Creative Feel June 2018

INVESTING IN ART RMB Turbine Art Fair, 12 - 15 July 2018

Celebrating South Africa’s oldest SA R36,90 (incl. VAT) - June 2018

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CONTENTS

COVER IMAGE Let’s fly together as one, Themba Khumalo SOURCE Artist Proof Studio

30 CION: REQUIEM OF RAVEL’S BOLERO SET TO TOUR Since its premiere at The Market Theatre (co producers of the piece) on Africa Day in 2017, Cion:

(Look out for our article on Themba Khumalo in our July issue!)

maiden tour.

cover story 16

Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero will be embarking on its

RMB TURBINE ART FAIR 2018

32

WOLFGANG TILLMANS’ FRAGILE After showing in Kinshasa and Nairobi, the ifa Touring Exhibition Wolfgang Tillmans: Fragile will

As of July this year, the unique South African

be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG)

art fair that brings together galleries and artists

from 9 July to 30 September 2018.

from around the country to present and sell works in the iconic Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johannesburg, has a new headline sponsor: Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).

36 VIRTUALLY PRESENT,

PHYSICALLY INVISIBLE At the end of last year, Alejandro G. Iñárritu was

presented with a special Oscar®️ for his virtual reality (VR) installation Carne y Arena (Virtually present, Physically invisible), recognised by the Academy as an exceptional storytelling experience.

arts and culture 24 FLIGHT CENTRE’S TRAVEL STOKVEL In the spirit of stimulating travel among South

38 COLLECTING NOW! Exciting times are ahead for art investors and

Africans, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has

collectors, or even those looking to dip a toe in the

launched a new Travel Stokvel concept.

sometimes opaque waters of the art market.

26 TASTE THE GOOD LIFE THIS WINTER There is undoubtedly a chocolate for every season. Here are some amazing ways to enjoy Nestlé chocolates that will keep you warm this winter.

28 JOBURG BALLET: DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DANCERS Nurturing a classical dancer takes years; the full-time professional dancers who make up Joburg Ballet have all been trained from a very young age.

40 THE ABSA MONEY MUSEUM A visit to the Absa Money Museum in Joburg is a nostalgic walk through the history of currency.

42 THE NEO-EXPRESSIONISTS Ahraf Jamal explores the Neo-Expressionism of John-Michael Metelerkamp and Stompie Selibe.

44 LOOKING TOWARDS A MORE INCLUSIVE FUTURE IN THE ARTS It’s been just over four months since Dr Same Mdluli took on the role of manager of Johannesburg’s Standard Bank Gallery and she’s been loving every moment of it.

Irma Stern, Still life with magnolias, apples and bowl, 1944, signed and dated, oil on canvas, 86.5 x 86.5 cm | Estimates: R6 000 000 - 9 000 000

WINTER AUCTION IN JOHANNESBURG | 17 JUNE Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art Gordon Institute of Business Science | 26 Melville Road | Illovo | Sandton For enquiries contact JOHANNESBURG | +27 11 243 5243 | enquiries@aspireart.net www.aspireart.net

CONTENTS

52 ATHOL@86: REVISITING NONGOGO Athol Fugard’s Nongogo was first staged in 1959, when the playwright was in his 20s. Now, almost

school holidays and days spent exploring imaginary

Theatre from 15 June to 15 July 2018.

worlds. From their appearances in daily newspapers

Joburg City Theatres provide training in the form of education and support programmes and workshops that are related to theatre-making and other forms of performing art production.

58 THE NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS NOMINEES FOR 2018

A’S OLDEST JAZZ FESTIVAL S CELEBRATES GREAT LEGACIES The countdown to the 2018 Standard Bank Jazz Festival kicks off with a line-up of leading musicians poised to make it an unforgettable

as comic strips to full comic books, some of popular culture’s favourite characters started out as illustrations.

lifestyle and entertainment 76 77

CD REVIEWS CINEMA NOUVEAU

contributors 46

BUSINESS & ARTS

Michelle Constant explores the dawn of art.

48

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE

Grahamstown.

Dave Mann looks at performance as a means of play.

THE EVOLUTION OF AN UNDEFINED

50

ARTLOOKS & ARTLINES

With his sophomore album, The Evolution of an

Access to the arts for young people in South Africa

31st edition at the National Arts Festival in

68

Comics have a youthful appeal, taking us back to

60 years later, the play will be staged at the Market

56 JOBURG CITY THEATRES: DEVELOPING THE YOUTH AND COMMUNITY

64

74 SUPERHEROES: TRANSCENDING CONTINENTS

Undefined, Benjamin Jephta continues to deliver a

has grown significantly in the last decade, writes

sound that is magically ‘undefined’.

Ismail Mahomed.

70 THE CLASSIC SIDE OF HEAVY METAL With classical music and heavy metal increasing in popularity among the youth in South Africa, Creative Feel decided to find out if there is any link between the two.

72

LITERARY LANDSCAPES Indra Wussow visits the bookshop artes liberales in Heidelberg, Germany.

8

Join Thandi Ntuli, 2018 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, and feed your soul and your senses as you discover how South Africa’s new breed of jazz musicians are making progress real at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival, Grahamstown from 28 June to 7 July 2018.

For a full artist lineup and to book your tickets, visit standardbank.com/naf

Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15).

The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited. SBSA 00000.

EDITOR’S NOTE

TURBINE HALL AND CULTURAL TOURISM

I

n a recent editor’s note

cooling towers. The new electricity provider consumed

I talked about cultural

‘a trainload of coal a day’. However, within a few years,

tourism and, after spending

demand again outstripped supply and further extensions

the last long weekend with

were required. Still, outages were a regular occurrence in

a number of international tourists in a conservation-

Johannesburg throughout the 1930s.

The power station lost its importance when a more

sensitive Karoo destination,

modern station was built in Orlando, Soweto in 1942, but it

I believe more than ever that

was only in 1961 that the plant was finally shut down. The

we could build a strong case

station was given new life four years later when two Rolls

for cultural tourism right here

Royce gas turbines were installed for use in emergencies and

in South Africa and, more

peak loading periods.

specifically, right here in

As neglect and indecision plagued Newtown’s future in

Johannesburg. The City of Gold

the 1970s, this fine example of early 20th-century industrial

is not generally promoted or

architecture was threatened. Over time, 300 squatters

seen as a tourist destination

occupied the cathedral-like space.

and many visitors skip it during

Several proposals were made for the building as part of

their trips to South Africa.

inner-city renewal efforts. Ultimately, AngloGold Ashanti’s

But talking to these recent

proposal to build its new headquarters here revived the

visitors, I was amazed at their

fortunes of Turbine Hall. After protracted consultations

stopovers in our country, which

between architects and heritage practitioners, it was agreed

clearly included Joburg and

that the North Boiler House could be demolished to make

with it, the Cradle of Humankind, the heritage of gold mining,

way for the development. In 2005, the City relocated the

Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum and the Hector

squatters to stands in Orange Farm and the spectacular

Pieterson Museum.

transformation of the building began. It was completed

Several of these visitors commented on the special hype

in 2009 and for the sixth time since 2013, it will host the

of Joburg, the friendliness of its people and the general

annual Turbine Art Fair, now with a new headline sponsor.

vibrancy that one encounters during a visit.

This is a really interesting development and, of course, we

In view of the upcoming RMB Turbine Art Fair, I thought I would share the history of this beautiful, iconic building just across the Nelson Mandela Bridge. The Jeppe Street

spoke to both partners involved in this new sponsorship in our cover feature.

Remember to cross the all-important bridge and embrace

Power Station, built in 1927, was the largest and last of the

the arts and culture of Joburg, the destinations on the other

three steam-driven power stations in Newtown. It housed

side are simply awesome!

Turbine Hall, the North Boiler House and three concrete

Lore

Is there Still Life? The Works of Irma Stern EXHIBITION CURATED BY WILHELM VAN RENSBURG, SENIOR ART SPECIALIST

Irma Stern, Dahlias, oil on canvas, 96 by 84cm Estimates: R8 000 000 - 12 000 000

Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg 12-15 July 2018

Dahlias, from the Labia Family Trust to be sold at auction in Cape Town on 15 October 2018 will also be on view.

Entries are currently being accepted for the October auction. Please call for further information.

021 683 6560 | www.straussart.co.za | 011 728 8246

TEAM PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lore Watterson; lore@desklink.co.za COPUBLISHER & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Chris Watterson; chris@desklink.co.za DEPUTY EDITOR Tamaryn Greer; tammy@desklink.co.za DIGITAL CONTENT CURATOR Angelia Muller; angelia@desklink.co.za ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL CONTENT: Ismail Mahomed Indra Wussow Dave Mann SALES & MARKETING sales@desklink.co.za, sales@creativefeel.co.za

PHOTO Jennifer van den Bussche of Sticky Situations

We love this!

The 560 carved wooden heads dotted on plinths throughout the Newtown Cultural Precinct reflect a sea of faces from Africa. The artists, Simon Guambe, Petrus Matsolo, Dan Guambe and Joe Matola, intended these heads to reflect African

SALES & MARKETING COORDINATOR Zama-Africa Mkhize; zama@desklink.co.za INTERN Tshepang Ralekgari; tshepang@desklink.co.za DESIGN Leigh Forrest; leigh@desklink.co.za DISPATCH Khumbulani Dube

diversity. They symbolise how, for the better part of the last century, Newtown was home to thousands of migrants from throughout Africa and the world.

A team of artists will soon be refurbishing The Heads of Africa sculptures, which

SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION subs@creativefeel.co.za

have been much-loved by the public, becoming a distinctive feature of the Newtown Cultural Precinct over the past 15 years.

By now, however, many of the artworks are either missing or in poor condition, hence the need for the current intervention. A team of artists has been assembled, led by Americo Guambe, one of the artists involved in the original creation of the heads. The artists will be sculpting new heads to replace those which are now missing or damaged beyond repair. At the same time, they will repair and refurbish those existing heads which still remain serviceable.

