‘Tiling’ or cross-hatching is used to correct geometry deficiencies. Throughout his career, he was to use a substructure of grids, checkerboards and geometric and circular forms to control and order the landscapes which situate the iconic fragments of masonry and natural and man-made artifacts which dominate his imagery. In colour TV,

pigment, on the other hand is dense. Red, yellow and blue added in equal quantities verge toward black. Hues are graded with additions of white. The reverse process normally happens when painting. Martin’s palette accommodates distinctive contrasts in hue, luminosity and opacity. He used many means at his disposal to compose his paintings including computer imagery, TV, and photography and always said that ‘there were no rules’. The Laytons eventually returned to Uitenhage where they opened their own business in the electronic field. Despite being limited by time spent running the company, Martin continued produce paintings until Sharon took over the business which then enabled her husband to paint full-time until his death. Cape Gallery owner, Gail Dorje, who marketed Layton for a number of years says of his work ‘.we follow Martin Layton into his world. Here we may find a strange duplicity of imagery. These images invite comparisons. These may or not have an overt, rational interpretation, yet are rich in associations. Each painting has a cryptic title engaging the viewer in a game of recognition and recall. Exposure to this artist’s works over a period of time can only enhance our rapport and understanding. A gate post, a monolith, ship or train gain context by association and through repetitive use in several works. Each of these becomes symbol carrying ideas and memories that are both personal and universal. On one level we may engage in a visual equivalent of a topical conversation, on another we are thrust beyond our time and space continuum. We can but observe and wonder what new dimensions

and other horizons this artist will lead us on to.’ Layton says “My motivation is not to create pretty pictures. I aim to create images with lasting impression that the viewer can relate to and appreciate long after the initial viewing”. In a statement of intent, Layton described his work as follows: ‘Technology, the media, images of past and present, emotions, topical matters all have their influence. An image builds, having no start and no finish, objects are dissected or fused, the known with the unknown, the state of semi -consciousness before deep sleep, and all are driving forces in an effort to captivate, confuse and provoke thought. Perhaps, more recently my images have taken on a more political meaning and If ,after having lived through the transformation from the “Old” South Africa to the “New” my images can create a positive response from the viewer or “Powers That Be” perhaps my goal has at least partially been achieved.’ He was shown regularly at the Cape Gallery in Cape Town and also held two exhibitions at the Muschel Art Gallery in Swakopmund in Namibia where his depiction of local subject matter attracted and captivated his viewing public. He exhibited at the New York Art Expo in 2003 and also participated in many joint exhibitions at the Cuyler and the Rick Becker Galleries in Port Elizabeth. He was the featured artist in Habitat magazine in May/June 2002. He is survived by his wife, Sharon and his children, Chanel and John.

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ART TIMES | IN ARTIST’S WORDS / LIZELLE KRUGER

In artist’s words

Lizelle Kruger: Karoo-kado’tjies part of the objects from my past with which I like to surround myself, connecting me to blissful childhood memories. Often rusted and weathered, these objects are tangible representations of the transience to which all forms of life and objects on earth, whether man-made or created by a God, are subject to. Contemplating the transience of all life and matter may fill us with feelings of doom and gloom, heartache, nostalgia and longing, yet this very impermanence is a tangible fact of our earthly existence. Despite our constant awareness of the perishable nature of life and all things, we may be reminded of the true joy, and ever-present beauty of life itself, which surrounds us. To have been given life and to be able to approach every day as an adventure is a miracle and a privilege.

The exhibition title, ‘Karoo-kado’tjies’, means small gifts from the Karoo. ‘Kado’ is derived from the French word ‘cadeaux’, which means present. These ‘kado’tjies’ or small gifts, form

the attic of my memories. My family took me on a nostalgic tour to the winter farm of my grandfather Kallie. Thus the story began to unfold, many years of bittersweet memories, and ‘trekking’ with sheep between my grandfather’s farms in Merweville and Sutherland. Familiar places, smells, sounds and memories served to transport me back to my childhood and Christmas holidays spent in the Karoo.

The Karoo and its people are an inexhaustible supply of inspiration. All works created for the ‘Karoo-kado’tjies’ exhibition have their origin somewhere between Merweville and Sutherland. After visiting my uncle Willem and aunt Jenny, who reside in Sutherland, I discovered a world that for a long time was buried under the dust in

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IN ARTIST’S WORDS / LIZELLE KRUGER | ART TIMES

It is only in the Karoo that I can become myself again. The Karoo is full of ‘kado’tjies’. The dry, outstretched plains unfold to expose their ‘kado’tjies’ to you in a silent manner, whether hidden away in a beautiful sunset that vanishes over Windheuwel’s koppies, or a ‘koesnaatjie’ that can feed your soul with its succulent-beauty. Unexpectedly you may chance upon an eroded enamel bowl or a derelict farmstead, its weathered wood revealing remnants of red or green paint, the very presence of these artifacts and structural remains, making the absence of the lives, which were lived here, very strongly felt. With time, recycling became an integral part of my creative process. I frequently use recycled paper, which is made into a pulp and smoothed over weathered pieces of wood. The pulp strengthens the wood, and serves as my ultra-smooth canvas, while the wood becomes part of the painting or artwork itself. The wood is cleansed, sanded and treated with preservatives and chemicals beforehand to ensure longevity of the artwork. It brings me immense pleasure to reclaim old pieces of wood that once formed part of a door or the shutter of a farmstead, and to gather them from where they have been discarded, once again restoring the integrity of the material, as it is reused in the context of art. At the request of Aunt Jenny I painted Sutherland on a piece of weathered wood. This inspired me to start collecting old pieces of wood with character, which were to be incorporated in future artworks. Owing to the insight and inspiration of Salon91 gallery director, Monique

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

du Preez, I found a new love for the use of the Afrikaans language in a contemporary context. Furthermore, an old copy of the ‘FAK’ given to me by my sister Amanda, has opened up a whole new world of creative expression for me. It is the Afrikaner’s way of conveying remorse and sentiment that I find so endearing. I always introduce some element of bygone days into my work. As children, we would buy pink coloured sweets with words of love on them at the corner café in Merweville. These too are a source of inspiration for some of my artworks. The Voortrekker bonnet is a continuation of the theme of the Voortrekker outfit I made for my Barbie doll as a little girl. This was after my mother stitched together such an outfit. The combination of old and new lends unique meaning to the Karoo series, and allows the work to fit comfortably within a contemporary art context. I enjoy the strong visual narrative aspect of these paintings. Owing to the lack of opportunity to study fine art during my childhood, nature became my teacher. My parents taught me to live off and from the earth. The Karoo has transformed and healed me, both physically and spiritually. Karoo herbs such as ‘dawid-worteltjie’, and ‘slanghoutjie’, ‘vêr pis’ and ‘willekeur’ are responsible for my physical healing, while its silence and desolation forced me to introspection & meditation. As my sister once so aptly remarked, “The Karoo is now in your blood”.

SOUTH AFRICAN

GALLERY GUIDE Includes a KKNK 2011 Visual Arts Supplement

Photo: Roger Young: The Kruisrivier Art Gallery

The all new KKNK 2011 Art Quarter Project: combining artists, galleries and events from Oudtshoorn / De Rust / Calitzdorp / Kruisrivier.

images: www.grandestreetstudios.co.za

HELENA HUGO KKNK 2011 KUNSTENAAR | ART TIMES

Helena Hugo: KKNK 2011 Jong Kunstenaar

Johan Myburg SA @ Work Gesiglose werkers kry deernisvolle, realistiese identiteit

Helena Hugo 2011

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

Photo: Christo Harvey

Ek het die laaste paar maande gewoond geraak aan die gegrom van kruiptrekkers en laaigrawe, aan lugdrukbore en gewielde monsters wat agter hulle ’n streep teer laat. In die straat buite die kantoor waar ek sit en werk, is gesiglose mense in Auckland Park besig om Kingsway te herbou. Ek hoor daagliks dié geluide – dié van Suid-Afrika aan die werk – maar ek merk kwalik die mense op wat masjinerie beheer en werkers wat graaf in die hand daagliks hul brood verdien. In hul oorpakke lyk die werkers almal dieselfde. Stap ek dan, ’n ent straat op, die galery van die Universiteit van Johannesburg binne, bly die klanke van die werkery draal, maar ’n mens word gekonfronteer deur werkers wat jy so maklik miskyk – nie net padwerkers nie, maar ook myners en vrugtepakkers, suikerrietsnyers en tuiniers, werktuigkundiges en werkers in werkwinkels. Werkers wat handearbeid verrig; dié soort werk wat te maklik as minderwaardig beskou word. Helena Hugo beeld dié mense uit teen die agtergrond van hul onmiddellike omstandighede, maar ook dié van hul drome en verwagtings. In haar pastelportrette (dis verruklik noukeurige weergawes wat fotorealisme ver verbysteek) word die band tussen mens en masjien of bedryf telkens vooropgestel. Of dit nou mens en stootskraper is of mens en suikerrietland, die hegte konneksie tussen werker en werk word so intiem uitgebeeld dat die identifisering met die werk duidelik blyk. ’n Mens verbeel jou half die werkers neem trekke van die werktuie aan. Dat Hugo met die portrettitels die werk weerspieël, versterk hierdie gedagte des te meer. Hugo buit nie haar onderwerpe uit nie, maar gee hulle weer met deernis – sonder om dit apologeties of verduidelikend te doen. Dat dié mense trots vind in hul werk, is die een gedagte waarmee ’n mens gelaat word op dié uitstalling. In ’n tyd van werkskaarste en afleggings raak haar pastel op koerantpapier onheilspellend. Geteken op sakeblaaie en advertensies vir werk benadruk sy die spanning tussen werker en werk; die spanning tussen voortbestaan en krepering. Namate ’n mens deur die uitstalling vorder, word die geluide van buite as’t ware stiller en jy raak bewus dat Hugo se werkers jou aanstaar – jý word die een wat dopgehou word. ’n Ongemaklike gedagte as jy so oop en bloot staan voor mense wat jy nie aldag in die oog kyk nie. Hugo sluit met SA @ Work nie net ’n wêreld oop nie, maar doen dit so oortuigend en met soveel detail dat die kyker herinner word aan die verantwoordelikheid van menslikheid en medemenslikheid. Sy lewer met dié werk ’n besondere bydrae tot sosiale kommentaar in die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap en die visuele kunste. As ek terugry tussen die versperrings in Kingswaylaan deur, is dit nie net meer die grommende masjiene wat ek raaksien nie, maar ook die mense wat hulle beheer. 21

Thijs Nel • Paintings • Sculptures • Ceramics • Books

• Art Karoo, Oudtshoorn • Gallery Casa Nova, Santa Fe, USA • Gallery 88, Paarl • Ladismith Eyes Gallery • Le Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal, Canada • Long House Reserve Collection, New York, USA www.southafricanartists.com 49 Raubenheimer Drive, Oudtshoorn Tel 044 272 0713 Cell 082 854 5131 thijsnel@mweb.co.za

SA ART TIMES. Dec 2010- Jan 2011

ART TIMES | KKNK 2011 / VISUAL ARTS IN AND AROUND OUDTSHOORN

What’s happening at the KKNK 2011 Art Quarter Alice Art Alice Art is one of the most popular contemporary art outlets in the country, nestled in the Magaliesberg mountains on Hartbeespoort’s doorstep. Featuring the top and great South African Artists to date! We sell commercial Art with the belief that our Artists will be the Old Masters of tomorrow! Join our family, and meet & greet a few of our treasures: At Botha, Karien Boonzaaier, Nadia Huliciarova and Glendine at the Absa KKNK! ArtKaroo Gallery The idea is that although nature’s bounty is something to luxuriate and revel in –colour, warmth, human touch, earthiness –and it mirrors the infinite, the creative source, the origin- there is so much more than actually meets the eye. The level or planes of existence that are not visible are vast, indeed expand infinitely, inwards, outwards. What lies between the physical and the metaphysical –is there a void /a gap? What connects them? Is it the subtle realms of mind, emotion, soul, meditation, imagination, prayer, virtual reality? Wherever each artist places their current source of inspiration-be it the vast landscapes of the Karoo or it’s people, meanderings of the mind through the playgrounds of quantum physics and beyond where Higgs boson particles spin(or don’t), or simply the silence of a higher source that is what we want to portray. ArtKaroo Gallery, “Bridging the Gap - from the Tangible to the Intangible” An exhibition mirroring the planes of our existence- a journey from the physical to the metaphysical. Oil, acrylics, ink and sculpture - Artists from the Karoo amongst others - Thijs Nel, Francois Tiran, Susqya Williiams, Owen Claassen, Lisl Barry, Ina Marx, Marittie de Villiers, Sheena Ridley, Janet Dixon, Ettiene van Zyl. Open 9 till late every day. ArtKaroo Outdoors veldt painting expedition 3rd & 6th of April. Booking & deposit essential. Enquire at gallery. Liquid and light vegetarian refreshments in the ArtKaroo Café garden during the Absa KKNK. Contact: 107 Baron van Reede street, Oudtshoorn, 6620. Tel: 044 2791093 www.artkaroo.co.za | janet@artkaroo.co.za Marquerite Beneke, Karoo Conversations “Karoo Conversations” A Fused Glass exhibition by Marguerite Beneke. Uniquely created glass plates and wall panels with scenes inspired by the people and places of the magical Karoo. Bill Strapp Inspired by the works of Chagall and Gauguin, local De Rust artist Bill Strapp exhibits his latest collection of work at the Absa KKNK in varied forms of still life, figures and peoplescapes. Strapp, an artist of many years experience, unveils his latest collection of vibrant colour and bold form reminiscent of Cloisonnism employed by Gauguin in Tahiti. Strapp has exhibited in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town and most recently in Prince Albert since moving to the Klein Karoo in 2004. Botega Art Gallery Evette Weyers’s sculpture exhibition can be viewed at Bottega Art Gallery during the Absa KKNK 2011 at Oudtshoorn. Evette’s artwork in ceramic is inspired by Lewis Carrol, San art and modern landscape art and she therefore named it “Artspiration”. For her artworks is the conversation between word images and visual images. “At times inspiration flings us far beyond the perimeters of our life”, says Evette. Bernard Berry Bernard returns to the Absa KKNK After last year’s controversial exhibition under the ABSA umbrella, Bernard Barry returns with another exhibition, this time part of the newly founded Arts Quarter. Last year’s exhibition, part of a post graduate study dealt with

images of spirituality and sexuality. This year’s exhibition deals primarily with a male nude, and are perhaps less explicit or confrontational than last years exhibition. Less sexually charged, the images are as the artist says “More nude than naked” and therefore perhaps more accessible. The images are calmer and in many respects can all be termed as self portraits. Hein Botha, Work in oils, watercolour, charcoal, quauche For me image making is a process of diversity – physically, intellectually, and spiritually – best expressed the moments you arrive at a fresh world view. My obsession to paint and draw is a way of sharing my journey and changing view of engaging shapes, human forms and geological phenomena. Cape Palette’s Exhibition Cape Palette’s exhibition at the 2011 Absa KKNK will focus on the diversity of the people, the landscape with its flora and the old time charm associated with the Klein Karoo. The exhibition will feature works of established local artists, and will consist of sculptures and paintings in various medias.

Hannalize Gertsner Annette Keiser: This artist claimed her passion for art and travel during her childhood when her father had to do farm visits due to his work in agriculture. Annette absorbed images of sunrise, sunsets, rolling hills and majestic mountains. Annette completed a Diploma in Art in 1970 and later attended The Judith Prowse School of Art in Cape Town. Her work in general is vibrant, and varied, both in Subject and medium. A kaleidoscope of rich colours and the nuances thereof radiating her energetic, passionate personality and her positive perception of life! The painting called “Rebirth” is of a woman climbing out of a flowerlike cocoon, surrounded by brightness and beauty (the sun behind her), indicating the beginning of a new cycle. This painting is one of her collection’s highlights presenting her dramatic work and flair for rich colours. Charmaine Haines Contemporary Ceramics The ceramic pieces reflect the artist’s intention to embrace familiar shapes, exploring the potential of those everyday utility forms of bowls, plates and vessels. The forms are altered to incorporate sculptural and semi-relief elements. Coloured stains and natural oxide washes are used to further exemplify the manipulative and expressive quality of the clay surface, including carving and textures showing a strong sense of surface pattern - through abstraction and symbolism. Kotze Art The Kotzé Art Gallery is a dynamic and well respected name in the art world and originated in 1967. The marketing of the four well known Kotzé artists work has ever since been expanded to a gallery that successfully markets the work of almost forty professional artists countrywide. The Kotzé Art Gallery also specializes in dealing with Old Masters.