Over the next few months, the initial focus will be on restoring the integrity of the artworks lined up along the central walkway of Mary Fitzgerald Square, where there

Published by DeskLink™ Media PO Box 3670, Randburg, 2125 Tel: 011 787 0252 Fax: 011 787 8204 www.creativefeel.co.za www.desklink.co.za Printing Raptor Print (Pty) Ltd © Copyright DeskLink™ Media The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

are plinths for about 80 heads. The plinths – which are now in bare concrete – will be decorated with colourful mosaic designs. Later in the year, the work will be extended

While every last effort has been made to check that

to other parts of Newtown.

the information in this magazine is correct at the time

Made from disused railway sleepers, the Newtown heads are drawn from different countries and traditions from across the African continent.

of going to press, the publisher and their agents will not be held liable for any damages incurred through any inaccuracies.

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We’re searching for South Africa’s best artistic talent. #SasolNewSignatures #Limitless

Enter now.

www.sasolnewsignatures.co.za est. in 1947

IN COLL ABORATION WITH NASPERS

MANDELA TRILOGY

A musical tribute to the life of Nelson Mandela

C

ape Town Opera (CTO), in association with Wales Millennium Centre, joins Naspers and Artscape to celebrate the Mandela Centenary with two concert performances of the widely travelled

Mandela Trilogy at the Artscape Opera House. Thato Machona, Musanete Sakupwanya and Aubrey Lodewyk star as Mandela, with Philisa Sibeko and Siphamandla Yakupa sharing the role of the late, lamented Winnie Mandela. Cecilia Rangwanasha joins the cast as Mandela’s mother, with Fleur du Cap winner Edith Plaatjies making her CTO debut as Dolly.

CTO Associate Music Director Tim Murray returns to lead the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) through Van Dijk and Campbell’s rousing score, which he has conducted to great acclaim in cities including London, Dubai, Ravenna and Hong Kong. Mandela Trilogy is a truly home-brewed production that highlights the unique and forceful sound of the African voice and employs a unique fusion of traditional Xhosa songs, jazz tunes and modern music in honour of one of the world’s most inspiring statesmen. The work consists of three acts – an encounter with traditional rural music, a jazz musical and an opera – representing the diversity of expression in contemporary South Africa. Composers, Peter Louis van Dijk, Mike Campbell and librettist, Michael Williams, collaborated to musically identify and complement different phases of Mandela’s life, providing three singers with an opportunity to portray the complex aspects of his personality. Van Dijk explores Mandela’s teenage years, setting the first act in rural Qunu, culminating in the young man’s initiation into adulthood and his decision to leave his village for the bright lights of Johannesburg. The jazz musical of the second act – Sophiatown Rising – was composed

17.18 JULY A WA l e s M i l l e n n i u M C e n t r e p r o d u C t i o n

by Mike Campbell. The vibrant life of 1950s Sophiatown falls under the shadow of the apartheid security forces.

A R T S C A P E O P E R A H O U S E | 19 : 3 0

The hallW frequented in Ass oJig C Club i Atdance ion i t h by Mandela is closed down, and CApe to Witsnguests o pare e forced r A to relocate their homes to

ever-impoverished and distant townships. The final act is composed as a powerful contemporary opera, music by Peter Louis Van Dijk, on themes of revolution, incarceration and

‘One of the great stories of our time’ – Guardian, UK ‘A modern folk opera with electrifying choral singing… a very ambitious, highly successful tour de force’ – Abendzeitung ‘A sexy dose of jazz and the refined strains of Western opera and traditional Xhosa song drive a new opera about South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela’ – The Washington Times

freedom. Mandela Trilogy made its European premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre on 18 June 2012 and has since enjoyed successful tours abroad. CF Book and Lyrics: Michael Williams | Score: Peter Louis van Dijk and Mike Campbell | Conductor: Tim Murray | Director: Michael Williams | Revival Director: Alan Swerdlow | Lighting Designer: Kobus Rossouw | Video Designer: Kirsti Cummings | Choreographer: Sibonakaliso Ndaba For corporate package bookings, contact Tracy Cahill at tcahill@webafrica.org.za. Tickets prices: R280 | R200 | R130.

Book through Computicket.

Comfort, art, beauty, cuisine and service excellence–

a pure delight

The beautiful and serene Casta Diva Boutique Hotel, nestled on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain range in Pretoria, is a place to escape the madness of the everyday busy world.

If you are searching for a place to relax and enjoy some of the natural beauty South Africa has to offer, book a room at this four-star boutique hotel and spoil yourself with some affordable luxury. Not only do they offer the most amazing accommodation, but there is also a true fine dining restaurant where your taste buds can enjoy a culinary adventure from breakfast to dinner. The á la carte menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner offer a selection of dishes sure to satisfy your hunger. The culinary team has just finished the design of some amazing game dishes. Be daring, hunt your game at Charisma!

Boutique Hotel A unique venue, nestled high on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg amidst peaceful and tranquil surroundings that offer stunning views and an unsurpassed setting of natural beauty and elegance in an oasis of peace and serenity in the city.

As Casta Diva often collaborates with up-and-coming performers, you might be lucky enough to stay when they have a show in the intimate Vissi d’Arte Theatre/Art Gallery.

On stage 9 June Liza with a ‘T’ starring Tonya Koenderman Tonya Koenderman is back in town with her one-woman hit show, Liza with a ‘T’, directed by Neil Lessick. It is a tribute to the great Liza Minnelli, and has been performed to sell-out houses and critical acclaim in Port Elizabeth, East London, Grahamstown, Durban, Cape Town, Namibia, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.

The show tells the story of Minnelli’s life – her close

Restaurant Guaranteed the true Decadent, Divine, Delightful fine dining experience, the perfect fusion between the magic of Casta Diva, fresh ingredients, a dedicated culinary team and the friendliest service of South Africa.

relationship with her father, her struggle to conquer drug and alcohol abuse, her many relationships, and of the influence her mother Judy Garland had over her. But mainly the show pays tribute to the songs Minnelli made famous: ‘Cabaret’, ‘Mein Herr’, ‘Maybe this Time’, ‘New York, New York’, ‘All That Jazz’, and many more.

Hours of careful study of Liza Minnelli’s moves and music resulted in a show that has brought great success for Koenderman. Her impersonation has been so impressive that she was invited to star in the look-alike, sound-alike show, Stars in Your Eyes in 1996. This lead to her being the only local artist to perform in the international show, Beyond Belief which ran for 18 months at the Sun City Extravaganza.

Casta Diva Boutique Hotel is the perfect place for guests who require a peaceful environment to ‘go home to’ and relax; the tranquillity of the property will soon have you forgetting about the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and stress, without needing to take a long journey to get there. So indulge yourself… CF Visit their website today, www.castadiva.co.za, and book a room at Casta Diva Boutique Hotel. You could also like their Facebook pages to stay up-to-date on the special

14 / Creative Feel / June 2018

events they offer – Casta Diva The Place To; Casta Diva’s Charisma; and Casta Diva’s Vissi d’Arte.

JOAN JONAS:

V I C TO R I A T H E AT R E 04 JUL :: 12:00 + 17:00 05 JUL :: 14:30 + 20:00 06 JUL :: 17:00 07 JUL :: 12:00

A RETROSPECTIVE Hero to a generation of younger artists, Joan Jonas is an American visual artist and a pioneer of video and

U J . A C . Z A /A R T S : : + @ U J A R T S & C U L T U R E

performance art. She is one of the most important female artists to emerge in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jonas’ projects and experiments provided the foundation on which much video performance art would be based. Her influences extend to conceptual art, theatre, performance art and other visual media. She lives and works in New York and Nova Scotia, Canada. Jonas is a pioneer of performance and video who has pushed the boundaries of art for the last five decades.

WRITTEN BY REZA DE WET STARRING LIEZL DE KOCK MPHO OSEI-TUTU ZAK HENDRIKZ OLIVE STRACHAN DIRECTED BY ALBY MICHAELS

Until 5 August, visitors to Tate Modern will have the opportunity to experience the largest exhibition of Jonas’s work ever held in the UK. In the exhibition, early works from the late 1960s are shown alongside recent installations dealing with topical themes such as climate change and extinction. You can see her landmark installations including Lines in the Sand, The Juniper Tree and Reanimation.

For the first time at Tate Modern, a single artist’s work is explored in the exhibition galleries, and in film screenings in the Starr Cinema and installations in the Tanks – an experimental exhibition for an experimental artist.

Jonas will also perform live alongside other artists as part of the BMW Tate Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights programme.

The exhibition is organised by Tate Modern and Haus der Kunst, Munich in partnership with the Serralves Museum of

R H O D E S BOX 06 JUL :: 20:00 07 JUL :: 14:00 + 20:00 08 JUL :: 11:00 + 15:00 16 / Creative Feel / June 2018

U J . A C . Z A /A R T S : : + @ U J A R T S & C U L T U R E

Contemporary Art, Porto. CF

RMB Turbine Art Fair

2018

As of July this year, the unique South African art fair that brings together galleries and artists from around the country to present and sell works in the iconic Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johannesburg, has a new headline sponsor: Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). Or rather, as both Glynis Hyslop of The Forum Company and Carolynne Waterhouse of RMB prefer to call it, a new ‘headline partnership’.

Creative Feel, which has been a media partner since the inaugural fair in 2013, spoke to both partners to find out more about the passion and energy behind this exciting new development for RMB Turbine Art Fair.

18 / Creative Feel / June 2018

T

he very first Turbine Art Fair came about in 2013

to R50 000, having started off at R25 000 in 2013. We have

more or less by chance. Glynis Hyslop, the owner of

always tried to make it more accessible in general, with

The Forum Company, which operates several venues

works from artists who are starting their careers, as well as

including Turbine Hall, remembers: ‘I stopped over

paper-based and small works by more established artists.

in London on my way to America to visit the London Art Fair

‘At the end of every fair, we always do a review with

and thought that The Forum Company could do something

the galleries who exhibited and two answers to the many

similar with art, that would be appreciated and much more

questions we ask are always consistent. Seventy per cent say

accessible. This would also mean that we could buy more art

that the majority of their buyers annually come from the

to grow our already robust collection, which lines the walls of

Turbine Art Fair and that the R5 000 to R10 000 range is the

all our venues.

most popular, with a few pieces selling for between R30 000

‘This was in March 2013, and we held the first Turbine Art Fair in July – a time that made the most practical sense

and R40 000 (or now perhaps R50 000).

‘The second most distinguishing factor is that we have

to us, as there are not as many events over the winter

tried to create a relaxed environment and a place where you

months as at other times of the year. So, we had a venue, the

can learn about art in an appealing and accessible way. We

infrastructure and a great idea; nothing was going to stop

like people to come and spend time here, just to hang out

us and we quickly figured out how we were going to do it,’

and soak up the creative vibes while they acquire knowledge

Hyslop says.

and ideally – new art!’

‘I must admit that I am embarrassed when I think of

Now this year there is the new ‘headline partnership’

how modestly the Fair started and proud of what it has

with RMB, and what an exciting fit for Turbine Hall.

now become,’ she continues. ‘As we went along, we focused

Yes, it will continue in the iconic setting in Newtown,

on continuous improvement and I am confident that the

Johannesburg, as Carolynne Waterhouse assures. In fact, the

quality of the galleries and their art “showcases” have also

popular downtown location is one of the Fair differentiators

developed positively over the years.

that persuaded RMB to partner with The Forum Company.

‘In the first year, we had 2 000 visitors, it then went up to

‘For an event that attracts a diverse audience, Newtown is

4 000 and last year we had 10 500 art enthusiasts through the

both appropriate and accessible. We believe that the RMB

mighty Turbine doors. While the growth of the Fair is actually

Turbine Art Fair has a broad reach and many visitors can

constrained by the size of the building due to its heritage

afford to buy their choice of art. Many fair-goers aspire to

status, the history and beauty of this unique venue is in itself

return home with a special piece, to either start or add to

a real strength, which adds to the pulling power of the Fair.’

their collection of all things creative.’

Hyslop adds, ‘I think there are two things that distinguish

RMB has a long history of supporting the arts and

the RMB Turbine Art Fair. Firstly, we have kept the top prices

nurturing young talent across South Africa in unique and

to a maximum, which has gone up this year from R40 000

varied ways. Since 1998, RMB has hosted the much-loved

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 19

RMB Starlight Classics twice a year, at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West, and at Country Club Johannesburg respectively. Concert-goers are taken on an Afro-symphonic musical journey, performed by a star-studded line-up of top local artists and musicians. RMB frequently brings back South African artists with international careers to perform for their home audience.

A regular part of the Starlight Classics line-up, the Mzansi Youth Choir provides talented, underprivileged young students access to training and performance opportunities both locally and abroad, alongside their academic studies. RMB has been a proud partner of this organisation since its inception in 2003.

In 2007, RMB sponsored internationally acclaimed artist, William Kentridge’s production of The Magic Flute and were rewarded with a sold-out season. Kentridge used his trademark charcoal-erasure drawing and filming techniques to create dramatically animated projections onto a combination of gauzes and screens, to complement Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s timeless musical score.

As a brand partner, RMB brought War Horse to South African audiences in 2014, in a collaboration with Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones (co-founders of the Handspring Puppet Company), Pieter Toerien Productions and the National Theatre in London.

In the visual arts environment, RMB has been a key supporter of Artist Proof Studio (APS), a dynamic organisation that has been around for 26 years and specialises in all aspects of hand printing, from the training of young aspiring artists, to professional printing and sales.

APS is one of the exhibitors that has done consistently well at the Turbine Art Fair.

Another contribution since the start of the Turbine Art Fair has been RMB Talent Unlocked – a partnership with

Drive street level entrance to RMB’s Merchant Place campus

VANSA and Assemblage that trains and mentors less exposed

and is a recognisable Sandton landmark.

artists over a few months, culminating in the curation of a

As Waterhouse explains, ‘RMB has a history of believing

space at TAF. Many of these young artists and curators have

in the power of creativity to transform – from the physical

been able to boost their livelihoods and launch their own

transformation of concrete and other objects, to the social

careers through this RMB social investment initiative.

transformation of lives – and our country – for the better!

From a collaborative effort that started in 2013, the

‘RMB’s founding business philosophy of “Traditional

Workhorse Bronze Foundry and RMB will soon be rolling

values. Innovative ideas.”, has stood strong for 42 years and

out massive thirteen-metre-long benches, which spell out

captures the essence of RMB’s value system that is robust,

‘THINK’ from one side, while from another appear to be

sustainable and conducive to responsible innovation.

life-sized human figures in different thinking poses. These

‘If you look at Starlight Classics,’ Waterhouse continues,

are a continuation of the relationship between RMB and

‘the traditional formula of a classical orchestra has been

Workhorse’s Louis Olivier, who created the ‘DIFFERENTLY.

reinvented into an innovative Afro-symphonic selection,

THINK.’ bench, RMB’s contribution to Sandton’s Benchmark

with broad appeal, in sync with the times. I do believe that

Project in 2009. This concrete bench hosts two life-sized

Africa has a thriving creative arts sector in its broadest

bronze ‘thinkers’ and is prominently located at the Fredman

sense, with a richness around culture and heritage.’

20 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Waterhouse says, ‘RMB is committed to feeding the creative pipeline in an accessible and inclusive manner.

The only way that the art market can be sustainable is if

excellent event specialist through The Forum Company, who has made a great success and built a very attractive offering.

‘At Turbine Art Fair, there is a broad representation of

a whole lot more South Africans come on board and build

art, not everyone wants only contemporary African art. Some

collections. I’ve always tried to persuade as many people as

people want something more traditional. So, for us, TAF

possible to invest in genuine African creativity, which tends

covers traditional, innovative and everything in between,’

to unleash a tangible energy that you will never get from

Waterhouse concludes. CF

wallpaper. As art captures the spirit of a time – be it good, bad or indifferent – it will unleash debate and, unless you are

Both partners are excited about the RMB Turbine Art Fair

completely closed off, it will communicate with you.

2018 and will bring their passion, energy and even further

‘We have watched the Art Fair develop for all these years

possibilities to Turbine Hall, Newtown and the cultural

and it is our Talent Unlocked (first named Fresh Produce)

precinct of Johannesburg from Thursday 12 July (VIP

partnership with TAF that has given us enormous insight

opening) to Sunday 15 July 2018.

and put us in the position to say, “we like this fair, we like the

As a media partner, in our July issue Creative Feel will

vibe and the diversity of people it attracts. It is authentic and

report on all the details of the Fair and why the trip across the

we can add some value here.” We rate Glynis Hyslop as an

Nelson Mandela Bridge leads to such an exciting destination.

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 21

TAF 2017

From seasoned collectors to aspirant artists,

Turbine Art Fair brings people together

The 2018 instalment of the Turbine Art Fair (TAF) will continue to do what it does best, and focus on the celebration of emerging African art, artists and collectors.

H

aving partnered with TAF since its inception,

‘They were exhibited, they were up for sale, and they sold

Strauss & Co Fine Art Auctioneers have both

like hotcakes,’ says Strauss & Co’s Wilhelm van Rensburg.

witnessed and helped shape the continued

‘Having projects like that at the Turbine Art Fair encourages

growth of young artists and art collectors

young people to start collecting art, and it also encourages

through the annual fair. Last year’s museum-style Pierneef

emerging artists themselves.’

exhibition was a prime example of what one can achieve by

At this year’s fair, Strauss & Co will be exhibiting a

starting to collect art from a young age. Anton Taljaard, the

selection of Irma Stern still life works. With the works

owner of the Pierneef collection, acquired his first artwork –

coming from various independent collectors, the exhibition,

a Pierneef linocut – at the age of 13 before becoming one of

which is titled Is There Still Life? The Works of Irma Stern, will

the foremost collectors of modern and contemporary South

pay tribute to the artist herself as well as the genre of still

African art.

life throughout history.

In addition to the many watercolours, oil paintings

This year, explains Van Rensburg, Strauss & Co has

and etchings that were present at last year’s exhibition,

invited art students from tertiary institutions across Gauteng

Strauss & Co also featured Pierneef-inspired prints made by

to submit still life works across the mediums of painting,

students of Artist Proof Studio alongside the exhibition.

printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture.

22 / Creative Feel / June 2018

‘To put it simply, we want to make still life sexy again,’ says Van Rensburg. ‘This time around, we didn’t want to limit it to printmaking so we cast the net wide and opened it to even more artistic mediums. Winning artists will receive cash prizes, have their work exhibited at Turbine Art Fair, and get a chance to have their work bought up by collectors.’

Strauss & Co’s Dr Alastair Meredith adds that many students and established art collectors may not have even heard of Irma Stern’s work, let alone seen it exhibited anywhere. To have her work exhibited and engaged with, can be both informative and exciting.

Wilhelm van Rensburg, Susie Goodman and Dr Alastair Meredith at TAF17

“Having projects like that at the Turbine Art Fair encourages young people to start collecting art, and it also encourages emerging artists themselves”

Irma Stern, Magnolias

‘For them to be able to reinterpret her work and learn

they like, and buy their work. Over the years, you’ll see how

about the genre of still life throughout history, I think that’s

certain buyers keep coming back to buy more work from the

hugely exciting,’ says Meredith.

same artist. There’s actually one individual from RMB who

Beyond the work that TAF does to encourage the buying of works by emerging artists, the range of works

comes every year to buy something small. Turbine connects people in that way.’

exhibited at the Fair also do an incredible amount to

Another event that’s grown alongside TAF is Strauss &

expose art-lovers, young and old, to a wide range of

Co’s online auction. The auctions, which feature works of art

African artists. Susie Goodman, also from Strauss & Co,

by well-known artists, are targeted at entry-level buyers and

explains that an annual art fair like TAF can be one of the

over the years, have grown exponentially.

few times where people from all walks of life can come and engage with art.