Village Art Gallery, De Rust Chocolat Gallery Description: ‘’Inspired by the colours and textures of the Karoo, Chocolat Art has compiled a collection of snapshots across a broad spectrum of art works. From the crisp landscapes on canvas to the expressionistic shapes of animal and human, this body of work is an unintended collaboration by artists of the Karoo.’’ Crouse Art Crouse Art Gallery will be exhibiting at this year’s Absa KKNK festival for the 9th year. Crouse art galleries is part of a group of galleries throughout South Africa, specializing in top SA artist. Absa KKNK visitors are invited to come and meet Anton Benzon, Diane Erasmus and Este Mostert at our 2 gallery in Baron van Reede Street. For a bigger variety visit our web www.artdealers.co.za Linde Erasmus: “Refreshing – Vibrant – Class - Quality – Captivating” A modern day “impressionist”, creating larger than life paintings, describing her work as textural, is Namibian born artist, Lindé. Oil is her preferred medium as she builds up layers of paint, mixing it on the canvass to create an ocean of rich brushstrokes and vibrant colours. She draws inspiration from current-day contemporary artists such as William Kentridge and Lionel Smith – although for most of her talent she praises her Creator. Lindé completed her studies at the Ruth Prowse Art School in Cape Town. Visitors to the Absa KKNK 2011 will have the opportunity to view some of her African Portraits (a tribe from Ethiopia), as well as her popular Salzburg scenes. ART BY Lindé - directly opposite the Queens Hotel in Oudtshoorn during the festival. For more information visit her blog at lin4art.blogspot.com or e-mail livingforreal@gmail.co.za.

Maria Art I am inspired by God for He is the creator of all beautiful things. He called me for His purpose and in obedience and love of art, I paint with all I am to worship Him.” – Maria Magdalena Oosthuizen. www.mariaart.co.za | (083) 445-6970 | Baron van Reede Street 23 | Oudtshoorn Sasqya Williams: Signs and Symbols Exhibition Art Quarter The work is a study of signs and symbols, which are powerful aspects of our daily lives. Symbolism occurs in all cultures and traditions and communicates with the intellect, emotions and the spirit. Symbols are to be found in the objects, actions and concepts in the world around us. My exhibition is a presentation of both traditional and abstract imagery and I attempt to give personal expression to a subject that is universal and linked to all cultures and traditions. Sheena Ridley & Weyers du Toit Sheena Ridley and Weyers du Toit present a joint exhibition of paintings and sculptures. Weyers du Toit’s strong bond with the sea dictates the setting for his traditionally approached oil paintings. With an emphasis on fine drawing as a foundation, Weyers paints a compassionate view of those who fascinate him in his surroundings of Bredasdorp: fishermen, beachcombers and women with children. His paintings portray the intense light and rich colours of our coastline. Sheena Ridley concentrates on movement and stances of people in her oil paintings and chalk pastels. Her most recent works show the influence of the Klein Karoo, to where she has recently moved. She is renown for her concrete sculptures, which often imbue a humorous atmosphere. This exhibition is held in the O Flinn’s Hall behind the eclectic art nouveaux feather palace, Le Roux Dorpshuis Museum on the corner of High street and Loop street www.weyersdutoit.co.za

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

KKNK 2011 / VISUAL ARTS IN AND AROUND OUDTSHOORN | ART TIMES

Niel Jonker: Reveal / Onthulling

An exhibition of paintings and sculpture by Niel Jonker. Jonker requires little introduction at the Absa KKNK where his annual exhibitions enjoy good recognition. This trained sculptor has become known as a painter, especially with his moody landscapes, executed in situ. With ‘Reveal / Onthulling” the beauty of the human form is explored through a series of paintings and bronze sculpture. The quiet presence of Jonker’s cabinet bronzes, recognisable by the artist’s unique mark-making and comprehension of form, deliver a moving experience that no serious art lover can afford to miss. The much anticipated unveiling of his latest new bronze takes place on Sunday 3 March at 4pm, 85 Baron van Rheede st. Oudtshoorn. www.nieljonker.co.za

Mooi Art Galery - Hoe rrrooier hoe moooier!

The unique Moooi gallery on the farm Jamstreet just outside Oudtshoorn presents an interesting variety of sculptures and paintings. Definitely something for every taste. Works by Wim Rheeder, Mervyn Gers, David Riding, Marina Louw, Lidi van Schalkwyk, Salome Briers, Fanie Scholtz, Ruhan Janse van Vuuren and Braam Coetsee. A creative cabaret of art! Contact: 082 5100 516 (Danie du Plessis)

Calitzdorp Marinda Combrinck

Meet Fine Artist, Marinda Combrinck at her Studio & Gallery in Calitzdorp, where you can view her: ‘Portraits of Calitzdorp’, landscapes and a new series of paintings: ‘Toffee Apple Glamour Girls.’ This series will be exhibited at the Trent Read Knysna Fine Arts Gallery, opening April 28, 2011. Contact details: Marinda Combrinck Studio & Gallery. 4 Geyser Street, Calitzdorp. Tel & Fax: 044 213 3602 Cell: 079 968 1588 Facebook: Marinda Combrinck Art.

Kruisrivier

Kruisrivier Art Gallery, Roger Young

Roger Young’s permanent Black/White and Colour photographic exhibition of Karoo and other images. Kunstefees specials: Trevor Samson – Photographer. On site working artists: Braam Coetsee – Sculptures/Paintings. Joshua Miles – Woodcuts/Paintings and Guiding outreach workshops. Kruisrivier Galery, beautifully situated beneath the Swartberg 46km from Oudtshoorn. Phone 044 213 3296.

How to get there:

From the Calitzdorp side - Going towards Oudtshoorn from Calitzdorp on the R62 at about 12 kms take the Red Stone Hills , Kruisrivier turnoff to the Left. It’s a very good gravel road. After about 16 kms of awesome scenery the valley widens suddenly and we’re the dark building with red doors and windows on the left. There is a sign on the white wall in front of the building with Roger Young Handcrafted Furniture , Woodcarving , Photography on it. From the Oudtshoorn side -- Going towards Calitzdorp on the R62 at about 32 kms look out for a red and white windmill marking Smits Winkel on the Left. About 400 metres further turn Right at the Kruisrivier sign . A few kms on you come to a T-Junction. Turn right here. You will see Red Mountain Nature Reserve at this T-Junction which means you’re still on track. After your right turn go on for about 10 or so kms until the valley widens.You’ll see the Gallery housed in the dark building with red doors and windows on the left with my name on the wall. We’re in the Budget Getaway website under Kruisrivier Gallery Apartment as well which gives GPS co-ordinates.

De Rust Village Art Gallery, De Rust

Village Art Gallery, specialists in the selling of original art of top South African artists, is owned by Brende Brits. The gallery is stylish & warm hearted, filled with lots of positive energy. For sure you will absorb & experience a happiness feeling. The gallery offers an extensive range of original paintings by finely selected South African artists. We carefully choose our artwork in order to supply to the meticulous need of our customer. John Lubbock said, “As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life”. You can also get your painting framed at Village Art Gallery. Over and above original art, you can also buy antique and Karoo furniture. As well as gifts e.g.signed prints on paper, birthday and yearly calendars, diaries, magnets and greeting cards. At Village Art Gallery in De Rust you will find original art that speaks to your heart & to your soul. Take a relaxing break and visit Village Art Gallery in De Rust. Courier service is also available.You will find Village Art Gallery is on the same premises as Village Trading Post, 29 Schoeman Street, De Rust. Contact Brende on 082 3595 051 or 044 241 2014. Village Art Gallery, for the love of art, heart and soul.

Diane McLean: Echoes

With Estelle Marais, Diane McLean and Clare Menck. In the peaceful village of De Rust, 20 minutes from the festival crowds, a treasure trove of paintings in a tranquil gallery, awaits. Viewing painting as an echo of everyday life, three women painters capture their take on individual realities, portraying landscape, people and objects.

John van Rheenen Art Gallery Recently opened John van Rheenen Art Gallery is 3 doors down from the Rooster resturant SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

Lithographs by some of southern Africa's leading artists. Celebrating 20 years of collaboration & hand-printing. Deborah Bell Hanneke Benadé Kim Berman Coexae Bob Willem Boshoff Conrad Botes Elza Botha Sibonelo Chiliza Karin Daymond Chris Diedericks Lettie Gardiner Erika Hibbert Robert Hodgins Thami Jali Anton Kannemeyer Thama Kase Espoir Kennedy David Koloane Frank Ledimo Johann Louw Dumisani Mabaso Ditiro Makwena Colbert Mashile Judith Mason Kagiso Pat Mautloa John Moore Tommy Motswai André Naudé Sam Nhlengethwa Tony Nkotsi Fiona Pole Xgaiga Qhomatca Joachim Schonfeldt Claudette Schreuders Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi Penny Siopis Kathryn Smith Paul Stopforth Xaga Tcuixgao Strijdom Van der Merwe Diane Victor Nhlanhla Xaba

The Artists’ Press Box 1236, White River, 1240 • Tel 013 751 3225 mark@artistspress.co.za • www.artprintsa.com

Art Times advert march. 2011.ind1 1

17/2/11 12:31:36

UNISA Recent Acquisition Art Exhibition

Kgorong

Unisa Art Gallery,Kgorong Building Ground Floor, Main Campus Preller and Ridge Street, Pretoria, 0003 Email: ukun1@unisa.ac.za Tel: (012) 441 5683

5 March 2011 Enquiries: (012) 441 5683 / ukun1@unisa.ac.za Gallery viewing hours: (Tuesday to Friday) 10H00 - 16H00

Free State Bloemfontein Oliewenhuis Art Museum Until 27 March, “Relaas..” sculptural pieces, linocuts and installations by Rosemarie Marriott. (Main Building) 7 March – 30 April “The Grade 12 Visual and Cultural Studies Exhibition: Let the textbook live” A selection of art by South African artists who are part of the Visual and Cultural Studies framework, selected from the Permanent Collection of the Oliewenhuis Art Museum (Annex ) 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein. T.051 447 9609

Clarens Art & Wine Gallery on Main The Gallery houses an exquisite collection of art by well-known artists like Gregoire Boonzaier, J.H. Pierneef, Pieter van der Westhuizen, Erik Laubscher, Jan Vermeiren, Marjorie Wallace, Eben van der Merwe, Conrad Theys, Hennie Niemann, Hannetjie de Clercq, ceramics by Laura Du Toit, sculpture by Fana Malherbe and Jean Doyle, glass by David Reade and Shirley Cloete and numerous others; plus some of the best wines that the Cape has to offer. 279 Main Street, Clarens T. 058 256 1298 or 082 341 8161 Contact: Anton Grobbelaar anton@artandwine.co.za www.artandwine.co.za Blou Donki Art A selection of contemporary and functional art as well as photography, ceramics, steel sculptures and handmade glass. Windmill Centre, Main Street, Clarens T. 058 256 1757 manager@bloudonki.co.za www.bloudonki.co.za Johan Smith Art Gallery A selection of works by old masters and contemporary artists as well as bronze sculptures, ceramics and glass. Windmill Centre, Main Street, Clarens T. 058 256 1620 manager@bhm.dorea.co.za www.johansmith.co.za

Gauteng Johannesburg Art Afrique Art Afrique specialises in fine collectable African art by a wide variety of southern African artists. 10- 22 March, “The Chameleon Factor” A joint exhibition celebrating colour by Ueli Gosteli & Trevor Coleman. Opening 10 March at 6 for 6:30pm. Shop no. U45, Legacy Mall, Cnr Maude & 5th Streets, Sandton T. 011 292 7113 art@artafrique.co.za www.artafrique.co.za Artspace –Jhb Until 26 March, “ Excuses” sculpture and painting by Leon Fourie and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren. 1 Chester Court, 142 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Jhb. T. 011 880 8802 artspace@wol.co.za www.artspace-jhb.co.za Brodie/Stevenson Until 01 April, “As Terras do Fim do Mundo” black and white photography by Jo Ractliffe. 62 Juta Street, Braamfontein, Jhb. T. 011 326 0034 www.brodiestevenson.com CIRCA on Jellicoe Until 09 March, “Part 1” sculpture by Dylan Lewis. 17 March- 30April sculpture, painting and works on paper by Deborah Bell. 2 Jellicoe Ave. Rosebank T. 011 788 4805 gallery@circaonjellicoe.co.za David Brown Fine Art David Brown Fine Art has relocated to Nelson Mandela Square Sandton City. The new gallery is situated on the Square below the Michelangelo Hotel and next to Montego Bay Restaurant. Until 03 March, A sale of works from the “Joburg Art Bank Collection”. Opening 08 March, “Positive Space” various media

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

FREE STATE, GAUTENG AND MPUMALANGA | GALLERY GUIDE by Sue Martin. Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton. T. 011 783 7805 david@dbfineart.co.za www.davidbrownfineart.co.za David Krut Projects Until 19 March, “Bubble and Leak” large oil paintings and prints by Maja Maljević . Late March, “Original Skin” a selection of monotype prints, oil paintings on canvas and mixed media works by Jessica Webster. 140 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Jhb. T. 011 447 0627 www.davidkrutpublishing.com Everard Read Jhb Until 09 March, “Earth and Ink” figure sketches using red earth and ink by Thea Soggot. 17 March – 9 April sculpture, painting and works on paper by Deborah Bell. Opening Thursday 17 March at 6pm. 6 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg. T. 011 788-4805 gallery@everard.co.za www.everard-read.co.za Gallery 2 Artists currently exhibiting include: Paul Blomkamp, Colbert Mashile, Bronwen Findlay, Jenny Stadler, Hermann Niebuhr, Phillemon Hlungwani, Grace Kotze, Karin Daymond, Regi Bardavid,Noria Mabaso and Carl Roberts. 140 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood. T. 011 447 0155/98 gots@mweb.co.za www.gallery2.co.za Gallery MOMO Until 28 March, “ DECODED, South African Masters” 31 March-30 April Sharlene Khan 52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, Jhb. T. 011 327 3247 info@gallerymomo.com www.gallerymomo.com Gertrude Posel Gallery Permanent exhibition of traditional Southern, Central and West African art. University of the Witwatersrand, Senate House, Jorissen Street, Braamfontein. Tel: 011 717 1365 julia.charlton@wits.ac.za

lection will present an extensive exhibition of International and South African artists focused on the current school curriculum. King George Str., Joubert Park, Johannesburg T. 011 725 3130 khwezig@joburg.org.za www.joburg.org.za Jozi Art:Lab Until 08 March, “Figures of Speech” works by South African and German artists: Ingo Gerken, Bandile Gumbi, Sharlene Khan, Alexandra Ross, Eva Seufert and Claudia Shneider. 09 March, 5:30 for 6pm Mieke Bal will present her installation “Nothing is Missing”. Installation closes 31 March. Arts on Main, cnr of Berea Street, 076 501 4291 info@jozi-artlab.co.za www.jozi-artlab.co.za Junction Art Gallery Ongoing collaborative exhibition including artists Carl Jeppe, Donna Mckellar, Gordon Froud, Huw Morris, Louis Olivier, Jan de Rooster, John Whittall, Marc Alexander, Stella Olivier and Trish Jackson. Junxion Centre, Osprey Avenue, Off William Nicol, Dainfern. Donna McKellar donna@junctionart.co.za 083 778 2737 Manor Gallery 01-19 March, Private Exhibition from the collection of Fred Rich. Opening 03 March at 6:30pm. 24 March – 19 April, 85th Open Exhibition of watercolours Norscot Manor Centre, Penguin Drive. T. 011 465 7934 gallery@wssa.org.za www.wssa.org.za Market Photo Workshop Until 16 March, “In/Out” landscape photography by Swiss photographer Laurence Bonvin. 2 President Street, Newtown, Jhb. T. 011 834 1444 info@marketphotoworkshop.co.za www.marketphotoworkshop.co.za (See image below)

GoetheonMain Until 26 March, “New Adventures” by Jacques Coetzer. 10 – 27 March, “Closed Space – Johannesburg-Hillbrow <-> Berlin-Neukölln” photographic and installation work by Emeka Udemba looking at the two suburbs Hillbrow in Joburg and Neukölln in Berlin. Both are characterised by a high amount of migrancy-backgrounds of people living there. GoetheonMain, 245 Main Street, City & Suburban, Jhb. T. 011 442 3232 Goodman Gallery Until 02 April, “No Romance” individual and collaborative works by Middle-Eastern artists Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh 163 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Jhb. T. 011 788 1113 www.goodman-gallery.com Goodman Gallery / Arts on Main Until 09 April, Estúdio Campana utilitarian furniture, lighting and installation pieces by brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana. Corner Main and Berea Streets, Johannesburg T. 011 301 5706 Grahams Fine Art Gallery Until 27 March, “In Constant Pursuit: The Art of Spontaneity, Light and Colour” by Andre van Vuuren. Unit 46, Broadacres Lifestyle Centre, Cnr Cedar and Valley Rds, Broadacres, Fourways, Jhb. T. 011 465 9192 sarah@grahamsgallery.co.za www.grahamsgallery.co.za Grayscale Gallery Until 05 March, “Brand New Déjà Vu” by Kevin Love 07- 13 March, “The City of Gold, Urban Art Festival” featuring selected works by 4 invited international graffiti artists T-Kid 170, Lazoo, Smash137 and Ske. 33 De Korte St, Braamfontein. (above Signarama) T. 011 403 0077 16 Halifax Works by Michael Heyns, Leon Muller and Mimi van der Merwe can be viewed by appointment in Johannesburg at 16 Halifax Street Bryanston. Dana MacFarlane 082 784 6695 dana@michaelheyns.co.za Johannesburg Art Gallery Until 17 April, “Waiting for God”, Installations, photographic and video work by Tracey Rose. Until 28 August, “Looking as learning: art in the 2011 schools curriculum” A selection from the Johannesburg Art Gallery’s col-

Museum Africa Until April 17, “My (Art) Burg” a photographic exhibition with sound at the Bensusan Museum of Photography at Museum Africa by some of Johannesburg’s long-time artists including Nadine Gordimer and David Goldblatt. Until the end of July a 30 year retrospective exhibition on the history of FOSATU. 121 Bree Str., Newtown, Jhb. T. 011 833 5624 www.knightgalleries.net Nirox Foundation Project Space (Arts on Main) 04 March, Artist Proof Studio (APS) in collaboration with Nirox Foundation and the Archive Paper Mill@UJ is engaged in the production of a series of hand-made paper works/variable print editions with Willem Boshoff 26 March– 17 April, “Archaeology of Memory” works by Whitney McVeigh Arts on Main, Cnr of Main & Berea Street, Jhb. niroxfoundation@gmail.com niroxarts.com Resolution Gallery Until 12 March, BOS – Constructed Images and the Memory of the South African “Border War” constructed photographs by Christo Doherty 142 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Jhb. T. 011 880 4054 www.resolutiongallery.com Russell Kaplan Auctioneers 12 March, Auction of Antiques, Collectibles and Art. Cnr Garden & Allan Roads, Bordeaux. T.011 789 7422 rka@global.co.za www.rkauctioneers.co.za Seippel Gallery Until 10 April, Black and White Photography by Bonile Bam. Arts on Main, Cnr of Fox and Berea, Jhb. T. 011 401 1421 www.seippel-gallery.com

GALLERY GUIDE | FREE STATE, GAUTENG AND MPUMALANGA

Brodie/Stevenson: Until 01 April: Jo Ratcliff: The battlefield at Cuito Cuanavale (diptych) 2009 Diptych Hand-printed silver gelatin prints

Standard Bank Gallery Until 09 April, “Super Boring” a retrospective exhibition of works by Wayne Barker. Cnr of Simmonds & Frederick Str.’s, Jhb. T. 011 631 1889 www.standardbankarts.co.za

creativity and versatile competency of the photography students. This exhibition gives the students the opportunity to display their work outside the academic environment. Opening 16 March at 18:30 for 19:00. c/o Cantonment and Unie Avenues, Lyttelton T. 012 358 3477

05 March- 16 March, works by Leon Fourie, Ruan Janse van Vuuren and Erna Bodenstein Ferreira. 19 March- 30 March, Olaff Bishoff and Dylan Graham. 198 Long Street, Waterkloof, Pretoria. T. 012 460 5497. Trent.art@gmail.com www.trent-art.co.za

UJ Art Gallery 09 – 30 March, “Index” The exhibition includes 40 leading works from the Sanlam Art Collection, dating from the 1870s to the present. Many of these works have not been seen outside Sanlam for at least 20 years and some of them have probably never been seen in Johannesburg at all. Cnr Kingsway and University Rd, Auckland Park, Jhb. T. 011 559 2099 www.uj.ac.za/artscentre

Fried Contemporary Until 5 March , “Designs of time” Lithographs of Claudette Schreuders, Willem Boshoff, Diane Victor, Judith Mason, Johann Louw, Sam Nhlengethwa. This exhibition forms part of a series of exhibitions that will take place in the first semester of 2011: Designs of time, Designs of living, Designs of nature and Designs of self. The idea is to link the four exhibitions in terms of how individuals live and “design” their lives from within societies and how they operate in history, time and contexts. 16 march-16 April, “Designs of Living”, painting, sculpture and new media by Eric Duplan, Anne McLaren, Sello Mahlangu and Lucas Thobeyane. 430 Charles St, Brooklyn, Pretoria. T. 012 346 0158 art@friedcontemporary.com www.friedcontemporary.com

Unisa Gallery 05 March- 31 March, Recent acquisitions exhibition featuring a lineup of cutting edge contemporary artists like Mary Sibande, Lyndi Sales, Colin Richards and upper northen Africa artists like Owuso Ankomah and some pieces will be representing a space where the ‘collection will be closing the gabs’ on famous artworks that were not previously collected, artists like Dumile Feni. Main Campus, Theo Van Wijk Building B-block, 5th Floor T.012 441 5683. ukun1@unisa.ac.za.

Upstairs@Bamboo 25 March- 3 April, “Yesterday, today and tomorrow: My art is my voice” a group exhibition of about 40 black artists from the 1970s to the present including paintings, drawings, prints, and mixed media. Opening reception on Saturday, 26 March, at 2:00 pm – many artists will be present. 53 Rustenburg Road, Melville, Johannesburg. Contact Anne Gordon ajgordon@iburst.co.za www.bamboo-online.co.za

Pretoria Alette Wessels Kunskamer The Alette Wessels Kunskamer operates as an Art Gallery and Art Consultancy, specialising in South African art as an investment, dealing in Old Masters, and selected contemporary art. Maroelana Centre, 27 Maroelana Street, Maroelana, Pretoria. T. 012 346 0728 www.artwessels.co.za Association of Arts Pretoria 01 March - 4 March, Artists to submit entries for the ABSA L’Atelier art competition 04 March- 6 April, “Another year – Spring, summer, autumn, winter” with paintings by Peter Binsbergen, Margaret Gradwell, Andre Naude and Lynette ten Krooden 11 March- 23 March, ABSA l’Atelier regional exhibition (entries selected in Pretoria) 18 March-13 April, works by Leslie Reinhardt 173 Mackie Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria. T. 012 346 3100 artspta@mweb.co.za www.artsassociationpta.co.za Bolsmann on Brooks Fine Art Gallery The Gallery will be opened officially on 10 March with selected works by Eric Bolsmann and other fine artists. 163 Brooks Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria, T. 012 362 6698 C. 083 454 1797 eric@ericbolsmann.co.za www.eric@bolsmann.co.za Centurion Art Museum 01 to 11 March, an exhibition of quilts by the Centurion Quilters. Opening 01 March, 18:00 for 18:30. The Centurion Quilters is a newly established group that forms part of the Jacaranda Quilters’ Guild, which is affiliated to the South African Quilters’ Guild. 16 March to 1 April, TUT Annual Photography Exhibition. The exhibition consists of photographs taken by TUT’s first, second and third-year students of 2010. A variety of work is on display: some can be labelled as documentary, architectural or commercial, but all can be described as reflecting the dynamic

Gallery Michael Heyns Gallery Michael Heyns has moved to 194 Haley Street Weavind Park Pretoria. For more information about the gallery contact Michael 012 804 0869 or Jennifer 082 451 5584 www.michaelheyns.co.za Pretoria Art Museum Until 24 April, “Photography 1950-2010” by acclaimed photographers such as Bonile Bam, Sam Nzima, Jodi Bieber, Alf Kumalo, Peter Magubane, Santu Mofokeng, Andrew Tshabangu and several Drum magazine photographers, will provide an insight into life in South Africa over the past 60 years. Until 03 April, “Paper Cutting from Shaanxi of China” at the Henry Preiss Hall. The exhibition Paper Cutting from Shaanxi of China forms part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. The art of paper cutting is held in high regard throughout the world, and UNESCO has listed this art form in the World Cultural Heritage Directory. Like many other folk art forms, the art of paper cutting has its roots in social tradition and culture. 09 March- 30 April, “Tshwane Legends: Mmutle-Ribeiro” Opening 09 March at 18:00 at theHenry Preiss Hall.On display in this Tshwane Legends exhibition are loaned artworks by the late Michael Mmutle and the latest works executed by Johnny Ribeiro in memory of the late artist T.012 344 1807/8 art.museum@tshwane.gov.za www.pretoriaartmuseum.co.za St Lorient Fashion and Art Gallery Until 30 March, “NUDE: Commoditizing Post-Valentine Nudes” a group show by various artists working in several media including oil painting , acrylic, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography and other surprises. Artists participating include Annamarie Wessels, Gordon Froud, Craig Muller, Fanus Bezuidenhout, Carl Jeppe, Celia De Villiers,Andre Naude, Helen Vuotsas, Ruhan Jansen Van Vuuren, Makiwa Mutomba, Judy Woodborne, Erna Bodenstein and Gerda Erasmus amongst others. T. 012 4600284 anastasi@iafrica.com www.stlorient.co.za Trent Gallery Until 02 March, an exhibition of indigenous flora paintings by Nan Spurway.

University of Pretoria Until 10 March “Spain Cannot But Look At Africa” a contemporary Spanish video art exhibition. Presented by the Embassy of Spain and UP Arts, this exhibit showcases eight works that deal with different aspects of the African reality by five top Spanish video artists. At the Lier Theatre in the Hatfield Campus of University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Pretoria. For more info check on www.mzansicultura.es

Mpumalanga Dullstroom Dimitrov Art Gallery Ongoing, “Expression of freedom” by Branko Dimitrov Lifestyle Complex, shop no.4 on Cnr. Teding Van Berkhout & Hugenote/ Naledi Street, Dullstroom, Mpumalanga. 9:00am to 4:00 Wednesday till Monday T. 013 254 5024 C. 082 679 5698 info@dimitrovartgallery.co.za www.dimitrovartgallery.co.za

White River The Artists’ Press Professional collaboration, printing and publishing of original hand-printed artists lithographs, by the Artists’ Press. Also artists books, monotypes and letterpress prints, particularly for artists working in South Africa. Waterfield Farm near White River, Mpumalanga T. 013 751 3225 print@artistspress.co.za www.artists-press.net White River Gallery 12 – 25 March, in association with the Everard Read Gallery, works by Keith Joubert . Casterbridge centre, R40 cnr Numbi gate rd and R 40 to Hazyveiw. White River. whiteriverg@gmail.com C.0825538919 The Loop Art Foundry & Sculpture Gallery Casterbridge Complex Corner R40 and Numbi Roads White River T. 013 758 2409 www.tlafoundry.co.za

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

SBSA 70506E

WAYNE BARKER

SUPER BORING Standard Bank Gallery From 2 February – 9 April 2011

Monday to Friday: 8am � 4.30pm Saturday: 9am � 1pm Tel: 011 631 1889 www.standardbankarts.co.za

Moving Forward

71 LOOP STREET, CAPE TOWN +27 (0) 21 424 5150 / www.iart.co.za

IMAGE: A Sort of Song; 2010, oil on canvas, 95 x 95cm

CAPE TOWN / WESTERN CAPE | GALLERY GUIDE

Why do people choose to live in the city where they live? What is the essential essence of that city? Sue Williamson has been investigating this question for the past two years, and her current solo show at the Goodman Cape, ‘Voices’ presents an intriguing dialogue between artists living in different cities - like Berlin, Havana, Johannesburg, London, Bern and Harare. In Berlin, the spelling out of the message in cardboard letters for the photographic shoot was seen as a subversive activity by the local police, and the participants were not permitted to complete their sentence, IT’S A BIT SUSPICIOUS IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY. Other work on the exhibition includes Williamson’s iconic 1980s series A Few South Africans and a new series of monotypes based on the witty diaries of Lady Anne Barnard. Williamson will lead a walkabout of ‘Voices” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 26, The exhibition closes on March 26.

Western Cape Cape Town 34 Fine Art Until 12 March, Limited Editions by Takashi Murakami. 15 March – 23 April, “Naked Lunch” screen prints by Roelof Louw 2nd Floor The Hills Building Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road Woodstock. T.021 461 1863 www.vgallery.co.za / www.34fineart.com /A Word Of Art Until 08 March “Kaptika” A Solo Show by international artist in residency, ‘TIKA’ 66 Albert rd, Woodstock Industrial Centre. T. 021 448 7889 rickylee@writeonafrica.com www.a-word-of-art.co.za Absolut Art Gallery Ongoing permanent exhibition with some of the best Masters and Contemporary artists. Namely : Irma Stern, Gerard Sekoto, Hugo Naude, Tinus De Jongh, Frans Oerder, Gerard Benghu, Adriaan Boshoff, Carl Buchner, Conrad Theys, to name but a few. Shop 43 Willowbridge Lifestyle Centre, Carl Cronje Drive, Bellville, Cape Town. 021 914 2846 info@absolutart.co.za www.absolutart.co.za. Alliance Française of Cape Town 07-25 March, an exhibition of sculptures by Ivory Coast artist Issa Watt. Watt creates unique handcrafted sculptures and utilitarian items in metal. T. 021 423 5699 capetown@alliance.org.za www.alliance.org.za Art b 16 March – 13 April, the 2011 ABSA L’Atelier Regional Exhibition The Arts Association of Bellville, The Library centre, Carel van Aswegan Street, Bellville. T. 021 918 2301 info@artb.co.za www.artb.co.za/gallery.htm AVA Until 18 March, “Louis & Students, Artists in the Making” painting and drawing by Jenny Bell, Anja Burger, Helen During, Louise Hennigs, Louis Jansen van Vuuren, Rowena Krynauw, Jeff Liss, Jackie Solomon, Sharon Strydom, Linda Weaver and Ingrid Wolfaardt. Until 18 March, “Looking to See” mixed media work by Sonya Rademeyer. 22 March- 15 April, “The Long Street Show” photography by David Lurie. 22 March- 15 April, prints by artists Chris Diedericks and Carol-Anne Gainor Association for Visual Arts, 35 Church Street, Cape Town. T.021 424 7436 art@ava.co.za www.ava.co.za

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

Barnard Gallery From 24 February- 13 April, “Self-conscious Reflections Power Of Women in Art” featuring Lyndi Sales, Eris Silke and Pamela Stretton. 55 Main Street, Newlands. T. 021 671 1666 gallery@barnardgallery.com www.barnardgallery.com Blank Projects. Until 19 March, “Pogonology” by Malcolm Payne. Malcolm Payne presents a series of paintings premised on the aesthetics, history and significance of facial hair. This is Payne’s 18th solo exhibition. 23 March – 9 April sculpture and installation by Vanessa Safavi and Io Makandal 113-115 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, CT. T.072 1989 221 info@blankprojects.com www.blankprojects.com Cape Gallery Until 19 March, “Borderline” an exhibition of recent works by Margot Hattingh and Annie Vanhee. 27 March – 16 April, an exhibition of recent works by Robert Koch and Marinda Koch The exhibition will be opened on Sunday 27 March at 4.30 p.m. 60 Church Street, Cape Town. T. 021 423 5309. web@capegallery.co.za www.capegallery.co.za Carmel Art Dealers in Fine art, exclusive distributers of Pieter van der Westhuizen etchings. Relocation of their Claremont and Constantia galleries is now complete visit the new gallery at the Cape Quarter Square –Cape Town’s newest upmarket and trendy shopping mall where Leonard Schneider and Beila are available to assist you. Cape Quarter Square, 27 Somerset Road Green Point (on the first floor above the Piazza & restaurant level) T. 021 4213333 www.carmelart.co.za Casa Labia Until 27 March, “The long distance to familiar places” new work, paintings, monotypes and collage by Jill Trappler. Africa Nova at Casa Labia Cultural Centre, 192 Main Rd, Muizenberg. T. 021 788 6067 info@casalabia.co.za www.casalabia.co.za The Cellar Private Gallery The Cellar Private Gallery of Art promotes upcoming artists by giving them the opportunity and exposure they need. They deal exclusively in original and investment art, offering works by a variety of renowned and upcoming South African artists. 12 Imhoff Street, Welgemoed, Bellville Contact Linda Pauwels T. 021 913 4189 info@thecellargallery.co.za www.thecellargallery.co.za Cedar Tree Gallery Will be showcasing some of our finest works by leading and emerging contemporary artists during the month of March. A fine selection of various subjects and art in many different styles and mediums will be shown. The gallery forms part of the Titanium Bistro at Rodwell House, a magnificent seaside property in

St James. Artists represented: Debbie Field, Johan Slabber, Evan Douglas, Mpumelelo Dube, Arabella Caccia, Hugo Slabber, Mikaela McKellar, Wendy Potgieter, Pauline Fine, Lone Damgaard, Maryann Nuis, Angela Stannard, Suzie Kidd, Valda Preen and Ann Symmonds Rodwell House, Rodwell Road, St James, CT. T. 021 787 9880 cedartreegallery@gmail.com www.cedartreegallery.co.za David Krut Projects Cape Town Until 30 April, “O/O” works by artists Julian Opie and Chris Ofili. Montebello Design Centre, 31 Newlands Avenue, Newlands T. 021 685 0676 alastair@davidkrut.com www.davidkrutprojectscapetown.com The Donald Greig Bronze Foundry and Gallery Donald Greig is a specialized wildlife sculptor and his sculptures ranging in size from life-size to paperweights will be on display at the gallery. The foundry will do a bronze pour on most days and the entire ‘Lost Wax Casting Process’ can be viewed by the public through special glass windows. The Nautilus Building, No.14 West Quay Road, V&A Waterfront. T. 021 418 4515 greig@intekom.co.za www.donaldgreig.com Erdmann Contemporary /Photographers Gallery Until 12 March, “Pony Express” an exhibition by well-known South African photographer Fiona MacPherson in collaboration with designers Shani Ahmed, Mark Day, Chris Koch & Theo Kleynhans. 27 March – 30 April 2011, “ Library of the infinitesimally small and unimaginably large” Installation based exhibition by Barbara Wildenboer. Opening Wednesday 30 March 2011 at 6pm at the Photographers Gallery. 63 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town. T. 021 422 2762 galleryinfo@mweb.co.za www.erdmanncontemporary.co.za Everard Read Gallery Until 02 March, “Biography of Material” sculpture by Angus Taylor. 16 – 29 March A series of new Trans-figure bronze sculptures from Dylan Lewis, exploring man’s relationship to the wild in nature and himself. 31 March – 13 April, “The Length of a Piece of String” by Guy du Toit who will exhibiting a series of small objects cast in bronze – chairs, twigs and skulls amongst others. 3 Portswood Road, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. T. 021 418 4527 ctgallery@everard.co.za www.everard-read-capetown.co.za Framery Art Gallery (The) Until 15 March, “Faces and Places” Nicolas Truman-Baker shows new work in acrylic on canvas in the mezzanine gallery. 17 March- 10 April, a group exhibition including Chantelle Koen, Elizabeth Robertson-Campbell,Surissa Surissa, Patrick Mokuane and Ishmael Thyssen 67G Regent Road, Sea Point. T. 021 434 5022 debbiegrewe@gmail.com

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The Cape Gallery, 60 Church Street seeks to expose fine art that is rooted in the South African tradition, work which carries the unique cultural stamp of our continent. Featured above is artist Margot Hattingh

THE CAPE GALLERY

Open: Mon - Fri: 9h30 - 17h00 Sat: 10h00 - 14h00 Tel: 27 21 423 5309 Fax: 27 21 424 9063 E-mail: cgallery@mweb.co.za Web: www.capegallery .co.za

American express, Mastercard, Visa & Diner cards are accepted. Reliable arrangements can be made to freight purchaces to foreign destinations.