‘One of the things I love the most about Turbine is that it

‘It’s been absolutely phenomenal,’ says Goodman. ‘It’s a hugely important event for us on the online calendar, and it’s grown at a fantastic rate. We had about 400 people who

connects people in all sorts of ways,’ says Goodman. ‘You get

registered online last year and it’s great to run them with

people coming from all over who are genuinely interested in

Turbine, because it means that people can go to the Art

the art world. Of course, we have some great art fairs in the

Fair and buy the young and contemporary works, but they

country, but Turbine is an affordable art fair, which means

can also go online and buy something from 1902, all at an

that art-lovers can come with a small budget, find an artist

affordable rate.’ CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 23

Growing an interest in

affordable art

Since its inception in 2013, the Turbine Art Fair

(TAF) has grown into one of the highlights on the visual art calendar. Valued by art lovers, investors and art galleries, the Art Fair aims to make art

A

rtist Proof Studio (APS) is one gallery in particular that has done consistently well since the very first TAF. Kim Berman, director of APS, says, ‘Turbine Art Fair

is one of Artist Proof Studio’s most significant platforms for showcasing and selling work by

more accessible by hosting talk programmes,

emerging artists from APS. We have seen a growing

partnering with companies like Strauss & Co to

interest in affordable printmaking by the South

educate visitors on South African greats like JH

African public. TAF, for us, introduces our brand to a new, younger audience of art buyers looking to start

Pierneef and Irma Stern, and providing a space for

their own art collections.

‘APS seems to have found a niche market for young

young, upcoming artists to expose their work to a

investors who want to support emerging artists. The

wider audience. For young investors and first-time

work they are interested in buying is excellent in

buyers, it is the chance to buy artworks that fit

execution and quality, is affordable and vibrant enough for them to proudly display in their homes. Young

their budgets and watch how the careers of young

buyers also base their decision on whether a particular

artists progress year on year.

to increase in value over time. APS has become the

24 / Creative Feel / June 2018

artist or artwork is an “investment buy” and if it is likely

quality. People like Zolile Phetshane, Neo Matloga and Olaf Bisschoff come to mind.’

In both his own gallery and at TAF, Ras has found that young investors are interested in ‘Artworks go-to place for emerging talent, with enormous growth and investment potential for galleries and investors alike.’

In addition to this, Berman says that TAF has helped

with an inherited value that appeal visually.’

Gordon Massie of Artinsure, which has partnered with TAF over the years by sponsoring the talks programme

many of their artists grow their careers and increase the

and insuring some of the artworks exhibited as part

value of their art. ‘Some artists, as a result of their success

of the special projects, such as the upcoming Irma

at the Turbine Art Fair have gone on to be offered solo or

Stern exhibition, in partnership with Strauss & Co.

group shows with established galleries. Young APS alumni

Although he doesn’t run a gallery and therefore can’t

who had their first public exposure at Turbine have gone

directly judge the impact that TAF has on day-to-

on to make successful careers for themselves in Joburg and

day sales, Massie does say, ‘I don’t think that we can

Cape Town. Lebohang Motaung, Lindo Zwane, Mario Soares,

say definitively that TAF has had an effect on actual

Sifiso Temba, Mandla Mavengere and Sizwe Khoza, to name

purchases. The question for me is: would the sales that

a few. Older alumni such as Themba Khumalo, Bambo Sibiya,

happen at a fair have happened in the gallery or through

Lehlohonolo Mashaba, Lebohang Sithole, Jan Tshikhuthula,

an online portal. It has sparked interest in art and

Phillip Mabote, and Ramarutha Makoba have been able to

increased exposure, which could lead to sales.

establish themselves in independent studios and launch

‘Value of art is aesthetic and monetary. The measure of

their own careers, largely due to exposure through APS on

the former is a personal preference and the latter can only

platforms like TAF.’

be judged when the works enter the secondary market. There

Dawid Ras, of Dawid Ras Gallery, says, ‘I’ve seen a positive increase, particularly in younger people’s interest and awareness of art overall. The Turbine Art Fair plays an

seems to have been a general increase in the primary market price of art during the last five years.’

Looking at the artworks that they have insured in recent

important role in that. The mere fact that TAF allows people

years, Massie has noted that young investors are increasingly

to decide for themselves what they like and what not, helps a

seeking out ‘Contemporary art that speaks to the societal

lot. There is no “we know better” attitude.’

and political environments in which they are.’

While many of the artists that he represents have seen an

So visit the RMB Turbine Art Fair from 12 to 15 July 2018

increase in what they are able to sell their artworks for, Ras

at Turbine Hall. There are so many incredible artworks to

points out that, ‘In my mind, there is a difference between

choose from (you might even be able to get your hands on

real increase and increases because of trends.’ However, he

a William Kentridge print) that picking just one (or two, or

says, ‘Some artists’ works grew tremendously in value and

three) favourite is not so easy! CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 25

New to Flight Centre

Inspiring debt FREE travel memories

In the spirit of stimulating travel among South Africans, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) launched a new Travel Stokvel concept at the Travel Expo, held in Johannesburg in February 2018.

T

he Travel Stokvel concept is simple, explains Lance Nkwe, FCTG Marketing Manager – Emerging Market. ‘Aspiring travellers create their own Stokvel group to contribute towards their dream holiday.

By participating in the Stokvel, members receive expert travel advice, as well as exclusive discounts and promotions not available to other customers.’

Nkwe explains that members of the Stokvel may decide to travel as a group, take turns to travel or contribute towards a family member or friend’s honeymoon, for example. ‘There really is no one-size-fits-all reason why you would choose to create a Stokvel group for travel.’

With a minimum of three and maximum of 30 members, signing up for the Flight Centre Travel Stokvel is a straightforward process. Simply complete an application form, which can be found online, and include the signature of each member, deposit the minimum amount of R500 and

26 / Creative Feel / June 2018

your Stokvel is up and running. ‘Provided the amount of R500 is retained in the account at all times, Stokvel members can withdraw the funds for any use at any time, not just to book travel.

‘Stokvels are set up to help with emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.

This is why Flight Centre decided to eliminate any red tape surrounding the process, with no credit checks or difficult approval processes to access the funds.

What’s more, Stokvel members can be assured that it is a secure way to contribute to a future holiday.’

Stokvel members can also determine how much they want to contribute at any given time by making a deposit into your Stokvel account by EFT or at your nearest Flight Centre store.

Based on how much has been contributed to the Stokvel, members will receive information about an exclusive selection of holidays cherry-picked for them. If any of the members wish to travel, he or she will need the approval of at least two signatories, with at least one of the signatories being the Stokvel Chairperson, Treasurer or Secretary.

Research by the National Stokvel Association of South Africa (NASASA) found that there are about 11.5 million individuals participating in Stokvels and investing about R45 billion collectively every year. This makes Stokvels an exceptionally notable component of the national economy.

The launch of the Travel Stokvel furthermore provides travel opportunities for South Africans who may not have been able to travel previously and strives to build a true culture of travel in South Africa. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 27

Taste the good life this winter….

There is undoubtedly a chocolate for every season. Here are some amazing ways to enjoy Nestlé chocolates that will keep you warm this winter.

How to enjoy KITKAT: There are many ways to eat a KITKAT. You definitely have to try it. We call it, ‘Show me that wafer baby’.

- Tear the strip; - Break and snap off one chocolate piece; - Bite the smooth chocolate off from both short ends; - Eat the chocolate down each side and eat the top layer; - Separate the layers and eat the crisp wafer; - ENJOY! Have a break, have a KITKAT.

“Buy and enjoy any Nestlé chocolate and you could WIN your share of R3.5 million in cash and prizes. Go on, #TasteTheGoodLife”

28 / Creative Feel / June 2018

How to enjoy AERO: Tiny Bubbles… we know you just want to bite into it and feel those bubbles melt in your mouth. We have come up with the best way to enjoy your AERO this winter is by making it the HERO ingredient in your S’more recipe, check it out on our page @AEROSA.

How to enjoy BAR-ONE: Known as the best reward EVER after a tough workout, we found that putting BARONE in your breakfast

Fancy trying out our ways of enjoying chocolate? Nestlé is giving

banana smoothie makes

away R3.5 million worth of cash and lifestyle prizes. Now isn’t

it extra delicious. So, we

that just yuuuummm?

say: Go for it! On your

Buy and enjoy any Nestlé chocolate and you could WIN

next ‘cheat-day’ be sure

your share of R3.5 million in cash and prizes. Go on,

to add some BAR-ONE

#TasteTheGoodLife. To enter, dial *120*440* and the last four

to your smoothie.

digits of your barcode followed by # Visit www.facebook.com/NestleChocolove/ for more information.

Ts & Cs apply: https://bit.ly/2ri0jtE

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 29

Joburg Ballet developing the next

generation of dancers How do you ensure a ballet company in South Africa continues to develop and expand? Nurturing a classical dancer takes years; the full-time professional dancers who make up Joburg Ballet have all been trained from a very young age to ensure that the company – proudly funded by the City of Johannesburg – is a performing arts organisation that any city worldwide could be proud of.

30 / Creative Feel / June 2018

T

o help meet future needs, the company has been investing since 2012 in grassroots programmes designed to attract young people from all backgrounds interested in exploring dance. This

investment of time, resources and knowledge aims to produce talented local artists who can one day join the ranks of Joburg Ballet, following in the footsteps of dancers like Thabang Mabaso and Mahlatse Sachane, who both emerged from the company’s development programmes.

In 2018, the development programmes, offering four levels of tuition at the company’s Satellite Schools in Soweto, Alexandra and Braamfontein, continue to go from strength to strength, with a total of 116 students attending regular weekly classes. This year a further six students

gives them great first-hand experience,’ says Keke Chele, Joburg Ballet School’s coordinator.

‘Six students took part in our highly successful season of Carmen – The Ballet at Joburg Theatre in April, where they had the chance to watch choreographer Veronica Paeper at work, learn from the professional dancers and perform with a live orchestra, when the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra joined us for the season.’

Chele, a former professional dancer with the company, has been overseeing Joburg Ballet’s development programmes and actively teaching young students for a number of also joined Joburg Ballet School’s accelerated programme,

years. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the

bringing the total number of young dancers following

arts in South Africa, he recently received a Certificate of

this highly focused curriculum to 23. These students, all

Excellence at the Premier’s Youth Excellence and Service

of whom have shown exceptional promise and talent, are

Awards from Gauteng Premier David Makhura and MEC for

largely identified via the Satellite Schools, as well as an

Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Faith Mazibuko.

annual open audition.