CAPE TOWN / WESTERN CAPE | GALLERY GUIDE

In An Everlasting Once, Hindley continues his ongoing meditation on the studio as testing ground for a potential creative utopia or, on the other hand, the breakdown of such ideals. Subject matter for the paintings is gathered via a series of shoots, for which Hindley directs scenes much like in the theater, creating tableaus of people, animals and props. The title of the exhibition refers to Hindley’s desire to capture what Cartier-Bresson has described as the ‘defining moment’, a moment frozen in time and ‘a metaphysical tableau capable of expressing the artist’s deepest and most enduring preoccupations’ (Pollak, 2011). See Matthew Hindley’s work at iArt, Cape Town G2 Art Until 11 March, “The Sprawl” paintings by Andrew Sutherland. 61 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town. T.021 424 7169 di@g2art.co.za www.g2art.co.za Gill Allderman Gallery Continuous Exhibition, “Exhibition # 36” A Group exhibition featuring abstract art, graffiti, paintings, drawings. 278 on Main Road, Kenilworth. C. 083 556 2540 gallery@new.co.za www.alldermangallery.co.za Gold of Africa Barbier-Mueller Museum Until 31 March, “Threads of Africa: The Earth is Watching Us” bowls and bangles woven by talented weavers from the Thukela (Tugela) Valley in fine 18-carat gold, silver, copper, brass and shakudo wire. 96 Strand Street, Cape Town T. 021 405 1540 www.threadsofafrica.com Goodman Gallery, Cape Until 26 March “Voices” by Sue Williamson 3rd Floor, Fairweather House, 176 Sir Lowry Rd., Woodstock. T. 021 462 7573/4, www.goodmangallerycape.com Art Gallery Until 23 March, “An Everlasting Once” paintings by Matthew Hindley. Subject matter for the paintings is gathered via a series of shoots, for which Hindley directs scenes much like in the theater, creating tableaus of people, animals and props. 30 March - 27 April 2011, “ The Swimmers” photography by Carla Liesching. The Swimmers is an ongoing series in which Liesching looks at identity linked to space and how we think of home. 71 Loop Street, Cape Town. T. 021 424 5150 info@iart.co.za www.iart.co.za iArt Gallery Wembley 03 - 29 March 2011, New Ceramics by Ruan Hoffman. Wembley Square, Gardens, Cape Town. T. 021 424 5150 www.iart.co.za Infin Art Gallery A gallery of work by local artists. Wolfe Street, Chelsea Village, Wynberg. T. 021 761 2816 and Buitengracht Str. Cape Town. T. 021 423 2090 www.infinart.co.za Irma Stern Gallery 01 – 31 March, “ Paradys/Paradise” recent paintings by Nicolaas Maritz. Opening Tuesday 01 March at 6pm. Cecil Rd, Rosebank, CT. T. 021 685 5686 www.irmastern.co.za Iziko SA National Gallery Until 13 March 2011, “In Context” group exhibition of contemporary international and SA artists including Yinka Shonibare, El Anatsui, Kara Walker, Jenny Holzer, Robin Rhode, Candice Breitz and Mikhail Subotzky. Until 17 April, “Boarding House” photographs by Roger Ballen. Until 30 April, “Imagining Beauty” body adornment from Iziko collections and an installation of work by young SA designers including Maya Prass, Black Coffee & Darkie among others. 25 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town T. 021 467 4660 www.iziko.org.za

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

Iziko Michaelis Collection Ongoing, Dutch treat: Dutch works from the 17th–20th centuries in Iziko collections Iziko Michaelis Collection, Old Town House, Greenmarket Square, Cape Town. T. 021 481 3800 hproud@iziko.org.za

Entries are now open and the submission deadline is 30 April 2011. Details on how to enter can be found at: www.lovellgallery.co.za. or info@lovellgallery.co.za. 20a Eden on the Bay, Big Bay Cnr Otto du Plessis & Sir David Baird Drive. 021 55 44 065 info@lovellgallery.co.za www.lovellgallery.co.za

Iziko Good Hope Gallery (The Castle) Ongoing exhibition of oil paintings, furniture, ceramics, metal and glassware from the William Fehr Collection. Buitenkant Street, opposite the Grand Parade, Cape Town. T. 21 464 1262 kmooney@iziko.org.za

MM Galleries MM Galleries offers a platform that showcases a wealth of talented artists whose works are affordable and of high quality; the art is available in a mix of mediums. Their mission is to bring together talented contemporary artists showing and selling their great artworks. Shop 3, 31 Palmer Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town T. 021 688 8370 info@mmgalleries.co.za www.mmgalleries.co.za

Iziko SA Museum Until September 2011, “Made in Translation: Images from and of the Landscape.” Until 13 March 2011, “Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 exhibition.” The exhibition offers an extraordinary insight into the beauty, drama and diversity of the natural world. 25 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens, Cape Town T. 021 481 3800 info@iziko.org.za João Ferreira Gallery Ongoing, March, Gallery Collection, by appointment. Works in various mediums by Sanell Aggenbach, Bridget Baker, Araminta de Clermont. 70 Loop Street, Cape Town. T. 02 423 5403 info@joaoferreiragallery.com www.joaoferreiragallery.com Johans Borman Fine Art Gallery 26 March- 16 April, “Aspects of Abstraction” featuring paintings by Anna Vorster, George Diederick During, Maggie Laubser, Erik Laubscher, Douglas Portway and Walter Battiss. In Fin Art Building, Upper Buitengracht Street, Cape Town. T. 021 423 6075. art@johansborman.co.za wwww.johansborman.co.za Kalk Bay Modern Until 11 March, “Seedbed”, paintings by Willemien de Villiers. 1st Floor, Olympia Buildings, 136 Main Rd, Kalk Bay. Gallery open daily 9:30 - 5 pm T.021 788 6571 kbmodern@iafrica.com www.kalkbaymodern.com Liebrecht Art Gallery Until End March, “Introduction of some of the new Liebrecht Gallery Artists for 2011” Oil, acrylic and pastel by Lisl Barry, Sharle Matthews, Gill Maylam, Elaine Schraader, Neels Coetzee, Marittie de Villiers, Jeanne Hendriks, Jan Pentz, Tisa Mertz and Hazel Swart. 34 Oudehuis Street, Somerset West. T. 021 852 8030 C. 082 304 3859 www.liebrechtgallery.com Lindy van Niekerk Art Gallery A large selection of artworks by new and prominent South African artists and SA old Masters. 31 Kommandeur Rd, Welgemoed, Bellville. T. 021 913 7204/5 lindy@artpro.co.za, www.artpro.co.za The Lovell Gallery The Lovell Gallery is a small focused fine art gallery, situated in the new waterfront development, Eden on the Bay, in Big Bay, Cape Town. They are hosting a competition for artists to exhibit a body of work.

Mandela Rhodes Place Gallery Until 17 March, “The Midas Touch” Sculpture and Décollage by AnZu Phillips 51 Wale Street, Cape Town Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa T. 021 481 4000 Michael Stevenson Contemporary 01 March – 9 April 2011, “Arcadia” recent paintings by Deborah Poynton. The exhibition opens on Tuesday 1 March, from 6pm – 8pm. Poynton will give a walkabout of her exhibition for the Friends of the National Gallery on Friday 4 March at 11am, cost is R20 (members & non-members) 01 March- 9 April “ Nightclub Photographs” by Billy Monk. The exhibition opens on Tuesday 1 March, from 6pm – 8pm. Monk will exhibit concurrently with Deborah Poynton. Ground Floor, Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, CT. T. 021 462 1500 info@michaelstevenson.com www.michaelstevenson.com Michaelis Gallery 02-29 March, “10 Years On”, a group show of members of the Michaelis class of 2001. An unusually large proportion of the students who graduated from the Michaelis School of Fine Art in the year 2001 went on to become noted, at times even notorious, artists in the South African and international art scene. This exhibition celebrates these graduates of 2001 and the impact that they have had on the South African artworld in the decade since their graduation. At the Michaelis Main Gallery. “Paradox of Plenty” open studio and exhibition by Jeannette Unite. Jeannette will be converting the Michaelis Upper Gallery into an open studio from the 02 – 21 March. This studio will be open to the public, allowing a rare glimpse into Unite’s working methods and a chance for personal engagement with the artist. During her time in the space Unite will produce a series of composite, collaged drawings, which will then be on exhibition in the Upper Gallery from the 29 March to 7 April. Michaelis Upper Gallery: Open studio: 02 – 21 March. Exhibition: 29 March – 7 April 32-37 Orange Street, Gardens, CT. T. 021 480 7170 www.michaelis.uct.ac.za

91 Kloof Street | CPT M| +27 82 679 3906 info@salon91art.co.za www.salon91art.co.za

Karoo-kado’tjies 24/3 - 21/4 | LIZELLE KRUGER

CONSERVATION FRAMERS & GILDERS Est. 1997

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Studio: Isabella d’ Arté 129 Jocelyn Street, Kosmos, Hartbeespoortdam, North West Province

ALL / WESTERN CAPE | GALLERY GUIDE Original Cape Art Exhibition 25 March – 07 April, Original Cape Art will be hosting an exhibition of works by 22 established, local artists in a wide range of mediums featuring landscapes, still life’s, floral art, and innovative abstract paintings at the Sanlam Hall in the beautiful grounds of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The exhibition will open on Friday 25 March and is open daily from 10.00 to 17.00 until 07 April. Entrance to the exhibition is free after entry to Kirstenbosch Gardens. Contact 021 799 8621 during exhibition hours Rococo 01- 29 March, a solo exhibition by Tina Teles. Opening 01 March at 6pm. 38 Buitenkant street, Cape Town T. 021 462 1348 info@rococorocks.co.za www.rococorocks.co.za Rose Korber Art 01-31 March, “ Five Women Artists” recent works in oils by Diana Hyslop, Wendy Anziska, Penelope Stutterheim and newcomer, Georgia Lane, as well as digital inkjet prints - combining photographic images and text, that focus on the female body - by new-media artist, Pamela Stretton. 48 Sedgemoor Rd, Camps Bay, CT. T. 021 438 9152 C.083 261 1173 roskorb@icon.co.za www.rosekorberart.com Rust-en-Vrede Gallery Until 17 March, works by Paul Painting, Theo P Vorster and Joyce Careirra. In The Cube: Potters from Gauteng exhibiting. 22 March- 14 April,works by Sandy Diogo and Andrew Munnik. Opening at 7:30pm 22 March. In The Cube: 9 Potters exhibiting. 10 Wellington Rd, Durbanville. T.021 976 4691 www.rust-en-vrede.com Salon 91 Until 19 March, “Protect your Roots” multimedia by Neill Wright. 24 March- 21 April, “Karoo-kado’tjies” various media by Lizelle Kruger. Opening Wednesday 24 March at 7:30pm. 91 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town. T 021 424 6930. info@salon91art.co.za www.salon91.co.za SMAC Art Gallery, Cape Town Until 19 March, “Collection 13” an exhibition of new acquisitions at the refurbished Cape Town gallery. The collection comprises recent and older work by 20 leading artists selected by the gallery on the basis of past association and future collaboration. The featured artists are Jake Aikman, Wayne BarkerWillem Boshoff, Peter E Clarke, Barend de Wet, Nel Erasmus, Georgina Gratrix, Liza Grobler, Jonathan Guaitamacchi, Kay Hassan, Anton Karstel, Johann Louw, Trevor Makhoba, Whitney McVeigh, Samson Mnisi, Sue Pam-Grant, Johannes Phokela, Joachim Schonfeld, Simon Stone and Herman van Nazareth In-Fin-Art Building, Cnr of Buitengracht & Buitensingel St, Cape Town T. 021 422 5100 www.smacgallery.com info@smacgallery.com South African Jewish Museum Ongoing exhibition, “Hidden Treasures of Japanese Art: The Isaac Kaplan Collection” Until 09 May, photographic exhibition by David Goldblatt In the Company’s Garden, 88 Hatfield Street, Gardens, Cape Town. T. 021-465-1546 info@sajm.info www.sajm.info

South African Print Gallery End March, “Painters who Print” group show featuring Robert Hodgins, Johann Louw, Judith Mason, Kim Berman, Deborah Bell, Penny Siopis and other. A wide selection of Fine Art Prints by South African Masters and contemporary printmakers. 109 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town. T. 021 462 6851 info@printgallery.co.za www.printgallery.co.za

Strydom Gallery Until end March, “George 42”, 42nd Summer exhibition of South African art. 03-30 April 2011,“Out of the Wood” annual theme exhibition of South African art – a response by a few selected artists. 79 Market Street George. T. 044 874 4027 info@artaffair.co.za www.artaffair.co.za

Strauss & Co. 07 March. Auction of Important South African Paintings, Furniture, Silver, Ceramics and Glass at 4pm and 8pm. On view from 04 – 06 March. The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands T. 021 683 6560 ct@straussart.co.za

Hermanus

Wessel Snyman Creative 10 March, Wessel Snyman Creative Picture Framing Launch. At 7pm they will do a launch of the picture framing and bookbinding services that the gallery has to offer. 17 Bree Street, Cape Town. T. 021 418 0980. wesselsnymancreative@gmail.com What if the World… Until 12 March, “Lingua Nero” sculpture, collage, assemblage and installation by Richard Hart. 16 March – 16 April, a solo exhibition of paintings by Olaf Hajek First floor, 208 Albert Rd, Woodstock, T. 021 448 1438 www.whatiftheworld.com Worldart Gallery Until 12 March, “Concrete Trails, Urban Tales” abstract paintings by Dave Robertson. 54 Church Street, Cape Town. T.021 423 3075 charl@worldart.co.za www.worldart.co.za

Western Cape - All Franschhoek

Galerie L’ Art A permanent exhibition of old masters. Shop no 3, The Ivy, Kruger Str., Franschhoek T. 021 876 2497 www.galart.co.za The Gallery at Grande Provence Until 23 March, “ Werwagtinge/Expectations” landscape paintings and bronze sculptures by MJ Lourens. Until 23 March, “Unnatural Selection: The Birth of a Cyberian Species”, digital collages by Henning Ludeke in the Project Room. Through an “Unnatural Selection” of images from virtual shoe stores, he collages these into organic forms that resemble butterflies. Also paintings by Jean Dreyer in the Little Gallery. Main Road, Franschoek. T. 021 876 8600. gallery@grandeprovence.co.za www.grandeprovence.co.za Is Art Until 15 March, Works by Angus Taylor and Jacqueline Crewe-Brown. Ilse Schermers Art Gallery at Le Quartier francais, 6 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek. T. 021 876 8443 www.is-art.co.za

George

Abalone Gallery In the Main Gallery: A selection of works by Alta Botha (mixed media on wood), Christo Coetzee (oil on paper), John Clarke (pastel on paper), Hannes Harrs ( collages and sculpture), Elzaby Laubscher (mixed media on paper), Leonard Matsoso( pastel on paper), Fred Schimmel (mixed media on paper), Lynette ten Krooden( mixed media on canvas ). Annex: Photographic and graphic works by Lien Botha (photography), Titia Ballot (graphic media), Cecil Skotnes (woodcuts), Pippa Skotnes (etchings), El Loko (woodcuts) 2 Harbour Rd, The Courtyard, Hermanus. T. 028 313 2935 info@abalonegallery.co.za www.abalonegallery.co.za Bellini Gallery and Cappuccino Bar During March, “Summer Canvas”,selected works by Ed Bredenkamp, Annette Barnard, Anna Barth, Maeve Dewar, Annemarie du Plooy, Charlene Langguth, Elizabeth Miller-Vermeulen, Shannon Phillips, Alison Riordan, Vernon Swart and Louis Stroh van der Walt 167 Main Road, Hermanus. T. 028 312 4988 www.bellini-gallery.co.za

Swellendam Sikelela Art Gallery Various Works by South African Artists. 12 Voortrek Road, Swellendam. Tel. (028) 514 2521 www.sikelelaart.com

Knysna

Dale Elliott Art Gallery Exhibition of new images of the Garden Route by Dale & Mel Elliott Woodmill Lane Shopping Centre, Knysna. Anneline: T. 044 382 5646 dale@dalelliott.co.za www.daleelliott.co.za Knysna Fine Art March will see a group show featuring recent works by Leon Vermeulen, Dylan Lewis, Guy Thesen, Carl Roberts, Lindsay Quibell and Miranda Combrink. Also a special exhibition of the “Dada Table” by James Mudge and Willem Boshoff. Continuous exhibition, paintings by Leon Vermeulen. Knysna Fine Art has relocated to Thesen House, 6 Long St, Knysna. T. 044 382 5107 C. 082 5527262 gallery@finearts.co.za www.finearts.co.za

Langebaan Bay Gallery Bay Gallery supports excellent, local artists, many of whom are members of S.A.S.A. All mediums exhibited. Marra Square, Bree St., Langebaan Contact: Daphne 073 304 8744 baygallery@xsinet.co.za www.baygallery.co.za

“The studio” and friends exhibition

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SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

Shop 3, 31 Palmer Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town 7945 Tel: 021 788 8370 Email: info@mmgalleries.co.za www.mmgalleries.co.za

Clayworks Ceramics

The Chameleon Factor

An Exhibition Collaboration of Colour by Ueli Gosteli & Trevor Coleman

A joint exhibition celebrating colour will open in Sandton on Thursday 10 March 2011 at 18:00. Venue is the Art Afrique Gallery, U45 level 4, Mandela Square, and the exhibition will run until 22 March 2011. The opening will be hosted by Denis Beckett a prolific South African journalist. Time: 18:00 for 18:30. Entitled “The Chameleon Factor” the presented works will be by artists Ueli Gosteli and Trevor Coleman. A sit-down supper with the artists on the opening evening will be hosted by the Maximillien Restaurant at R120.00 per person and later in the exhibition (12 March from 10:00 to 1:00) the gallery will provide a Walkabout with the artists. Likening colour to music, Gosteli said: “Music is organized sound; painting is organized colour. The French 19th century artist, Maurice Denis said ‘Remember that a painting, before being a landscape,

is above all a series of colours arranged in a certain order’. “People ask what abstract painting is all about; what it means” said Gosteli. “Well it is like music; some music has words which provide ‘meaning’ some does not. Some paintings depict things you can recognize, some do not. Most people like both. What you prefer is a personal matter.” Coleman shares a similar view: “For me colour is the most important factor in my work. Whether it’s an abstract or a figurative work, colour dominates the whole picture. “I enjoy the clarity that colour gives a work. I simplify as much as possible, try to capture the essence. With the abstracts I enjoy the shapes of colour interlocking with one another. “I hope the viewer enjoys the works as much as I have enjoyed painting them.” In addition to Art Afrique the exhibition is sponsored by the Legacy Group and Maxim Lounge.

U 45 – Level 4, Legacy Corner Cnr Fifth and Maude Streets, Sandton Tel: + 27 11 292 7113 art@artafrique.co.za

TRENT READ’S NEW KNYSNA ART GALLERY / WESTERN CAPE | GALLERY GUIDE

(L-R ) Angus Taylor’s men flank a piece of furniture designed by Murg entitled Vakansie

Trent Read on his all new Knysna Fine Art Gallery Hazel Friedman On a gallery wall adjacent to a painting by Leon Vermeulen is a text penned by his “best friend” and fellow artist, Marlene Dumas. In it, she describes Vermeulen as a “I make, therefore I am” character. A variation on this theme may be applied to Trent Read, owner of Knysna Fine Art, the gallery in which Vermeulen’s work is displayed. Read might not make art, literally, but it permeates his very identity. “It’s I what I do,” he says. I have always been surrounded by it. “ One of five generations of art dealers, Read was, of course, also the erstwhile custodian of the ‘90s “wild child”, the Everard Read Contemporary gallery (ERC). For many ageing “artsters” the ERC embodied a seminal cultural space in an era when they were younger, thinner, prettier, braver and cooler. During its brief but risque life-span it launched the careers of artists - many of whom are now ubiquitous on the global scene. Yet today, an entire generation of artists might not have heard of Trent Read. “Initially in Knysna, I experienced an identity crisis, “ he recalls”, But you play with the cards you have been dealt.” We are chatting in the new and improved Knysna Fine Art Gallery which he established 16 years ago. In November 2010 the gallery relocated to Thesen House - a massive, voluminous space in the heart of the town. Arguably the finest example of early 20th century colonial architecture, the SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

building first belonged to the Norwegian timber dynasty. Now a heritage monument, over the years the vast space has enjoyed various incarnations, including as a storge space and cafe. “I have coveted this glorious space for years,” muses Read. “Now the challenge is to attract artists and curators who are prepared to take risks, to rock the boat.” While Read exudes an air of understated gentility, lurking below the urbane surface is an inveterate risk taker. After all, in an era of ever-tightening budget belts - and in a small town - taking on a space large enough to house a substantial national art collection rates fairly high on the riskier scale. Read acknowledges this but believes his vision will be vindicated. “This is a multidimensional space that can accommodate separate, self-contained shows and major events as well, like the annual Pink Loerie Awards.” In fact the gay extravaganza has become an annual calendar event at Knysna Fine Art and includes an art competition with work by the three winning “moffie” artists on display. Read is also planning monthly dinners cooked and hosted by Geoff Murray, the executive chef of Knysna’s sumptuous Pezula resort hotel and spa. Attendance shall be by invitation only, and the sole criterion shall by that guests must be “interesting”. Lest the more conservative sensibilities of the townsfolk should feel alienated, Knysna Fine Arts aims to also encourage community participation and nurture the creative talents of matriculants

and other local young artists. “I don’t want this to be an intimidating, elitist space. I want artists to feel excited by it and for visitors to feel completely at home here, browsing without the pressure to purchase work.” Perhaps this is where Read is taking his biggest risk by attempting to tickle all public tastes. “Given the size of the gallery, it’s unviable to focus on a niche market,” he insists. “”This building belongs to the community. As as an art destination I have to show a broad spectrum of work, While still trying constantly to irritate and challenge.” Read clearly excels in fusing traditionalism w ith an unashamed feel for the extreme, the macabre even. Here, landscape paintings deliberately defaced by profanities, by Olaf Bisschoff, sit comfortably alongside epic sculptures by Angus Taylor and Noria Mabasa - works which would crowd out a smaller space. Hylton Nel’s ceramics are displayed alongside Simon Stone’s whimsical vignettes. The strange quirkiness of Konrad Geel’s cartoon-like characters serves as an appropriate counterpoint to the crazy cabinets constructed by ‘Murg’ - the small-town duo who could quite easily design props for Boer-rapper, Jack Parow; Here, Klein Karoo and cosmopolitan converge in an unabashed celebration of the traditional, the quaint, the provocative and the downright dark. While some might deem embarking on a venture of this magnitude in a recession as nothing short of nuts, He has plenty of them.

GALLERY GUIDE | WESTERN CAPE ALL / EASTERN CAPE / KWA ZULU NATAL

Oudtshoorn

Stellenbosch

Artkaroo Gallery A selection of authentic Karoo fine art by various established and emerging artists. Art Karoo is a participant in the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees 107 Baron van Reede, Oudtshoorn. T. 044 279 1093 janet@artkaroo.co.za www.artkaroo.co.za

101 Dorp Street Gallery Until 31 March, “Emmers vol Fynbos” paintings by Johann Slee 101 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. T. 021 887 3385 (extension 4) 101dorp@slee.co.za www.slee.co.za

Paarl Hout Street Gallery The Hout Street Gallery specialises in South African paintings and fine art and features an extensive range of paintings, ceramics and sculptures by more than thirty South African artists. 270 Main Street, Paarl. T. 021 872 5030 zetler@icon.co.za www.houtstreetgallery.co.za

Piketberg (West Coast) AntheA Delmotte Gallery During March “Generic yesterday, today and tomorrow” – a group exhibition for an international biodiversity workshop. Featuring oil paintings by Clare Menck, AntheA Delmotte, Madelein Marincowitz, Brahm van Zyl, Annelie Venter, Pieter Bruwer, Mary Duncan, Susan Kemp, Tereza Harling and eco-alchemical glass by Jeannette Unite. 47 Voortrekker Street, The Old Bioscope, Piketberg. 073 281 7273 anthea@lantic.net

Art on 5 Permanent exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Maryna de Witt, Pera Schillings, and Karen Kieviet. 7b Andringa Str., Stellenbosch. T. 021 887 7234 Dorpstraat Galery The gallery specializes in solo and group exhibitions of contemporary South African artists and has provided a showcase for some of the country’s most talented artists: Judith Mason, Walter Oltmann, Gregory Kerr, Nicolas Maritz, Adrian van Zyl, Shanny van den Berg, Angus Taylor, Nora Newton, Chris Diedericks, Anton Momberg and Jenny Parsons to name a few. Exhibitions take place on a regular basis and feature art in various mediums: painting, graphics, sculptures,ceramics, glass, and unique pieces of tribal and contemporary jewellery. 10 Oude Bank Church Street, Stellenbosch. T. 021 887 2256 info@dorpstraatgalery.co.za www.dorpstraatgalery.co.za Glen Carlou Estate On exhibition is The Hess Art Collection, including works by Deryck Healey, Ouattara Watts and Andy Goldsworthy. Simondium Rd, Klapmuts. T. 021 875 5314 www.glencarlou.co.za SMAC Art Gallery 10 March -08 May, “Fugitive Lines” mixed media works by Sue Pam-Grant.

Eastern Cape East London Ann Bryant Gallery The Main Gallery ABSA L’Atelier Art Competition 2011 Regional Selection for East London Judging will take place Monday 14 March 2011 and the gallery proposes the opening to be Thursday 17 March 2011 at 18h30 p.m. The works can be collected on Monday 4 April 2011. The Coach House: 24 March - 9 April, “ H-U-M-A-N: A Unique Journey into the Universal” painting, sculpture and photography by Surisa Surisa 9 St. Marks Rd, Southernwood, East London. T. 043 722 4044 annbryan@intekom.co.za www.annbryant.co.za

Kwazulu- Natal Durban The African Art Centre Durban Until 11 March, “25 x 25”, a selection of young and upcoming artists from Durban will exhibit paintings on canvas 25 x 25 cm. 16 March – 8 April: Artist and Crafter of the year Widus Mtshali and Victor Shange 94 Florida, Durban. T. 31 312 3804/5 africanartcentre@afri-art.co.za www.afriart.org.za ArtSPACE Durban Until 05 March, “Shooting Southern Africa” - group show from various photographers. 01-04 March, Collection at the gallery for the ABSA L’Atelier Art Competition From 07 March until 26 March, an art collector’s exhibition and sale in the Middle and Front Room Galleries. Works by artists known nationally and internationally. 3 Millar Road, Stamford Hill, Durban. T.031 312 0793 info@artspace-durban.com www.artspace-durban.com DUT Art Gallery Until 25 March, “Celebrating 100 years of City Campus” an exhibition celebrating DUT’s centenary. 1st Floor Library building, Steve Biko Campus, Durban University of Technology. Nathi 031 373 2207

Port Elizabeth artEC (Previously EPSAC) Lower Gallery: 01 -11 March, “A Continuous Thread” mixed media by Bev de Lange 15 – 25 March, ArtEC New Signatures exhibition Upper Gallery: Until 04 March, “The Art of Recycling” 14 – 25 March, “Artworks for Youth” 29 March- 8 April, sculptures by Peter Vaczi 36 Bird Street, P.E. T. 041 585 3641 gallery@epsac.co.za

De Wet centre, Church Street, Stellenbosch. T. 021 887 3607 info@smacgallery.com www.smacgallery.com The Tank Art Gallery @ Stellenbosch Hills Until 31 March works by Mandy McKay and Helen van Stolk. Both artists live and work in Cape Town and are members of the South African Society of Artists. Situated at Stellenbosch Hills Wine Cellar, Vlottenburg Road, Stellenbosch T. 021 881 3828/9 info@stellenbosch-hills.co.za www.stellenbosch-hills.co.za US Art Museum 04 March -24 April, an exhibition of oil on canvas paintings by Walter Meyer. 04 -13 March, “Skilder Met Woorde 2” a multimedia presentation combining artworks with poetry. 52 Ryneveld Street, University of Stellenbosch T. 021 808 3691/3/5 Tokara Winery Until 30 April: “Wat Kyk Ons?” A selection of 45 works by artists such as Walter Battiss, Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge and David Koloane. Crest of the Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch Tel. 073 306 7578 www.juliameintjes.co.za

Villiersdorp Elliott Art Gallery Themed Boland and Overberg Exhibition by Dale and Mel Elliott 80 Main Rd, Villiersdorp, 6848. T. 028 840 2927 dale@daleelliott.co.za www.daleelliot.co.za

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Permanent exhibition, “Art in Mind” Until 18 March 2011, “Faces and Places” An exhibition of paintings, photographs, prints and ceramics from the Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. 1 Park Drive, Port Elizabeth. T. 041 506 2000 www.artmuseum.co.za Ron Belling Art Gallery Until 5 March, “Evanescence “,oil on canvas and embroidery by Amita Makan 30 Park Drive, P.E. T. 041 586 3973 ronbelling@mweb.co.za www.ronbelling.co.za

Montage Gallery Until end March, Group show, sculpture by Wehrner Lemmer, oil paintings and works in ink and watercolour on handmade paper by Alida Bothma, oil paintings by Leonè Spies and Rick Becker.59 Main Road, Walmer, P.E. T. 041 581 2893 montage1@iafrica.com www.montagegallery.co.za

Elizabeth Gordon Gallery Established nearly 30 years ago, the Elizabeth Gordon Gallery is located in a gracious old Edwardian house on vibrant Florida Road. The gallery is well stocked with original works by eminent and emerging SA artists and hosts exhibitions of new works on a regular basis. From mid-February, new watercolours by Lindy Acton. 120 Florida Road, Durban T. 031 3038133 joy@elizabethgordon.co.za www.elizabethgordon.co.za KZNSA Gallery 15 March -09 April Main Gallery: oil paintings and small sculptures by Andrew Verster. Mezzanine Gallery: prints by Paul Painting. 166 Bulwer Rd., Glenwood. T. 031 2023686 www.kznsagallery.co.za

Margate Margate Art Museum Museums art collection on display. The museum’s art collection is mostly focused on work produced in KwaZulu-Natal and comprises a variety of modes, techniques and media that attempts to reflect the cultural and artistic diversity of our region. Margate Civic Centre, Dan Pienaar Square, Vikings Road Margate. T.039 312 8392 C.072 316 8094 huey@hcm.gov.za www.mam.org.za

Pietermaritzburg The Blue Caterpillar Art Gallery Until 08 March, “Seascapes” by Charmaine Eastments Until 31 March, “Abstracts - Untitled” by Rick Becker The Blue Caterpillar art gallery at Butterflies for Africa 37 Willowton Road, Pietermaritzburg. T. 033 387 1356 art@butterflies.co.za or bluecaterpillarart@hotmail.com www.butterflies.co.za Tatham Art Gallery Until 20 March, “Samsara: A continuous pursuit” an exhibition of works by Indian artists to commemorate the arrival of Indians to South Africa 150 years ago. Works on this exhibition span a wide range of media including painting, photography through video and installation. Until 15 May, “Art and Politics” group show. (Schreiner Gallery) Cnr of Chief Albert Luthuli (Commercial) Rd. and Church Str. (Opposite City Hall) Pietermaritzburg. T. 033 342 1804 www.tatham.org.za