One of the students in the accelerated programme, Naleli

He was also named as one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2017, the only representative

Hlalele, was recently offered the opportunity to attend a

for dance. Now in its twelfth year, the list recognises

Summer School at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City,

excellence, so clearly, the future of dance, particularly for

following a successful audition held at the National School

Joburg Ballet, is in safe hands! CF

of the Arts in Joburg.

‘Our Joburg Ballet School students not only come to

To enquire about Joburg Ballet School email

classes in our studios four times a week, they also have

keke@joburgballet.com. Follow the company on Facebook

opportunities to perform on stage with the company, which

and Twitter @JoburgBallet for news and updates.

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 31

Requiem of Ravel's Bolero

SET TO TOUR

Since its premiere at The Market Theatre (co-producers of the piece) on Africa Day in 2017, Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero will be embarking on its maiden tour to Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania, to be presented on the main festival stage, Teaţrul National Radu Stanca on 15 June and, symbolically, on 16 June 2018.

U

pon the cast’s return to South Africa, the

the character Toloki, the professional mourner, at the time

production will tour locally to Artscape Theatre

of South Africa’s new democracy.

in Cape Town from 6 to 8 July 2018, with a performance at Sand Du Plessis Theatre, which is a

The cast is made up of dancers and musicians who weave through the landscape of death, symbolised by graveyards

venue that forms part of the Vrystaat Kunstefees/Arts Festival.

and a black canvas backdrop superbly designed by Maqoma’s

The lead, Toloki, will be performed by Vuyani’s senior dancer

long-time stage and lighting designer, Oliver Hauser.

Otto Nhlapo, who is no stranger to international stages.

This production is in line with Vuyani Dance Theatre’s

Mannie Manim, a multi-award-winning lighting designer and theatre producer who brings to the production over 50

2020 Creative Vision of cultivating the creative sector

years of experience, intricately and cleverly designed the

and adding value to the creative economy at this very

lighting to be emotionally searing for audiences.

challenging economic time facing the arts by collaborating

Maqoma’s collaborative skill has always produced

with local and international theatres and festivals. Gregoty

a multifaceted approach to music, design, text and

Maqoma brings to the fore the importance of works like

movement, extending the South African vocabulary,

these to be a precursor to the demise of humanity, an

particularly in Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero with the use

opportunity to mourn our past and present.

of Isicathamiya, led by four voices who interpret Maurice

The effects of migration, war in the continent and slavery

Ravel’s Bolero composition with a fresh take, layered in

are embodied in the characters that author Zakes Mda pens

language and rhythm, composed by Nhlanhla Mahlangu

with detail in his books Ways of Dying and Cion, focusing on

with additional compositions by Xolisile Bongwana who

32 / Creative Feel / June 2018

becomes the voice of Toloki, like a shadow in the dark with his haunting voice.

Zakes Mda says, ‘I fell in love with Maqoma’s work when he was still a student and he composed and choreographed an elaborate piece inspired by some harrowing historical events. After the show, I told Adrienne Sichel, a foremost

CREDITS:

dance critic of the day, that this young man will take South

Co-producer: Vuyani Dance Theatre

African dance to new international heights. He has since

Co-producer: The Market Theatre Foundation

proved me right. I have followed and been highly inspired

Conceiver, Choreographer and Director: Gregory Maqoma

by his work, which has also bedazzled the world. My family

Supporting Movement Analyst/Dramaturgy: Shanell Winlock

and I have driven for a day and a night across the states

Rehearsal Assistant: Lulu Mlangeni

of America just to watch a piece like Exit/Exist, the most

Musical Director and Composer: Nhlanhla Mahlangu

awe-inspiring performance I’ve seen in my life. In turn, that

Composition Assistant: Xolisile Bongwana

piece has inspired a lot of my painting. I’m therefore greatly

Costumes: BlackCoffee

honoured that he has found inspiration from my novels and

Set Design and Technical Director: Oliver Hauser

the characters that I’ve created to come up with this magical

Lighting Design: Mannie Manim

and soaring piece.’ CF

Sound Designer: Ntuthuko Mbuyazi

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero PHOTOS ©Siphosihle Mkhwanazi

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 33

Fragile WOLFGANG TILLMANS

After showing in Kinshasa and Nairobi, the ifa Touring Exhibition Wolfgang Tillmans: Fragile – in cooperation with the artist himself – will be exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) from 9 July to 30 September 2018.

34 / Creative Feel / June 2018

WORDS: ELKE AUS DEM MOORE AND NINA HUBER

T

he work of German artist Wolfgang Tillmans occupies a prominent position in the contemporary art world. Ever since his first exhibitions and publications in the early 1990s, Tillmans’ artistic

approaches have continually developed – he is constantly redefining photography both as an image and as a material artefact, be it in the museum space or as an object on the printed page: ‘At the most basic level, all I do every day is work with pieces of paper. I shape colours and dyes on paper, creating objects that carry more meaning than just the content of the image on their surface.’ Tillmans’ artistic work is based on his never-ceasing curiosity, his intensive research in preparation, and a constant testing and advancing of the medium and its technical and aesthetic potential.

His visual language derives from precise observations that reveal a deeply human approach to our environment.

Emotions like familiarity, empathy, friendship, and intimacy are visible and tangible in his pictures. There is hardly any other artist whose work is so shaped by the strength of community.

Wolfgang Tillmans’ oeuvre encompasses his pictures of club culture in the 1990s, abstract works based on extreme formal reduction, an art on paper and an art in space, the beauty of the everyday and pictures of the sublime, a sensual gaze full of physical desire and an analytical perspective with great social and political awareness.

Tillmans’ approach can be seen as an appeal for freedom and an invitation to encounter others fearlessly and with open-minded curiosity. For Tillmans, acceptance of the fragility that defines us as individuals and that plays into our relations with each other is not a weakness – it is a great strength. He has been aware of this interplay since his youth, and it runs through his entire artistic work,

Wolfgang Tillmans, Italian Coastal Guard Flying Rescue Mission off Lampedusa, 2008

going back to his teenage years. ‘Fragile’ refers to an early artist’s name chosen by Tillmans and the name of his music project, and also gives this touring exhibition its title. He uses failure, ruptures, and frailty as impulses to develop new processes. They refer to the imperfect nature of our lives and they reveal unanticipated perspectives on their materiality. In his art, Tillmans manages to invite people to trust their own eyes, and thus he demonstrates how subjectivity can achieve its transformative potential:

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 35

‘You don’t need hierarchies to decide what is acceptable,

The exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of

permissible, or beautiful. The possibility to appropriate

his multifaceted work and different forms of artistic

the world around you with your own eyes is freely

expression, from large-scale photography in full-room

available to everybody. Once you have trained yourself in

installations, to sculptural objects, publications, video

that, it is easier to recognise and resist manipulation and

projections, and music, and also his curatorial work

still be open to new ideas. We are always free to see what

of installing the exhibition in its particular spaces.

we want in the world.’ This is also Tillmans’ plea for the

Each venue opens up a new discourse and exchange in

courage to mistrust your own prejudices and to accept

reaction to new situations. Tillmans’ work permits access

vulnerabilities.

to a large range of aesthetic and social relations, and

Tillmans’ openness and his interest in dialogue also reflect the central philosophy and concerns in the work

also leaves space for the mysterious, for the imagination, and for deep emotion.

of ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen – an institute for

The exhibition tour includes a catalogue in English and

international and cultural relations), with its programme

French with the authors writing for the catalogue offering

of exhibitions worldwide on contemporary fine art,

diverse perspectives on aspects of the work of Wolfgang

architecture, design, film, and photography from Germany.

Tillmans. At each venue, there will also be a local author

ifa sees contemporary art as an important medium in

providing further views, anchoring the exhibition in a local

international dialogue and they work at a dynamic interface

setting, establishing links and new points of reference.

of the international art and cultural scenes.

Wolfgang Tillmans: Fragile was prepared for tour in close cooperation with the artist and his studio.

Presented by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) in collaboration with Wolfgang Tillmans and the Goethe-Institut. CF

Wolfgang Tillmans, Lutz, Alex, Suzanne & Christoph on beach (b/w), 1993

36 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Wolfgang Tillmans, Deer Hirsch, 1995

Wolfgang Tillmans

ifa

Remscheid, Germany. From 1990 to 1992

ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) is

he studied in the United Kingdom at the

Germany’s oldest intermediary organisation

Bournemouth and Poole College of Art

for international cultural relations, having

and Design. He lives and works in Berlin

celebrated its centenary in 2017. It promotes

and London. In 2000, Tillmans was the

a peaceful and enriching coexistence

first photographer to win the Turner Prize,

between people and cultures worldwide.

and in 2015 he received the Hasselblad

Its programmes pursue five core themes:

Prize. In recent years, Tillmans’ works

Cultural Exchange; Dialogue of Civil

have been shown in large museum

Societies; Migration and Culture; Culture and

exhibitions, including at Tate Modern in

Conflict; and Europe. ifa supports artistic and

London and at the Fondation Beyeler in

cultural exchange in exhibition, dialogue and

Basel in 2017. Tillmans has published

conference programmes, and it acts as a

numerous artist’s books and has recently

centre of excellence for international cultural

become increasingly politically active.

relations. It is part of a global network and

In 2016, he designed an anti-Brexit/pro-

relies on sustainable, long-term partnerships.

EU campaign in advance of the British

ifa is supported by the Federal Foreign

Wolfgang Tillmans was born in 1968 in

Brexit referendum, and in 2017 a poster

Office of the Federal Republic of Germany,

campaign for greater participation in

the state of Baden-Württemberg and its

elections and against nationalist parties in

capital Stuttgart.

the German parliament.