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

ARTLife THE SOUTH AFRICAN

Wilhelm van Rensburg chats to Carl Schweickerdt about their moving forward by closing its retail division and focusing on Wholesale Photo: Christo Harvey

has represented the renown South African artist Pieter van der Westhuizen for over 15 years and since his death in 2008 have achieved resales of his paintings for many satisď&#x192;&#x17E;ed clients at annualised returns of over 20% pa over a period of 10 to 15 years e.g. work bought for R7000 in 1995 sold this year for R185000

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WE ALSO HAVE A SUPERB SELECTION OF WORKS BY HENNIE NIEMANN SNR AVAILABLE

After 103 years Schweickerdt’s is to focus on wholesaling art materials Looking forward: Carl Schweickerdt leaves the century old family business to retire after 45 years. Photo: Christo Harvey Words: Wilhelm van Rensburg

His rightful title should have been Emil III, and his reign at E Schweickerdt (Pty) Ltd has come to an end. Carl Schweickerdt leaves the century old family business to retire after 45 years, and with him, a highly important era in South African art is coming to an end. He joined the company officially in 1966, and has been at the helm ever since. Like his father and grandfather before him, Carl has made an indelible mark on the company and on the local and national art scene. During his time at the company Carl oversaw two major, and what proved to be very successful, relocations of the firm: the first, from the centre of Pretoria, where the company has been based for many decades, to Brooklyn, in 1992. The second was in 1998 when the company relocated to its present address on Lynnwood Road in Menlo Park. Carl has always been in step with the market, turning the company into the premier art store that it is with his gradual process of diversification over the past ten or twenty years. In this time he noticed a more pronounced preference for acrylics than the traditional oil paints, as well as the effects that the pre-stretched canvas has had on the market. In addition, especially when the Open Window art school was right next door to them, Schweickerdt noticed the need for art materials that the design students needed. The traditional art materials were still acquired by the University students, though, and it was interesting for him to notice this difference between these art institutions that he could detect by the materials the students bought. Lately, Schweickerdt has noticed that there is an increasing demand for coloured paper for digital printing at home, and so he stays on top of the changing trends in the production of contemporary art. He has also introduced such items as mosaic glass and pewter to cater for the rapidly increasing craft market. The major shift that Carl has overseen, though, is the decision of the company to become a

Landmark: Schweickerdt’s at Menlo Park, Pretoria wholesale distributor of materials and no longer specialize as a retail outlet. The most significant contribution Carl has arguably made towards augmenting the stature of Schweickerdt’s, is the fact that he was more of a gallerist than a shop keeper. When the doors of the new gallery adjacent to the retail outlet opened under his directorship in 1993, it was considered to be the best gallery in Pretoria. Not only did Carl work very closely with such eminent South African artists as Alexis Preller, Walter Battiss, Maude Sumner, and Bettie CelliersBarnard, he was also instrumental in introducing Conrad Thys to the northern parts of the rather insular South. In his words: ‘Conrad was ‘n bietjie skrikkerig vir die boere hierbo’ [Conrad was rather apprehensive of the folk up north] but Schweickerdt’s managed to mount two highly successful exhibitions of his work. “Preller”, he said, “was an easy going person, but rather pedantic about his art materials”. Preller was also the artist which the company decided not to promote via their customary series of reproductions. The late sixties saw the advent of the graphic print and this new medium eclipsed the need for reproductions. The first reproduction the company commissioned was called, De Boeredeputatie by Wichgraf in 1909 and was very popular around the time of the unification of South Africa. The Pierneef reproductions, however, were the most successful of all.

“Battiss was quite a character: with feathers in his hat, one pink and one blue takkie on his two feet, and holes in is jersey, he was plain weird, but the most likeable person to work with and I spent hours in his company.” “Bettie was very loyal to the Association of Arts, but she always exhibited with us. In fact, her very last exhibition was mounted in our gallery”. What is clear from all of this is the fact that Carl has had an equally impressive coterie of artists in his day than his father before him and his grandfather before that. Emil II, as his father was known, was very friendly with Nils Anderson. W H Coetzer, Gregoire Boonzaier, and Zakkie Eloff, in his days, and Emil Schweickerdt counted as his personal friends such artists as Hugo Naude (the very first exhibition the company mounted was of 28 of his landscapes in 1910), Peter Wenning, Erich Mayer, Anton van Wouw, Tinus de Jongh, and most important of all, J H Pierneef. Carl, however, was the one who oversaw the company’s jubilee exhibition in 1977 during which their impressive collection of Pierneef oils was shown for the first time to great public and critical acclaim. Pierneef exhibited with Schweickerdt’s virtually every year since 1919. The late seventies, however, saw a revisionist approach to Pierneef and Carl’s exhibition went a long way to contextualize the artist’s work. What next for Carl Schweickerdt? He plans to devote more time to art restoration – a skill not widely known about him. In the pipeline is a commission to restore the government art collection of early modernist paintings, housed at the President’s Residence in Pretoria. And this type of intimate relationship with art runs in the family. His father, Emil II was a sworn art appraiser, appointed by various insurance companies, as well as an art critic and art advisor in Pretoria. Schwieckerdt’s is indeed an art institution, or better still, a dynasty, in its own right and Carl one of its loyal royals!

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

A Glimpse of the Work of a Prolific South African Artist Before Dirk Meerkotter turned thirty he had his first solo exhibition in the Constantia Gallery in Johannesburg in 1950. His extraordinary talents were immediately recognised by fellow artists and art critics. The exhibition became the first of eighty-seven solo exhibitions, as well as many group exhibitions here and abroad. The University of Stellenbosch hosted his latest solo exhibition in 2009. The main inspiration for Meerkotter’s creations is to be found in the vibrating world of line, colour, texture, form, space and rhythm (visual and musical), which he endeavours to portray with integrity in his paintings, etchings and ceramics. Acknowledging the wide recognition as one of South Africa’s outstanding graphic artists, as well as the contribution of his majestic ceramic panels in the seventies and eighties to the country’s visual arts, I have decided to focus on the developing line in his paintings stretching across more than seven decades.

1954 - Band of Youths. Oil on hard board. 60cm x 50cm

Dirk Meerkotter is well-known for his exceptional water-colour paintings, notably so concerning the use of line, form and colour, which come across clearly in the post-impressionistic work below.

1957 - City Scape II Oil on hard board. 46.5cm x 61cm 1949 - Richmond. Water-colour on paper. 18cm x 24cm

The development of his vision and style from 1949’s watercolour to the post-expressionistic Band of Youths five years later, and the semi-abstract City Scape II of 1957, is astonishing.

The titles of three of my personal favourites capture the meaning and message of the following abstract paintings. A powerful and fearless Vivat! (1966) is followed by a sensitive search for an understanding of the complexities of living in a South African metropolis in Soul of a City (1970), while the dynamic Naissance! (1986) continues to provide one with hope for the newly born … be they human beings, or countries!

Finally, I have to point to, first, the post-modern maturity of the figure-like forms in The White Mask of 2003, and, second, to one of Meerkotter’s latest abstract works completed in 2005. With reference to the first, I found the specific painting’s mask and composition unusually stimulating when compared to the style and figures of 1954’s Band of Youths above.

1966 – Vivat! Acrylic on hard board. 92cm x 122cm

2003 – The White Mask. Acrylic on canvas. 90cm x 60cm

In Untitled (2005) it becomes evident that line, rhythm, composition and dynamic simplicity, have reached a new peak in Meerkotter’s abstract work. It should be noted that the importance of the techniques mentioned in relation to this work, remains the same as those referred to in the discussion of 1949’s water-colour. 1970 - Soul of a City. Acrylic on canvas. 91cm x 122cm

2005 - Untitled. Acrylic on canvas. 54cm x 84,5cm

In 1992 Dirk Meerkotter received a prestigious award from the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Organisations. And, in 2001, he was awarded an honorary medal by the South African Association for Science and Art.

1986 - Naissance. Acrylic on canvas. 120cm x 120 cm

For more information: Contact Dirk Meerkotter jnr (son of the artist) by e-mail (dirk@meerkotter.co.za) or telephonically at 011 782 4760. Visit the website on Dirk Meerkotter’s life and work (http://www.meerkotter.co.za).

ALIDA BOTHMA

Illustration from the book “Woordreise”

“After the rain” oil on canvas

Children’s book illustration “They all want to see”

Alida Bothma is a versatile artist who works in a wide range of media and techniques. She is known for her paintings as well as her children’s book illustrations, which have been described as imaginative, roguish and evocative.

She enjoys her role in making children’s books and sees the illustrations as a child’s first exposure to an “art exhibition”. The artist continues: “I work on different levels. On the one hand I do light-hearted illustrations for children, and on the other I paint, sometimes portraying my deepest thoughts, emotions and convictions. My book illustrations are naturally inspired by the story or the poem that I have to bring to life visually, but for my paintings I find my inspiration in many things that stir my heart. Things like nature, my love for the African continent and all its cultures, human vulnerability, and my relationship with God.” She often combines her media, and works in charcoal, inks, pastels, acrylics and also some graphic techniques. Lately she has been concentrating more on working in oils on canvas and board. She studied art at the Cape Town Technikon in the seventies. Her first international exposure was in 1977 when some of her watercolour paintings were included in an international aquarelle exhibition in Germany. Since then, besides South Africa, her works have been exhibited in Japan, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iran and India. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards in this country as well as abroad. “Girl with flowers” oil on canvas (600 x 500 mm)

A collection of her work will be on exhibition in Stellenbosch during March 2011. EXHIBITION 4 – 26 MARCH US ART GALLERY cnr Dorp & Bird Street Stellenbosch Tel: (021) 808 3524/3489 www.alidabothma.co.za montage1@iafrica.com 041 581 2893 Alida Bothma Art “Window of Hope” oil and mixed media on board (1200 x 900 mm )

“Kicking up dust” oil on canvas (1000 x 1000 mm)

“Jerusalem” Mixed media

“Herdsman” oil on board (1200 x 700 mm)

“Vulnerability” oil on canvas (600 x 500 mm)

“Play” oil & mixed media on canvas (600 x 500 mm)

BUSINESS ART

Art Leader Profile

Baylon Sandri By Lloyd Pollak Meeting Baylon Sandri for the first time at his new gallery in Buitengracht Street, I was struck by the suavity with which he wed the bluntness of the hard-pressed executive to manners of such irreproachable correctitude as to make him seem a throwback to a past generation. His formality keeps one at a certain distance, and confines conversation to the purely professional with nary a lapse into the personal. Baylon quickly dispensed with pleasantries, provided me with an excellent cup of coffee, and cut straight to the matter in hand, outlining the role his background played in his decision to become an art dealer. That venerable institution, the old La Perla in the city centre near the Metro cinema, which opened in 1957, and its Sea Point successor, loom large in his account. “Mobiles designed by Alexander Calder gave La Perla an air of up-to-the-minute, post-war modernity, and it soon became a hang-out for artists, musicians, actors and directors in search of a continental atmosphere which was so rare here at that time. My father was a keen collector, and he befriended many artists. Irma Stern, Edoardo Villa, the Skotnes’s, Jean Welz and Charles Gassner were all part of our family circle, and the restaurant functioned as an informal exhibition space in which my father’s acquisitions formed part of the décor. The tradition continues as I regularly embellish it with my latest purchases. La Perla has always been the Cape Town equivalent of the many salon-type restaurants, cafes and bars which serve as rallying places for artists and intellectuals in Europe.” Friends tell me that La Perla possesses the intimacy of a Parisian restaurant du quartier where the clientele all know each other, and view the waiters as old friends. This unique ambience can be attributed to its adored patron, 52

Baylon’s handsome father, Emiliano, whose irresistible charm suffuses the entire establishment. “Art was very much part of our family life. My mother, a Michaelis graduate, took me to exhibitions and auctions from a tender age. I grew up in Bantry Bay and then we moved to a farm near Wellington. I attended Paarl Boys High and Stellenbosch University where I studied law and business, before completing an MBA in Milan.” Baylon’s Cape Town upbringing, Italian antecedents and Boland education give him a slick gloss of cosmopolitanism. Here is a man thoroughly at home in three different languages and cultural traditions. He switches identities constantly, metamorphosing from a stately, reserved Piedmontese gentiluomo, to a Southern suburbs scion of good family, to a true son of the veldt, rolling his gargly ‘r’s and gutturalizing his gravelly ‘g’s like the best of boereseuns. “I only started commercially dabbling in art from 2002 when I opened a tiny, hole-in-the-wall gallery in Stellenbosch, and what sparked off my decision to become a fully-fledged, professional dealer was the pleasure I derived from organizing the ambitious Skotnes/Villa show at Lanzerac. At the time my brother Paolo was renovating an old student back-packers in the De Wet Center, Stellenbosch, and when I visited it I saw its potential as a gallery. Paolo spent a further two years gutting the interior walls to create a magnificent, airy, uncluttered space, while I sought out artists and devised our marketing strategy. My entire family has a strong interest in the gallery, and everything we do is done in consultation with my parents and brothers.” So compelling is Baylon’s feeling for la famiglia that he often forswears the pronoun ‘I’ in favor of the first person plural, and his continual use of this imposing dynastic ‘we’, often made me feel as if I were addressing the spokesman for some major corporate rather than a private individual. SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

BAYLON SANDRI / ART LEADER PROFILE | BUSINESS ART

SMAC’s new satellite gallery has just opened in the upmarket Buitengracht Street, Cape Town

“I always thought that the South African paintings in our home were the acme of excellence, and I was baffled that the art in which we all so firmly believed, never appreciated in value.” This jarring realization defined Baylon’s goal of re-evaluating the oeuvre of unjustly neglected artists through retrospective exhibitions and scholarly catalogues in which prominent critics and academics reassess their canon and place it in the appropriate art-historical context. Our focal point is the 1960’s when Johannesburg boasted a healthy, thriving competitive art scene and most artists worked in abstract idioms in line with the international avant-garde. There was vigorous exchange between Europe and South Africa. Many artists studied in London and Paris, and shuttled constantly between the two hemispheres. Our art attracted international interest, and the careers of Scully, Skotnes, Sash, Portway and Villa, who frequently exhibited abroad and participated in the Venice and Sao Paulo biennales, flourished. This was a high point in South African art history when so-called second-tier artists, Nel Erasmus, Georgina Ormiston, Albert Newall, Hannetjie van der Watt, Trevor Coleman and Gordon Vorster, too produced ground-breaking work which is completely underrated today. However these halcyon days came to an end as apartheid’s discriminatory legislation proliferated, making South Africa a pariah. The cultural boycott put paid to direct engagement with the rest of the world. Few local collectors remained committed to the avant-garde, so careers languished, galleries closed, and the art market drifted into the doldrums. The emergent artists of the early sixties either worked in isolation and penury, or emigrated to greener pastures.

Fred Schimmel’s career is typical. Although his mature work of the late 60’s and 70’s continually evolved in depth and resonance, it was neither understood, nor purchased. To me it is unbelievable that painting of such patently high quality could have been so completely ignored.” There are no ‘umms’, no ‘errs’: Baylon’s legal training has taught him to present his ideas as a persuasively reasoned logical argument; he knows exactly what he wants to say, and he says it without apology or equivocation. “Many younger artists of the 80’s never obtained their just desserts as their careers peaked before 2000, the start of the boom in the local art market. Norman Catherine, Simon Stone, Barend de Wet and Wayne Barker all worked during the heady period preceding the two Johannesburg biennales when protest and resistance art were at their zenith, and a raw and gutsy new art evolved on the streets of Johannesburg. The academically trained, white artistic rebels truly embraced the new generation of black artists, like Kay Hassan and Sam Nghlengethwa, who rejected formal education and broke free of previous modes. Conceptualism and Neo-Expressionism came to the fore, and gained an added vigor when artists in full revolt against the status quo - Minette Vari, Anton Karstel, Conrad Botes, Johann Louw and Wim Botha – burst decisively upon the scene. So two periods - the 60’s and early 70’s, and the mid 80’s to early 90’s – constitute the focus of our activities at SMAC. I am confident that the artists of those eras I mentioned, will realize their full commercial potential over the next few years. We are most definitely not a cutting edge gallery on the look-out for the next bright young thing. We remain wholly committed to reassessing the past, rehabilitating marginalized artists and promoting a small pool of established youthful talents like Georgina Gratrix and Jake Aikman .”