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 37

Virtually present, Physically invisible At the end of last year, Alejandro G. Iñárritu was presented with a special Oscar®️ for his virtual reality (VR) installation Carne y Arena (Virtually present, Physically invisible), recognised by the Academy as an exceptional storytelling experience. Creative Feel delved into this feat of ingenuity.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu PHOTO Brigitte Lacombe

C

arne y Arena (Spanish for Flesh and Sand) was

middle of a harrowing landscape of real Mexican and Central

first presented at the 70th Cannes Film Festival

American border crossings, among a group of migrants

in May last year – the first virtual reality project

caught in the snare of US Border Patrol.

to be included in the Official Selection – before

The experience of VR can feel surreal. With 360-degree

travelling to Fondazione Prada in Milan, the Tlatelolco

views, you are immersed in an alternate landscape. As you

University Cultural Center in Mexico City, the Los Angeles

walk, the landscape changes; look up and see the sky. Voices

County Museum of Art (LACMA) and is currently housed in

and cawing birds fill your ears via the headphones. Cold

a converted church in Washington, DC, where it will remain

gusts of wind blow, and characters seem able to acknowledge

until August.

your presence. The unique medium of VR allows for unique

The project, which was five years in the making, sees the five-time Academy Award-winning Mexican film

reactions and a deeply personal experience.

Of her experience of Carne y Arena at Cannes, journalist

director, producer and screenwriter, who is famed for

Ann Hornaday writes, ‘Within a few moments, a group of

Amores perros, 21 Grams, Babel, Biutiful, Birdman and

migrants appeared on the horizon, clearly exhausted but

The Revenant, re-unite with three-time Academy Award-

following the orders of their guide chattering at them in

winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Considered

Spanish. Then, with terrifying suddenness, a US Border

one of the top cinematographers working today, Lubezki

Patrol helicopter appeared, followed by a Humvee, with

is a frequent collaborator of acclaimed directors Terrence

agents pouring out and ordering the migrants at gunpoint to

Malik, Alfonso Cuarón and Iñárritu, working on films like

drop to their knees.

The New World, Children of Men, The Tree of Life, Gravity, Birdman and The Revenant.

A six-and-a-half minute solo experience based on true

‘Reader, I dropped. And, at another point under orders from a shouting police agent, I prostrated myself on the sand, hands over my head. I moved to be closer to what seemed to

accounts from Central American and Mexican refugees,

be a mother and her young daughter, impulsively shielding

immersive technology allows visitors to walk in a vast space

the little girl when the searchlights moved over her. When I

and live a fragment of a refugee’s personal journey. Leaving

reached out, I saw a brief surrealistic flash of a beating human

coats, shoes, socks and any bags outside the room, every

heart, audibly thumping through the earphones.’

visitor is handed the same three-kilogramme backpack, headphones and weighty VR goggles, before ‘landing’ in the

38 / Creative Feel / June 2018

What makes the experience even more harrowing is that this isn’t just based on real life – it is real life. Says Iñárritu,

‘During the past five years in which this project has been growing in my mind, I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing many Mexican and Central American refugees. Their life stories haunted me, so I invited some of them to collaborate with me on the project. My intention was to experiment with VR technology to explore the human condition in an attempt to break the dictatorship of the frame – within which things are just observed – and claim the space to allow the visitor to go through a direct experience walking in the immigrants’ feet, under their skin, and into their hearts.’

While the imagery and stories are based on the US and Mexico, this immersive experience has the potential to be a catalyst for conversation far beyond these borders. Throughout history, humankind has left their homes in search of somewhere new, propelled by war, hunger, the threat of violence, the promise of religious freedom or, sometimes, simply ambition.

While, hopefully, opening dialogue surrounding the current debates around migration and immigration, Carne y Arena also begs the question: ‘what is cinema?’ How does virtual reality fit into our traditional idea of ‘watching a movie’? And are we seeing a new beginning within an ever-evolving medium? CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 39

COLLECTING NOW! Smart investment in the global and local art markets

Exciting times are ahead for art investors and collectors, or even those looking to dip a toe in the sometimes opaque waters of the art market.

Still life with magnolias, apples and bowl, Irma Stern, 1944

S

ince 2000, European-based company Artprice has

Untitled, Sandile Zulu,1995

As Artprice puts it: ‘The art market – taken as a whole,

run the Price Index for the global art market. This

and including all periods and price ranges – is, therefore,

is calculated on the basis of global auction results,

a competitive form of investment and an alternative to

and shows that the market has grown by +36%. The

traditional financial assets. Over the last 20 years, the art

index is composed using the same general principles for its

market has massively increased in liquidity and has grown

construction as with most other reputable financial indices: it

to now be widely appreciated as a genuinely efficient

focuses on the art market’s fundamental artists and takes into

market. It proves that a relatively well-diversified art

account their relative weight and importance.

portfolio, constructed on the basis of a simple and non-

In comparison, the S&P 500 has gained +86% over the

aggressive acquisition strategy, has a genuine economic

same period, the FTSE 100 is up +2% and France’s CAC 40 is

raison d’être, quite apart from the non-pecuniary benefits

down -19%.

of collecting art.’

40 / Creative Feel / June 2018

“The art market is, therefore, a competitive form of investment and an alternative to traditional financial assets.

Over the last 20 years, the art market has massively increased in liquidity and has grown to now be widely appreciated as a genuinely efficient market” older generation of artists fetching higher prices appear further down the list; JH Pierneef appears at #314 and Irma Stern at #329.

Untitled 1.5, Zander Blom, 2010

The presence of the two contemporary artists higher up this ranking list is significant because it also reflects the growth and diversification of the contemporary market

One of the main areas that attracts many people

around the world, as well as in South Africa. While the art

to the art world is the spectacular prices achieved

market in this country is much smaller, it does follow the

for individual works or individual artists. 2017 saw

same broad growth trends.

plenty of examples of exceptional capital gains.

Aspire Art Auctions’ June 2018 sale in Johannesburg is a

Artprice namechecks the performance of Jean-Michel

perfect example. The presence of highly collectable artists in

Basquiat, whose prices have risen exponentially. In

the traditionally strong historic and modern market, such as

2017, a work called Jim Crow, from 1986, sold for

the beautiful and rare Irma Stern still life pictured opposite,

$17 680 936, having first sold in 1992 for $136 367 – a

takes its place alongside an increasingly diverse and broad

multiplication in value of 130 times!

offering, both from previously under-represented artists and

At the other end of the market, the same principle applies. A collector first paid $680 for a small still life

from younger and mid-career contemporary artists.

While most fine art auction houses can offer a range

by Helen Funke in 1995. The same work was recently

of work in these segments, Aspire’s strategic focus on

sold for $38 000 – a percentage return of over 5 000%.

contemporary work is demonstrated by the high quality and

Away from these spectacular returns, an analysis

variety of the lots they bring to auction. In this approach,

of a large number of lots bought and subsequently

it is taking advantage of global growth in the segment,

re-sold at auction (repeat sales) offers a much more

where, in less than two decades, contemporary art has gone

realistic general picture of the returns that can be expected

from 3% market share to over 15%. Aspire’s recent sales

on the market. An analysis of the price evolution of over 4

have seen world and South African record prices fetched

000 lots sold in 2017, for which a previous public sale could

for work by artists as diverse as Louis Maqhubela, Dumile

be clearly identified and confirmed by an auction house,

Feni, William Kentridge, Angus Taylor and Willem Boshoff.

demonstrates an average annual return of a more modest,

A newer market is also opening up for more cutting-edge

but still appreciable, +5.7%.

contemporary work, exemplified in the recent Johannesburg

In Artprice’s so-called ‘Global 500’ – the wider pool of artists who sell at auctions, and who are ranked in terms

sale by the presence of the likes of Zander Blom, Brett Murray, Sandile Zulu and Andrezj Urbanski. CF

of regular sales and turnover – four South African artists appear. All are household names in the market here, and the

Aspire Art Auctions Winter 18 auction is held at the Gordon

two highest ranked are contemporary artists – Dutch-based

Institute of Business Science, 26 Melville Road, Illovo,

Marlene Dumas at #121 and William Kentridge at #279. An

Sandton on 17 June. Go to www.aspireart.net for more.

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 41

THE ABSA MONEY MUSEUM A visit to the Absa Money Museum in Joburg is a nostalgic walk through the history of currency.

T

he Absa Money Museum is the only banking and money museum in South Africa. It is located in the Johannesburg CBD and is open to visitors from Monday to Friday. A trip to the Absa Money

Museum is a journey through time. It is here that you will discover the story behind the origination of money.

This includes cowrie shells, Venetian glass beads and the development of money, all the way back to the days of bartering trade, about 4 500 years ago.

Many currencies that have been used across Africa over the centuries are on display therein. From Katanga crosses, manilla rings, cowrie shells and Venetian glass beads, to the global currencies that arrived with prospectors in search of diamonds and gold in South Africa.

42 / Creative Feel / June 2018

“People come in here and love the saving boxes. Whether you’re 80 or 40, you can remember having one of these saving boxes; we’ve got them dating back 200 odd years. So there’s something here for everyone in that sense; that nostalgic element”

An outing to the Absa Money Museum provides an in-

about money is an interactive experience for kids. The

depth look at how economic, political and social changes

Museum provides guided tours to school groups of

affects a country’s currency.

not more than 25 students, from grade 7 upwards (by

Many visitors are drawn to the Museum for nostalgic

appointment only). The tour lasts between 60 to 90

reasons, the chance to come face-to-face with lost time.

minutes, and is tailored towards each class; when making

‘People come in here and love the saving boxes,’ says Dr

a booking, educators should have an idea of what they

Paul Bayliss, Absa’s Art and Museum Curator. ‘Whether

want to achieve through the visit.

you’re 80 or 40, you can remember having one of these

The Museum is open to the public from Monday to Friday

saving boxes; we’ve got them dating back 200 odd years.

between 08:00 and 16:00. You don’t need money to enter

So there’s something here for everyone in that sense; that

the Absa Money Museum. As entrance is free, all you need to

nostalgic element.’

bring is your ID and yourself. CF

To get the most out of the Museum, it’s worth making an appointment for a guided tour (to do this, email the Museum at museum@absa.co.za). School tours offer the perfect opportunity to take a day trip where learning

Absa Towers West, Upper Ground. 15 Troye Street, Johannesburg, 2001, South Africa Contact details: 011 350 6889; museum@absa.co.za

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 43

In the silent way, Daniel Stompie Selibe, 2018. Mixed Media on Paper, 1160 x 770mm

The Neo-Expressionists

John-Michael Metelerkamp and Stompie Selibe

‘W

WORDS: ASHRAF JAMAL

hat immediately strikes us… is that the

paintings of John-Michael Metelerkamp and Stompie Selibe,

adjective new is used rather liberally. People

is one which she perceives as a healthy and long-overdue

speak of the Neue Wilde (New Savages, Neo-

counter to the dominant fixation with art as a weapon of

Expressionists)… Indeed, the inflationary

struggle, a medium for ideology – in short, statement art.

use of the word new in connection with artistic trends does

Berman’s interest in what she calls Neo-Expressionism

not correspond at all to current terminology. It never actually

stems from a preferred passion for art that plumbs the

appears on its own but only ever as a prefix (Neo-) or as

enigmatic depths of being. For Berman, the human cannot

an adjective qualifying a trend which already exists. New

be reduced to a categorical imperative. Rather, the human

tendencies are not really all that new, nor are they really

must be understood in all its contradictory complexity.

meant to be.’

And in this regard, art plays a vital role precisely because

Klaus Honnef’s cautionary reminder of the pitfalls that

it refuses to be self-explanatory. With its roots in the

come with naming art is worth noting. Art cannot be so

paintings of Vincent van Gogh, Neo-Expressionism chooses

easily framed. And yet our Linnaean tendency to name the

not to reflect a world we might consensually verify but to

world persists. In the South African context, the art dealer,

express a world which we can unthinkingly intuit. Ruthlessly

Candice Berman, has taken it upon herself to name what

subjective, dramatically emotional, hyperbolically excessive,

she sees as a daring re-emergence and fusion of abstraction

this art form appeals to our most suppressed yearning, be it

and the figurative. This emergence, which she sees in the

psychological, sexual, spiritual, or primitive and raw.

44 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Metelerkamp and Selibe trigger, but also the very painterliness of these states.

If for Klaus Honnef ‘new states are not really all that new, nor are they really meant to be’, this is because novelty is not merely an exchangeable commodity but the expression of a haunted and inexpressible soul – a speaking of the unspeakable. And in South Africa, Metelerkamp and Selibe’s charged arena, it is precisely the need to speak the unspeakable, and refuse the declamatory staple which has informed the country’s ‘resistance art’ movement, which finds its acute expression in Neo-Expressionism.

In this form and medium of artmaking, that which is given voice are the singularities which make us human. One approaches a painting by Metelerkamp or Selibe as though one were encountering a familiar stranger, for the intimacies their Nekkies 1, John-Michael Metelerkamp, 2018. Mixed media on panel, 900 x 900mm

paintings offer are at once recognisable yet surprisingly obtuse. One does not recognise oneself in that encounter; rather, one recognises the other of

This focus, which enshrines the subconscious and celebrates viscera, results in painting that electrifies the

oneself – one’s doppelganger; one’s more remote being.

It is the psychological complexity of Neo-Expressionism,

canvas. Anything but sedate, or measured and temperate,

when combined with a daring technical flare, which, for

it is a mode of painting – inspired too by Fauvism – that

Berman, fosters a greater fluidity, rawness, and honesty

asks us to experience not only the event thrust before

in art-making. And if, as a movement, Neo-Expressionism

us but also the very materiality of its expression. This

signals a return to honesty in South African art, it is because

thrusting together of psychological content and form, like

it refuses a literal-minded and opportunistic fixation upon

the grinding overlay of tectonic plates, results in art that

a received oppression. Never reactive, Neo-Expressionism

is at once remotely enigmatic yet in-your-face. One senses

asks us to think and feel the complexity of being human. Its

the raw innards of a tempestuous mind-heart-soul hiding

painterly verve is not only a matter of formal significance.

in plain sight.

Rather, Neo-Expressionism’s very painterliness – its refusal

John-Michael Metelerkamp and Stompie Selibe are exemplary in this regard. However, if their paintings are profoundly aware of abjection, they are also filled with

to hide its materiality – is also the surest marker of its libertine and libertarian drive.

Neo-Expressionism, in other words, is the art of freedom

whimsy. It is this mix, this mash-up of conflicted and

rather than bondage. Which is why, for Berman, it is the art

conflicting drives, which expresses the drama of painting –

form that will restore to art its sacred, and profane, purpose

for it is never only the psychic and emotional realms which

and occupation. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 45

Looking towards a more inclusive future in the arts Being at the helm of one of the country’s most important noncommercial galleries can be a daunting task, but it can also be an exhilarating experience. It’s been just over four months since Dr Same Mdluli took on the role of manager of Johannesburg’s Standard Bank Gallery and she’s been loving every moment of it.

Dave Mann interviewed Mdluli about this new position.

D

r Same Mdluli,

engaging with visiting schoolchildren and young learners, to

who holds a

having the odd chat with a visitor to the gallery.

PhD in Art History from

‘I’ve got a pretty open-door policy, I don’t mind it at all,’ she says. ‘Some people want to ask about the work and

the University of the

others just come in and say hello – that’s a nice feeling, and

Witwatersrand and

it’s an interesting way to see how the space comes alive too.’

completed her B-Tech in

How people engage with and interpret art is something

Fine Arts in 2006 at the

that’s close to her heart. Mdluli’s approach to contemporary

University of Johannesburg,

art is a Pan-Africanist one – partly due to her younger years

first took up her new role in

spent living in Botswana and the United States with her

February 2018. Prior to her

parents – but she’s also interested in creating and curating

appointment, Mdluli worked

spaces that people can relate to through the artworks

as a chairperson of the Visual Arts Panel of the National Arts

they’re seeing. When asked how contemporary institutions

Council, and was the co-founder of Sosesame Gallery, aimed

and galleries can work towards becoming less exclusionary

at empowering young, up-and-coming artists. Sitting behind

spaces, Mdluli uses the example of the Smithsonian portraits

her desk on the top floor of the gallery space, Mdluli reflects

of former US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama,

on the journey thus far.

painted by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald.

‘I think I’ve already learned a lot,’ she explains. ‘Visual

‘I think that those portraits have had an extraordinary

art is what I’m familiar with and what I’ve been doing all

amount of visitors coming to the museum, solely because

along, but this has been a great learning curve. It’s been

of the interest in them,’ she explains. ‘You have to wonder,

enlightening too. We tend to think that there’s no money in

why is that? The answer is that you’ve got the first African-

art; working with the gallery and seeing how the corporate

American president who’s in a gallery space that’s had

aspects of the work can connect with the art has been quite

40-something white men in it. Suddenly there are portraits

refreshing. The limitations aren’t as heavy, there aren’t as

in that gallery that look different, and I think therein lies

many constraints. It means that you can start with a much

the solution. Once people see something that looks familiar

freer approach.’

and something that looks like themselves, something

Besides the usual admin that comes with the job, an average day for Mdluli can see her doing everything from

46 / Creative Feel / June 2018

that resembles something they know, all those kinds of curiosities then get people to walk into a gallery space.

I think that once we start doing that – putting together exhibitions that are more sensitive to what people want to see – that’s when we’ll start breaking this notion that art is exclusively for a select few.’

With the next big project for the gallery being Igshaan Adams’ solo exhibition, Mdluli says it’ll be interesting to see how audiences engage with a solo body of work from the

“The limitations aren’t as heavy, there aren’t as many constraints. It means that you can start with a much freer approach”

2018 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art. ‘I’m looking forward to that! I’ve seen most of his work

continent. To do this, she’ll pay particular attention to the

in art fairs and those kinds of settings, so it’ll be nice to see

20 different African countries that Standard Bank has a

it in a much more contemplative space where you’re able

presence in.

to really look at it deeply and think about what it is he’s

‘We know that culture and art have always been

doing and what it is he wants to draw our attention to. He

successful in creating cultural links,’ explains Mdluli. ‘I’d

also has a very unconventional way of using material which

like to start having a more Pan-Africanist view towards the

I like a lot.’

exhibitions we have, primarily utilising the connections that

Looking further ahead, Mdluli’s excited about making a contribution towards African art and how it positions the

already exist due to Standard Bank. The content is there already, that’s the beauty of it.’ CF

Untitled, Igshaan Adams, 2018. Exhibition coming to Standard Bank Gallery in July

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 47

BUSINESS & ARTS |

MICHELLE CONSTANT

The dawn of art

W

atching the three actors from PAST (The

focuses on the origins of racial diversity and sustainability and

Palaeontological Scientific Trust) performing

should be a must-have at every school in the country. I watched

the latest season of Walking Tall at the Origins

the performance a short week after going to the Sterkfontein

Centre, was a lesson in the origins of the earth,

Caves and Maropeng. Both venues opened up visions of

homo sapiens and our humanity. The cast is made up of superb

ancient histories; the Caves, in particular, are an extraordinary

physical theatre performers, and a standing ovation was owing

experience of light and dark, night and day, past and present.

to them at the end of their 45-minute stint. Furthermore, I was

Maropeng, too, is a gift for anyone attempting to describe the

aware that at the end of the show – ostensibly for young people

origins of the world to a child. The graphic water trip with its

and children – the adults had learnt how we should truly be

icy walls and waterfall, its volcanic rock and swirling steam, is a

behaving in this world. Watching the youngsters engaging with

wonderfully fun and educational experience.

some excellent action was a delight and an insight. PAST is an

In line with these experiences and opportunities is the

exciting project that focuses on the #99.9%Common theme and

arrival of the life-size replica of the world-famous Lascaux

the #AllFromOne campaign. The team have travelled across

cave paintings at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown

the continent, most recently performing in Ethiopia, focusing

mid-May. According to IFAS (French Institute of South

on the concept of STEM to STEAM and using theatre to teach

Africa) – who is partnering on the project – the palaeolithic

science. It also offers a safe space to engage with concepts

paintings found in the 1940s in France are over 17 000 years

that are considered challenging by some. The latest iteration

old and the exhibition is demonstrably one of the ideal

48 / Creative Feel / June 2018

means for South African students and adults to grab the opportunity to see the paintings as they appear in France.