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

BUSINESS ART | INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global art market rebounds from financial crisis First Published in The Art Newspaper By Daniel Silva (AFP) Madrid - Sales of modern art are returning to levels seen before the global financial crisis, as collectors snap up works that have dropped in price in recent years as an investment or to decorate their homes. Gallery owners taking part in ARCO, one of Europe’s biggest contemporary art fairs which got underway Wednesday in Madrid, said many collectors had seen art values soar in the last decade and had bet they would profit from any new rise. But they said buyers were being more selective this time around and it is mostly the very wealthy who have returned to the market as growth in the United States and other major economies, such as Germany, picks up. “There was such a level of restraint in spending that people are now starting to buy stuff that before they would not buy,” ARCO director Carlos Urroz at the opening of the fair which features 197 galleries from 26 nations. “For this reason I believe ARCO can be a parenthesis in this austere time which we have all had and people who have money will allow themselves a treat.” ARCO organisers are also hoping to find new buyers from China where there is a growing interest in modern art among wealthy collectors

looking to expand beyond their own country’s artworks. The organisers said art was one of the best performing investment products in 2010, with an average appreciation of 25 percent compared to 9.0 percent for the Dow Jones industrial average or 11 percent for Britain’s FTSE share index. Several works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol are among the art up for sale at the fair, which wraps up Sunday along with more avantgarde works such as a photographic series of dead monkeys and a replica of a skeleton in a transparent plexiglass coffin. During boom times, contemporary art was sought after by the new rich as a badge of affluence as much as luxury cars and branded jewellery. At its peak in 2007 the world art market was worth around $65 billion (48 billion euros), double the figure from five years earlier, according to research firm Arts economics. Prices dropped by as much as 50 percent during the financial crisis as works were unable to find buyers. But sales of contemporary art bounced back in 2010, especially during the second half of the year. The world’s largest auction house, London-based Christie’s, raised 603 million pounds in sales of contemporary art in 2010, a jump of 147 percent over the previous year. It sold a record total of 3.3 billion pounds (3.9 billion euros, $5.3 billion) in art last year, up 53 percent from 2009 and surpassing its 3.1 billion

pounds in sales during the art market’s prior peak in 2007. “2010 was a record-breaking year and early signs of 2011 indicate that the art market remains buoyant at all levels,” Christie’s International CEO Steven Murphy said in a statement distributed by fair organisers. Christie’s biggest success was the sale of an oil painting by Picasso, “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust”, which it sold in New York in May for $106.5 million, the highest price ever paid for an artwork. It was one of 606 works that fetched more than a million dollars, compared to 381 in 2009. “The middle market is suffering much more because prices have not come down that much, people are still worried about their jobs,” said Judith Selkowitz, the director of Art Advisory Services, a US-based art consultancy for corporate and private collectors. “Things in the category of between 50,000 and 200,000 dollars have sufferered.” Alejandra von Hartz, the director of a Miami gallery bearing her name that specialises in abstract art based on geometric forms, said collectors were being pickier. “I think there is more of a filter, people are looking for good quality at the right price. I think the crisis gave some perspective, I find that positive,” she said.

Google teams with international museums to zoom in on art Using its Street View technology, the internet giant will allow people to virtually visit galleries and view works at gigapixel resolution By Anny Shaw

in on details that would be invisible to the naked eye. “Ten years ago museums were obsessed with getting thousands of objects onto the screen, now we are looking at a few works in depth,” says Serota.

London. The art world took another small step towards virtual reality today with the launch of the Google Art Project. Developed in collaboration with 17 museums around the world—including London’s Tate, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Metropolitan Museum, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, Madrid’s Museo Reina Sofia, Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie and the Uffizi in Florence—Google has brought its Street View technology inside for the first time, enabling internet users to navigate galleries as well as view individual works in minute detail.

Tate has plumped for Chris Ofili’s No Woman, No Cry, 1998, a mixed media painting of Doreen Lawrence, the mother of London teenager Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993. “We wanted to have a work that would complement the historic works in our collection,” says Serota, “and to choose an image made in the last 15 years about an issue that is highly relevant to many people in this country.” Users can also opt to view the painting in the dark, revealing the tribute Ofili wrote in phosphorescent paint on the canvas.

“The internet has changed the way we talk to our public,” Tate director Nicholas Serota said at a press conference in London this morning. “Today is an opportunity to take another great step forward.” While viewers can take tours of displays, stopping to zoom in on one of 1,060 individual works, each museum has also selected one work from their collections that has been photographed using gigapixel technology—at a resolution of up to 14 billion pixels—allowing audiences to home 54

While all 17 museums have selected paintings to be photographed at gigapixel resolution—revealing the cracks and crevasses of, say, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, 1889, which hangs in MoMA— Jane Burton, the head of content and creative director at Tate, says works in other media may also benefit from microscopic viewing. “Digital photography is an interesting one,” she says. “A detailed Gursky might work really well with this technology.”

Although the Street View shots of the galleries are somewhat blurred and grainy (“This is just the first step; there will be many improvements over the years,” says Nelson Mattos, the vice president of product management and engineering at Google), the gigapixel images offer an undeniably enhanced viewing experience. But will this deter visitors from entering the museum? “Has Street View stopped people from travelling?” asks Mattos. “No, exactly the opposite has happened. Every piece of technology that has exposed people to the treasures in museums has encouraged them to come and see the real thing.” According to Mattos, who declined to comment on costs, the project is an attempt to democratise art through technology. “Art has been hidden from the eyes of many for many years,” he says. “This project represents a new way; a new step forward.” Despite the democratic spirit of the project, it remains to be seen whether closely guarded and rarely lent works such as MoMA’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon are given an online presence. http://www.googleartproject.com SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

INTERNATIONAL NEWS | BUSINESS ART

Drawing conclusions: the fine line between theatre and art Sue MacLaine’s play about Francis Bacon’s muse invites the audience to bring sketchpads. What is it about painting on stage?

First Published in The Art Newspaper: Drawing class ... Live Theatre’s production of Lee Hall’s play about art and socialism, The Pitmen Painters. Photograph: Keith Pattison In May, performer and playwright Sue MacLaine will strip naked in the life-drawing studio of Brighton’s Phoenix gallery for a play about Henrietta Moraes, artists’ model and queen of the 50s Soho set. This new piece will join a vast gallery of stage works about the creation and commodification of or power exerted by visual art, which ranges from The Pitmen Painters to The Portrait (currently getting its UK premiere from Opera North), to Yasmina Reza’s Art and Tim Crouch’s England, not to mention recent biodramas of two artists to whom Moraes played muse – Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. But there’s a reason why this one in particular caught my eye, and it isn’t the full-frontal nudity. MacLaine was a star of last year’s Brighton festival theatre programme. But Still Life: An Audience with Henrietta Moraes will run instead as part of visual arts festival HOUSE, sister to Brighton and Hove’s Artists Open Houses. Its audience, meanwhile, will be invited to bring notepads and pencils and sketch during the performance. MacLaine is not alone on the current Brighton scene in exploring and intensifying the relationship between theatre and drawing. To launch AOH 2011, figurative artist and teacher Jake Spicer will present his Cabinets of Wonder – three mobile wagons with hand-painted sets and costumed actor-models recently seen

processing, mystery play-style, through Brighton and the capital encouraging people to draw. At scheduled points, the wagon stops, a brief scene is played out and the gathered crowd, enticed by the drama, is invited to sketch the resulting tableau. At October’s White Night festival, one Enlightenment-themed wagon hosted a travelling hack-scientist who displayed the dissected body of an “angel” for the crowd’s delectation/anatomical drawing class. For Spicer, using theatre in the creation of visual art seems to be all about avoiding the stiltedness intimated in the term “still life”. A fan of Punchdrunk’s performance installation The Masque of the Red Death, he has set out to create immersive theatrical environments with loose narratives that will stimulate amateur and experienced artists alike. Last summer he went to the trouble of staging fully rehearsed, butt-naked sections of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in an Alfriston glade purely so his artists could sketch what he calls “the dynamic tension between Oberon and Titania” as the characters fight over the changeling. Spicer is using theatre in much the same way as art collective London Drawing, who have for several years been holding a creative workshop called the Drawing Theatre at BAC. Here performance, movement, light, sound – and the odd collaboration with folks such as performance artist Philip Li – are brought into play to provide a more inspiring context for figurative drawing. So much for what theatre can do for drawing. But what can drawing do for theatre? The act of drawing can itself be a gripping spectator sport (Rolf Harris made a career out of it), and I’ve ex-

perienced few more absorbing starts to a performance than that of Rachel Blackman’s one-woman play Steal Compass, Drive North, Disappear, which begins with a looping chalk line being drawn slowly and sensually around the theatre walls. On one level, this act establishes the play’s structure of interweaving lives and its theme of imperfect human connections. On another it simply serves to – excuse the pun – draw you in. There’s also something magnetic, I think, about characters who draw – such as the complex heroes of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme or The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (dramatised at Chichester festival last year). Both Frank McGuinness’s solider Pyper – middle class and gay in a world of working-class trench culture – and Robert Tressell’s decorator Frank – a campaigning Socialist among capitalists, Christian hypocrites and apathists – are artists and antagonists. In the productions I saw they bore their sketchpads as a badge of both, the unseen pages conferring an internal life that, like their drawings, we were never fully allowed to see. Their sheaves of paper made the other characters uneasy, and made me feel strangely self-conscious too. An acclaimed portraitist who released his 2004 acting autobiography in the form of a diary and sketchbook, Antony Sher was playing with notions of transference and the deflected gaze when he created his career-surveying autobiographical painting The Audience. When an actor looks out from the stage and starts to draw, might their gaze fall on you and me?

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

BUSINESS ART | SA ART AUCTIONS 2011 REVIEW / STEPHAN WELZ & CO’S JOHANNESBURG SALE

Irma Stern: Lot 522 Still life with Poinsettias (R 4 000 000 – 6 000 000)

Gerard Sekoto: Lot 590 a Township scenet R 250 000 – 300 000.

Stephan Welz & Co. Johannesburg sale 19 & 20 April 2011 The first sale of 2011 for the Johannesburg branch of well acclaimed auction house, Stephan Welz & Co, will be taking place on 19 & 20 April. Five sessions over a two day period are sure to cause some excitement with wonderful pieces all round up for offer. Session 2 starting at 14h00 kicks off with the carpet and furniture section which is followed by the first of the paintings section. Approximately one hundred works fall into the categories British and Continental (Fidler, de Chazal, Piper, Nicholson etc.) and Traditional South African (Carter, Welz, Timlin, Oldert, Boonzaier, Benzon, Harrs, Squibb, Baker etc.) to name but a few. At 18h30, the third session of the two day auction starts off with four beautiful collectors cars. The evening session, continues as per tradition, with the rest of the paintings section. First up, a charity section for the University of Pretoria Alumni Trust, made up of a selection of 13 works kindly donated by artists. Of special mention here lots 455 Jacobus Kloppers, lot 456 Michelle Nigrini, lot 460 Hanneke Benade and lot 461 Guy du Toit. The session continues its contemporary feel with works by the likes of Page, Alexander, Hodgins, Catherine, Battiss, Kentridge, Schreuders, Gietl and Barker to name but a few. Some photographic print media by acclaimed photographer Michael Meyersfeld will be up for grabs in lots 481 and 482 – Enough and Boys on the Roof, at R 25 000 – 35 000 each. The Traditional art section kicks of with a wonderful Volschenk landscape (lot 508, R 100 000 - 150 000) entitled Where the Motor Winds its Way: Baineskloof, Weelington. Closely following this is lot 509, a beach scene by Frans Oerder, R 70 000 – 90 000. The allure of Lourenco Marques is conveyed by lot 510, a Pieter Wenning – being one of the most well respected artists in South Africa, it will be a wonderful addition to any art collection at R 800 000 – 1 200 000. Lot 511, Pieter Hugo Naude, (pre-sale estimate R 250 000 – 350

000) captures the essence of Brandvlei Dam in a rather undersized way. A selection of Pierneef works (lots 518 – 521) are represented by watercolours, drawings and oils. Moving onto the lady of the moment, Irma Stern – lots 522 and 523 are devoted to her with Still life with Poinsettias (R 4 000 000 – 6 000 000) and Strawberry Pickers (R 800 000 – 1 000 000) being wonderful works from her later period. Artists to the likes of Coetzer, Klar, Ampenberger, Boonzaier, McCaw and Botha are also well represented in this section. One of the most infamous impressionist artists of South Africa, Francois Krige, is well represented – of special mention lots 542 (Still Life Ranunculus and Appels) and lot 543 (Ontagu, Swartberge). The magic of this section is continued with a wonderful selection of sculptures. Van Wouw is represented firstly by The Bushman Hunter (R 800 000 – 1 200 000). Also, lots 573 & 574, both originally from the collection of Govenor Rissik, Leemans, the Postman and The Mieliepap Eater, both Italian castings. Furthermore, a wonderful Brett Murray maquette of the larger scale public sculptural work, Africa, is up for grabs as lot 578, for a relatively low R 20 000 – 30 000. Representing the African sector of the market two works worth mentioning, lot 589, Lost Heritage, by Helen Sebidi and lot 590, a wonderful Township scene, by Gerard Sekoto, conservatively estimated at R 250 000 – 300 000. 19 & 20 April Johannesburg Auction Decorative & Fine Arts Viewing Dates: 15 April 10h00 - 17h00 | 16 April 10h00 - 14h00 | 17 April 10h00 - 17h00 Johannesburg 13 Biermann Avenue | Rosebank Johannesburg | 2196 011 880 3125 | Email jhb@swelco.co.za

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

Masterpieces The South African Sale Wednesday 23 March 2011, 6pm New Bond Street, London Bonhams are delighted to present a special evening sale of an exclusive selection of the finest South African masterpieces to come to market in recent memory. The sale highlights the best works by South Africa’s greatest painters, including Irma Stern, Gerard Sekoto, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef and Maggie Laubser.

Enquiries Giles Peppiatt +44 (0) 20 7468 8355 giles.peppiatt@bonhams.com Hannah O’Leary +44 (0) 20 7468 8213 hannah.oleary@bonhams.com Catalogue +44 (0) 1666 502 200 subscriptions@bonhams.com

Illustrated Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993) ‘Yellow Houses, District Six’ oil on canvas Estimate: £200,000 - 300,000 ZAR 2,300,000 - 3,500,000 Bonhams 101 New Bond Street London W1S 1SR www.bonhams.com/sasale

BUSINESS ART | SA ART AUCTIONS 2011 REVIEW / BONHAMS

An evening sale of South African masterpieces at Bonhams in London 23 March To view works log onto: www.bonhams.com/sasale Bonhams next South African Art sale on March 23 has attracted so many outstanding works following the breaking of the record for South African art last year in New Bond Street, that the sale will now include an evening auction of 20 masterpieces. These 20 pictures are some of the most outstanding and desirable works by Irma Stern Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, Maggie Laubser and Gerard Sekoto. The glowing colours and vibrancy of this art out of Africa is already attracting huge interest. Many of these pictures flooded in to Bonhams following the £2.4m (R26.6m) result at Bonhams October sale for Irma Stern’s `Bahora Girl’, an image of a young Indian girl painted in Zanzibar on one of the artists beloved forays deep into Africa. Giles Peppiatt, Head of South African Art at Bonhams says: “In the five years that we have held stand-alone South African art sales in London, the quality of the work on offer has steadily grown in stature. Without doubt, this latest offering is in a class of its own, hence the decision to hold an evening sale of true masterpieces. These range in value from £100,000 to £2m. It is without doubt the most exciting collection of South African images that I have seen.” The works have been sourced from South Africa, Europe, Canada and the USA, Israel and Australia.

The masterpiece paintings on offer will include: Irma Stern (1894-1966) ‘Arab Priest’, £1,500,000 to £2,000,000 Irma Stern, `Seated Nude with Oranges’, £800,000 to £1,200,000 Irma Stern, Still Life of Lilies £700,000 to £1,000,000 Irma Stern, Still life of Irises, oil £700,000 to £1,000,000 Irma Stern, `Portrait of a Malay child’ £700,000 to £1,000,000 Irma Stern, `Swazi Youth’ £600,000 to £900,000. Irma Stern, `Woman in blue’, £400,000 to £600,000 Irma Stern, `Portrait of an African Woman’ £300,000 to £500,000. Irma Stern, ‘Pondo Mother and Child’, £200,000 to £300,000. Gerard Sekoto, (1913-1993) `Yellow Houses, District Six’ £200,000 to £300,000 Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886-1957) `Bosveld’ £180,000 to £220,000 Irma Stern, `Still life of tree tulips’ £150,000 to £200,000. Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, ‘Stormclouds over the veld’ £120000 to £180,000 Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, `Veld scene’£120,000 to £180,000 Irma Stern, ‘The Fete’ £120,000 to £180000 Gerard Sekoto, Schoolgirls (Sophiatown?) circa 1943/44) £100,000 to £150,000 The main sale starting at 2.30pm on March 23 in Bonhams New Bond Street saleroom will include some 100 plus pictures.

Image of Royal Bafokeng maid who served tea to Maggie Laubser for sale at Bonhams in London Sold for £45 in 1945 the picture is estimated to sell for £200,00 to £300,000 The Verster family of Rustenberg have a remarkable story that is now part of South Africa’s artistic history thanks to a visit for afternoon tea by the leading artist Maggie Laubser (South African, 1886-1973). When Maggie Laubser visited the Versters at their home in Rustenberg in 1945, their nanny, Annie, was called upon to serve afternoon tea to their esteemed guest. Laubser was struck by the beauty of the young Annie, and was adamant that she should sit for a portrait. Several days later, on her departure, Laubser tucked the painting under her arm and left for the train station. Her hosts were surprised that she did not offer them the painting, and begged her to part with it. It was only on boarding the train that she relented, reluctantly selling the work for £45, a considerable sum in those days.

Annie of the Royal Bafokeng. Oil on canvasboard, 50 x 45cm

Maggie Laubser with her painting: Annie of the Royal Bafokeng in her studio. 58

Annie was a daughter of the Bafokeng people, and Dr Verster had to seek special dispensation from the Bafokeng Chief in order to employ her as a nanny. At that time, the Royal Bafokeng held considerable power and wealth due to the discovery of substantial reserves of platinum on their land in the Rustenburg valley in the 1920s. Laubser was often influenced by exotic beauty and her various travels within South Africa. Her portraits of young Indian and African women, in which flower motifs are employed as decorative surrounds, are some of her finest. Comparable works include Young girl with head scarf holding a protea, Pondo woman and Indian girl with poinsettias (all sold at Bonhams between 2009-2010). The painting, `Annie of the Royal Bafokeng’ is signed ‘M. Laubser’ (lower right) and further signed, inscribed, and dated ‘Maggie Laubser, Oortmanspoort, Klipheuvel Stasie, Kaap 1945’. The picture an oil on canvasboard, 50 x 45cm (19 11/16 x 17 11/16in) is estimated to sell for £200,000-300,000. Oortmanspoort was the name of Laubser’s farm near Klipheuwel in the Overberg, where she settled in 1924 after the conclusion of her European travels. Hannah O’Leary, Head of South African Art at Bonhams comments: “We are delighted to offer Annie of the Royal Bafokeng on the market for the first time. As well as being a beautiful painting, and a magnificent example of Laubser’s portraits, which have become the most-prized works in her oeuvre, the story of Annie the nanny is simply charming. The portrait obviously caused a lot of excitement in the Verster household, and no doubt the story was often recounted when visitors admired the painting. While £45 was a high price at the time, Laubser was then at the peak of her career and knew she could command a high price for the painting back in the Cape. In fact, when one compares the prices fetched for lesser works at auction in recent years, we can see that Dr Verster made a very sound investment indeed.” SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

The South African Sale Wednesday 23 March 2011, 2pm New Bond Street, London Enquiries Giles Peppiatt +44 (0) 20 7468 8355 giles.peppiatt@bonhams.com Hannah O’Leary +44 (0) 20 7468 8213 hannah.oleary@bonhams.com

Catalogue +44 (0) 1666 502 200 subscriptions@bonhams.com Illustrated Harry Stratford Caldecott (1886-1929) ‘In the Malay Quarter (Street Scene, Malay Quarter) oil on canvas Estimate: £50,000 - 80,000 ZAR 580,000 - 940,000

Bonhams 101 New Bond Street London W1S 1SR www.bonhams.com/sasale

BUSINESS ART | SA ART AUCTIONS 2011 REVIEW / STRAUSS & CO

Strauss & Co. Cape Town sale preview

Two milestones in South African Art back under the hammer Two paintings which previously shook the South African art market are to be offered for sale at auction again in March.

Jacob Hendrik Pierneef: Extensive Landscape Northern Transvaal Oil on canvas, 76 by 102cm R10-15 million

JH Pierneef’s masterpiece Extensive Landscape Northern Transvaal made auction history in 1985 when it became the first South African painting to break the one hundred-thousand rand mark, selling for R120 000. In 1995 Irma Stern’s Still Life of Delphiniums created a stir when it broke through the R200 000 barrier for a 20th century South African painting, selling for R209 000. This set a new record for Irma Stern and was South Africa’s most expensive painting sold at auction for over five years. These two major works are now back in the market with presale estimates of R10 000 000 – 15 000 000 and R10 000 000 – 12 000 000 respectively. This staggering growth proves that art is a form of investment with one of the highest returns. These two paintings are to be included in Strauss & Co’s sale of Important Paintings, Furniture, Silver and Ceramics on March 7 to be held at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town. Strauss & Co, South Africa’s foremost auctioneers for South African art, holds the record for the highest price ever paid for a South African painting on home turf having sold Gladioli, by Irma Stern for R 13 368 000. In addition Still life with Delphiniums, the sale features five other major works by Irma Stern, totalling over R 40 million accounting for over 50% of the sale totals. Other Highlights include:

Irma Stern: Still Life of Delphiniums signed and dated 1938, oil on canvas laid down on board, 99 by 73,5 cm R10 – 12 million

Irma Stern: The Lemon Pickers, signed and dated 1928, oil on canvas, R10-14 m Irma Stern: Still life with Camellias, signed and dated1940, oil on canvas R3-4 m Irma Stern: Still life with Roses and Apples, signed and dated 1944, oil on canvas R7-9 m Irma Stern: Grand Canal, Venice signed and dated 1948, oil on canvas R4-6 million Irma Stern: Still life with Fruit and Flowers, signed and dated 1934, gouache, R900 000 – 1, 2 m Peter Wenning, At Claremont, CP, oil on canvas, R 800 000 – 1, 2 m Alexis Preller, Gold Kouros, gold leaf on panel, R 1800 000 – 2, 2 m

Auction: Monday 7 March 2011 Preview: From Friday 4 March to Sunday 6 March from 10am to 5pm Walkabouts : Stephan Welz and Emma Bedford Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March at 11am Contact Numbers : 021 683 6560 / mobile 078 044 8185 Catalogues are available and can be purchased online or from Strauss & Co’s offices. www.straussart.co.za

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

Irma Stern, The Cellist signed and dated 1943, oil on canvas laid down on board, 101 by 83,5 cm R7 000 000 – 10 000 000

Thinking of Selling? Important British, Continental and South African Paintings and Sculpture Johannesburg, Monday 16 May 2011 Closing date for entries: mid-March Enquiries: Johannesburg 011 728 8246 jhb@straussart.co.za www.straussart.co.za

Strauss & Co is South Africa’s premier ﬁne art auction house

BUSINESS ART | LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL AUCTION REVIEW

London February art auctions : Recession? What recession? By Michael Coulson It was boom time all over again in the mid-February fortnight of London art auctions, with well over £ 400m (including buyer’s premium) pouring into the market, comfortably ahead of estimates. Naturally there were disappointments, the biggest being Christie’s failure to sell a Gauguin still life, estimated at £ 7m-£ 10m, the highest estimate of its Impressionist and modern sales, but this was not a particularly attractive work and even before the sale there had been suggestions that it was over-valued. The biggest success was not one of the regular sessions, but the singleowner Looking Closely at Sotheby’s, which grossed £ 93.5m, almost double the top end of the estimate range of £ 39m-£ 55m. All 60 lots sold, the star being a 1964 triptych portrait of Lucien Freud by his friend Francis Bacon, estimated at £ 7m-£ 9m, which actually fetched £ 23m – marginally below the £ 25.2m Sotheby’s got for Picasso’s La Lecture earlier in the week, which remained the best price of the fortnight. It’s an open secret that Looking Closely was the collection of the Genevabased collector George Kostalitz, who died last year. He bought many of the works directly from the artists from the 1960s onwards, and most had been unseen in public for decades. Apart from the Bacon, the most notable result of this sale was a record for any piece of surrealist art: £ 13.5m for Salvador Dali’s portrait of Paul Eluard (est GB3.5m-£ 5m), three times the previous record for Dali set earlier in the same week at Christie’s. Sotheby’s grossed £ 242m in the fortnight, with Looking Closely more than contributing the gap between it and Christie’s £ 184m. Having said that, Sotheby’s also achieved most of the top prices and the best returns against estimate. Smaller house Philips de Pury took only £ 5.4m at its sale of modern art, but even this was considered a sign of a recovery by a firm that’s been through a torrid time. Christie’s biggest sale was its evening sale of Impressionist and modern art, which grossed £ 61.9m, though its evening sale of post-war and contemporary art was only £ 500 000 below this. The fortnight started on a high note. Sotheby’s evening Impressionist and modern art session included the highest estimate of the week, £ 12m-£ 18m

for La Lecture, a portrait of Picasso’s lover (and later wife) Marie-Therese Walter: it fetched £ 25.2m. There were at least seven serious bidders for this work, which came to Europe for the first time since 1932. Another artist record achieved by Sotheby’s was £ 2.5m for Rene Magritte’s Le Maitre d’Ecole (est £ 800 000-£ 1m), double the old record for a work on paper by the artist. Sotheby’s says it attracted more than 200 buyers from 12 countries for its three Impressionist and modern sales, with 26% of bids coming from the Americas and 10% from Asia. The sales were 85% sold by lot, while it’s also said that 87 lots were unsold against 267 sold. Putting these two statistics together, it’s clear that the unsold lots were low value and that demand was strongest at the top of the market. Highlight of Sotheby’s contemporary art sales in the second week was Gerhard Richter’s monumental Abstraktes Bild of 1990 (225cm x 200cm). It was bid up to £ 7.2m, though it should be noted that, without the buyer’s premium, this would have been below the top of the estimate range (£ 5m-£ 7m). Christie’s was particularly pleased with the specialist surrealist sale that kicked off its season and grossed £ 23m, but the best price from its Impressionist and modern art series was an artist record £ 7.2m for Bonnard’s Terrasse a Vernon (est £ 3m-£ 4m), acquired by the family of the vendor in 1935, followed by £ 5.9m for Andre Derain’s Bateaux a Collioure (est £ 4m-£ 6m) and £ 5.4m for a Degas pastel (est £ 3m-£ 5m). Just short of £ 5m were £ 4.9m for Picasso’s early (1901) Sur l’imperiale traversant le Seine and £ 4.7m for Magritte’s L’aimant (est £ 3.5m-£ 5.5m). Warhol was popular throughout the fortnight, his top price being £ 10.8m for a self-portrait at Christie’s post-war and contemporary evening auction (est £ 3m-£ 5m). Christie’s also sold a Richter Abstraktes Bild for £ 3.2m (est £ 1m-£ 1.5m). Among other highlights, £ 4.1m for an oil by Martial Rayss was a record for a living French artist (est £ 1m-£ 1.5m). Apart from the good individual prices, the fortnight was notable for the geographical spread of buyers, commentators noting an apparent growth in interest from both Russia and China.

Strauss & Co. March Sales Preview By Michael Coulson While Strauss & Co has great hopes for its first auction of 2011, analysis reveals how much the market is still concentrated on Irma Stern and, to a lesser extent, Pierneef. As usual, the art lots are split into two sessions, but the first session, of minor work, is much smaller than usual, containing only 25 lots of SA art with a gross low estimate of about R265 000, an average of about R10 600. The main, evening, session includes 129 lots of SA art with a gross low estimate of just under R58.5m, an average of about R453 100, making a total of 154 lots with a low estimate of R58.7m, an average of about R381 300. However, seven of the nine top estimates are Sterns, with a gross low estimate of R35.9m, while a couple of minor Sterns are put at another R260 00, meaning that she alone contributes almost 62% of the total. Perhaps surprisingly, the top estimate is not a Stern, but a Pierneef landscape (the inside back cover lot), at R10m-R15m. Other Pierneefs (including several linocuts) are valued at just under R500 000, so that he contributes almost another 18% of the total, making 79.6% for the pair of them. 62

No wonder complaints are being heard that, rather than seeing ever more astronomical prices for Stern, it would make for a healthier market if interest broadened to the likes of Maggie Laubser, Maud Sumner and others. The top Sterns are valued at R10m-R14m (The Lemon Pickers, the cover lot), R10m-R12m, R7m-R9m (both still lifes), R4m-R6m (a scene in Venice), R3m-R4m, R1m-R1.5m and R900 000-R1.2m (all still lifes). The only other R1m-plus low estimate is an Alexis Preller Kouros (R1.8m-R2.2m). Runnersup include two Pieter Wenning landscapes (R800 000-R1.2m and R700 000R900 000), a Freida Lock still life (R700 000-R1m) and two Stanley Pinkers at R600 000-R900 000 each, a still life and a figure study. Pierneef and Stern each have nine works on offer, followed by Walter Battiss (seven), Maggie Laubser and William Kentridge (six each) and Gregoire Boonzaaier (five). The auction will take place at Cape Town’s Vineyard hotel on Monday March 7, the two sessions starting at 4pm and 8pm respectively

SA ART TIMES. MARCH 2011

NUSHIN ELAHI’S LONDON LETTER | BUSINESS ART

(Top) Damien Hirst: Let’s Eat Outdoors Today, 1990–91. (Right) Roger Hiorns: Untitled, 2005 (Right middle: Henry Moore, Reclining figure (Right below) Anish Kapoor : Turning the World Upside Down By Nushin Elahi London is abuzz with British art. Protesters interrupted a Christie’s auction abhorring the ‘orgy of the rich’ and the ‘obscene’ amounts paid for art such as the Francis Bacon triptych that had reached a tag of £23 million at Sotheby’s a week earlier. At the Hayward and the Royal Academy many generations of British art are on display, drawing parallels with old and new. The Royal Academy’s Modern British Sculpture is attracting criticism as a definitive summation of British sculpture, as important artists have been left out – Elizabeth Frink, Anish Kapoor, to name a couple. The British Art Show is considered the most influential exhibition of contemporary British art. It takes place every five years, but this outing at the Hayward is the first time it has been in London for 21 years. Subtitled In the Days of the Comet, it takes as its theme histories real and imagined. There is much to enjoy in both, and the parallels between them are startling, with similarities such as the bright red Anthony Caro installation at the Academy with its angular metal lines, and the equally vibrant red of Mick Peter’s obsolete architect’s drawing tables in rubber. Damien Hirst is always controversial, and his Let’s Eat Outdoors Today has to be one of his most disgusting images, because it is a scene we are all familiar with – an outside table and a barbecue with fat juicy steaks, but the sealed glass box is thick with flies and maggots crawling over everything. There is also imminent decay, although a bit more humour, at the Hayward in Charles Avery’s boxed image of a girl in sand facing a dead tree, her back to the snake sliding towards her. Looking up, kaleidoscopic mirrors reflect and draw the viewer into the narrative. A monumental alabaster image by Jacob Epstein of a full frontal nude Adam that dates from the late Thirties still has the power to embarrass. The epic proportions of the eye-level genitalia, as Adam thrusts his head upwards and his torso outwards causes viewers at the Royal Academy to demurely look aside, while the installation that is causing most interest at the Hayward is undoubtedly the naked young man sitting on a park bench staring into the flames of a fire. Roger Hiorns’ Untitled blurs the distinction between voyeurism and art to the degree that the people surreptitiously watching the live model (in a very coy position) from a distance were more interesting than the artwork itself. On entering the Hayward one is greeted by the discordant tones of turntables out of synch with each other, the irritating hum of electronica as Krapp’s Last Tape flickers on the screen. The range of work is amazing, spanning

every medium, from bleak landscapes of a Coventry council estate, painted in Humbrol paints by George Shaw, and the richly textural work by Phoebe Unwin to quirky installations such as a lamp and lace curtains framing a view across London (Juliette Blightman); Sarah Lucas’ squidgy stuffed pantyhose NUDS; Steven Claydon’s Untitled (TROM Bell) cast in Whitechapel Bell Foundry and chimed at random intervals or a square mound of earth decorated with glitter. There are also loads of videos, some of which demand anything up to 40 minutes, when most visitors will only give seconds. The compelling exception to that rule is Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a 24-hour montage of cinema clips which feature clocks and time, creating a new narrative that could indeed keep you there all day. The Royal Academy has also cleverly juxtaposed ancient and modern, showing the wealth of sources artists had to work from by placing early twentieth century art against Aztec, Greek, Egyptian and Indian sculpture. A severe looking Queen Victoria with an ornate floral crown by Gilbert (creator of Piccadilly Circus’s Eros, now a symbol of London) stares down at the regal purple outlines of a helmet, Philip King’s Genghis Khan. Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth’s monumental sculptures, Naum Gabo’s abstracts and an early installation from Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton, which seems to place one inside a pack of cards, ensure that the older generation of sculptors is well represented. Turning to more modern artists, the ground-breaking shock of Richard Long’s Chalk Line or Carl Andre’s minimalist stack of bricks now feel pleasantly familiar, leaving Hirst to generate the shock, or in this case, revulsion. Unfortunately, the show unravels somewhat from there, leaving one remembering the Hayward’s fresher take on contemporary work. As for Kapoor, who recently had a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy, five of his huge polished sculptures are now Turning the World Upside Down as they reflect the skies in Kensington Gardens - proof of the power of art to offer so much more than shock. British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet – Hayward Gallery, South Bank until 17 April. Modern British Sculpture – Royal Academy, Piccadilly until 7 April. Anish Kapoor: Turning the World Upside Down – Kensington Gardens until 13 March.

SA ART TIMES MARCH 2011

The South African Print Gallery Come in and enjoy a substantial quality stock of editioned, fine art investment prints - by leading SA artists from as little as R 900.

Sibonelo Chiliza’s: “Oncidium papilio” Litho and editioned

The South African Print Gallery: 107 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock (along the Gallery Strip), Cape Town www.printgallery.co.za info@printgallery.co.za Tel 021 4626851