It’s a wonderful example of cultural diplomacy and also cultural tourism. South Africans with an interest in the origins of humanity will certainly travel to see the ‘happening’ at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. It does seem worthwhile then to include a trip to Maropeng and Sterkfontein in the Cradle of Humankind, or even a drive just up the road to the fascinating Origins Centre at the Wits

“The latest iteration focuses on the origins of racial diversity and sustainability and should be a must-have at every school in the country”

University campus.

The thrill of being able to join the dots of diverse experiences is always good, particularly if you are able to do it with children. The Lascaux paintings will be partnered by a southern African exhibition at the Origins Centre – The

Business & Arts is a monthly column by

Dawn of Art. Both the Lascaux and the exhibition at Origins

MICHELLE CONSTANT,

talk to one of our earliest understandings of man’s need (and

CEO of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA).

ability) to communicate through art, the symbolism of what is pasted to rock wall remains a reminder of where we come from and our need to protect and learn from history. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 49

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE |

DAVE MANN

Performance as a means of play

‘T

he longing had always been for a place to call my own. Now my problems are with the council, dealing with things like water and electricity and all of those things that make me wish I was five

years old again, with no responsibilities and having everyone else doing everything for me.’

That’s a quote by South African artist Nicholas Hlobo, from an interview conducted with him earlier this year about his studio space – an old synagogue in Johannesburg. The quote was never used in the final article, but in the lead up to June, I found myself thinking about it a lot.

Hlobo’s comment is both funny and relatable. Because who wouldn’t want to be a carefree five-year-old again after facing things like rent, traffic, taxes, and all the other daily horrors that come with being a responsible adult? His thoughts are also interesting when you consider his practice. Conceptually,

Anthea Moys during the 94.7 Cycle Race

Hlobo’s work isn’t light-hearted by any means, but the act of sewing, sculpting, and performing, as he’s often required to do for his art, can be inherently youthful, if not playful.

Most elements of performance are playful, I think.

Theatre is another excellent form of play, and groups like Drama for Life or Ubom! Eastern Cape Drama Company (which is now sadly defunct) have done incredible

Dancing, singing, acting, painting, even writing – they’re all

work through their children’s and community theatre

things that children tend to engage in as a form of play.

programmes which make use of both storytelling and the

When I think about performance and play, I often start

element of play. Organisations such as Keleketla! Library

at the work of Anthea Moys. Moys is a Joburg-based artist

also use art and storytelling as a means of education and

and performer who views the act of playing as a tool for

understanding. Back when they were located at The Drill

learning and believes that, when playing games, things like

Hall in downtown Joburg, their after-school programmes

loss or failure are irrelevant, as you’ve most likely learned

made use of visual art, texts, performances, and other

something in the process of play. To this end, she’s pulled

expressive tools to engage their pupils. Then you get musical

off a number of public performances, including participating

acts like Bombshelter Beast. The 13-member band is known

in a bike race using a stationary exercise bicycle, taking on

for taking to the stage in bright costumes, waving an array

entire sports teams by herself in both Grahamstown and

of different instruments around, and rarely failing to get the

Geneva, and leading a whole parade – music, dancing and

crowd on their feet, be it on the low-lit stage of The Orbit, or

all – through the streets of Hillbrow. Her work sees her

at the Zoo Lake Bowls Club. Seeing an act like Bombshelter

engaging with children, professional artists, and ordinary

Beast performing, you get the sense that, besides making

citizens, young and old. Beyond Moys’ performances as tools

great music that people can enjoy, one of the main reasons

for collaboration and learning, there’s a kind of youthful

they do what they do is because it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

outlook you gain when you engage with her work – as if the whole city is suddenly your playground.

50 / Creative Feel / June 2018

How we engage with art and performance as adults (whatever that means) is also worth talking about. When we

Anthea Moys vs The City of Grahamstown

at the required distance from the works, admiring each painting in hushed tones. When it came to the works in Touch, most people took the title quite literally, reaching out to feel the varying textures of the paintings on show and inviting their friends to do the same. It was a strange but refreshing thing seeing groups of people running their fingers along an artwork in a conventional gallery space and, if anything, it made the artworks that much more exciting.

Similarly, in a conversation with visual artist Jessica Doucha earlier this year, she explained how kids always seem to bring a refreshing approach when it comes to engaging with art. Doucha, who’s co-assistant curating this year’s Nirox Winter Sculpture Fair, helped facilitate a number of workshops leading up to the exhibition. A few of these workshops, which took place in the sculpture park itself, were aimed at children’s education. ‘Some of the kids actually jumped on the sculptures and climbed them,’ she said. ‘Seeing them do that, it definitely brings a far more playful, interactive dynamic to the artworks… It’s Bombshelter Beast

a different way to actually experience the work as opposed to just seeing something on a plinth in a gallery that you can’t touch.’

enter spaces like galleries or music venues, the atmosphere

All of this said, there are still reasons why certain

is often quiet and considered. The works we’re there to

artworks are kept away from inquisitive fingers, and why

see hang on walls, rest on plinths, or take place on clearly

spontaneous, theatrical performances can’t take place in the

defined stages – we can look, but we don’t touch. The

middle of a busy road, I know. I also know that a trip to the

great thing about being a kid – besides having very little

theatre or an evening spent at an exhibition opening is the

responsibility – is having a natural curiosity about the world

very antithesis of ‘youth’ for many people, but for a lot of us,

around you. As we grow older, that innate curiosity dwindles.

it can be the best way to access that child-like excitement

We watch artsy films or read convoluted artist statements

and wonder. CF

and, even though we could have no idea what they mean, we become too afraid to ask. Work that invites you to play around with form or meaning, or even with the work itself, promotes a sense of curiosity in its audience.

There was a moment at the 2017 Turbine Art Fair where, in one section of the Fair, a selection of Pierneef

DAVE MANN is an editor and award-winning arts journalist.

paintings was exhibited and in another section, a group of new, experimental painters were on show in an exhibition entitled Touch. At the Pierneef exhibit, everyone stood

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 51

ARTLOOKS & ARTLINES |

ISMAIL MAHOMED

Great strides for arts advocacy for young audiences

Hani the Legacy. Sinenhlanhla Mgeyi (left) and Darlington Khoza (right). PHOTO Craig Chitima

A

ccess to the arts for young people in South

the opportunity to create poignant narratives from their life

Africa has grown significantly over the

experiences and to find ways through these narratives to

past decade. Thanks to the passionate and

provide solutions for the grinding challenges that they face.

visionary work of the South African chapter of

The young theatremakers at the Inner-City High Schools

ASSITEJ International, the world body that is committed

Drama Festival tell their stories through the elegance of

to growing a greater awareness of the importance of

dance, the innovation of devised theatre and the high energy

theatre for young audiences.

of spoken word. The localisation of the stories is a magnet

Last year, more than 100 delegates from across the

for the audience. They identify with the characters. The rich

globe descended on Cape Town when Yvette Hardie, South

diversity of the cultural diaspora of the community gives a

Africa’s leading champion for theatre for young people,

vibrancy and a freshness to the works that are presented on

summoned them to a conference to put a sharper focus on

the Hillbrow Theatre stage.

how the connection between nurturing the creativity and

Not far from the Hillbrow Theatre, the National

imaginations of children can develop more informed and

Children’s Theatre Trust, founded by Joyce Levinsohn and

better citizens when they grow up. Hosted in Cape Town,

now directed by Francois Theron and managed by Moira

this was the first time in the history of the organisation

Katz, is another magnet that provides cultural stimulation

that the World Congress for Theatre for Young People was

for the city’s youth. Their works range from reimagined fairy

held in Africa.

tales and adaptations of popular books. The small, intimate

In Johannesburg’s high-rise suburb, Hillbrow – where crime, poverty and a range of social problems are the everyday experiences of young people – the annual Inner-City High

theatre is transformed into a magical bubble in which the children’s imagination is stretched as far as it can go.

The doyenne of children’s theatre in Johannesburg,

Schools Drama Festival has evolved over the past 13 years

Jill Girard, is probably one of the city’s most unsung

as a beacon of hope. The Festival has given young people

theatremakers. More than just presenting theatre for young

52 / Creative Feel / June 2018

audiences, Jill Girard has created jobs for many young actors whose careers have grown hugely in the industry and whose names are now written in bold print on billboards.

While dramatised fairy tales are still very popular commercial theatre fair, it is independent theatre companies across the country that are taking the lead in developing content that ranges with themes from bullying at schools to

“THEATRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IS TAKING ITS PRIME PLACE IN ENSURING THAT IT IS ALSO MAKING THE NECESSARY CULTURAL SHIFTS TO RESONATE AND REMAIN RELEVANT TO YOUNG AUDIENCES” Originally written in French, The Little Prince is the world’s most translated book, outside of religious texts.

Sometimes described as the story of a grown-up meeting his inner child, it is a philosophical contemplation of loneliness, friendship, adulthood and authority. It tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. Although The Little Prince is known as a children’s story, the concept for this production is not to create a piece of children’s theatre but rather a magical retelling of the story in an African

constitutional rights. With more young people having access to social media and other forms of information platforms,

context, with all its universal appeal.

That The Little Prince will premiere on the main

they are as a result engaging with current issues at a much

programme of the National Arts Festival is an endorsement

earlier age. With South Africa also being a country with

for the activism undertaken by Yvette Hardie over the

fast-paced social, political and economic changes, theatre

past decade. It simply means that national institutions are

for young people is taking its prime place in ensuring that it

beginning to recognise the value of theatre as a powerful

is also making the necessary cultural shifts to resonate and

means to let young people’s voices, dreams, hopes, fears and

remain relevant to young audiences.

aspirations be heard through theatre. The struggle has not

At last year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown,

ended for young people and the arts. The greater struggle

with more than 250 productions on the Fringe programme,

is to ensure that the arts are integrated into the school

the Market Theatre Laboratory’s production, Hani: The

curriculum and that every school-going child is given the

Legacy, scooped the Standard Bank Gold Ovation Award. This

tools for creative thinking and creative problem-solving –

high-energy production, which brims with hip-hop, spoken

elements which are at the heart of the theatre. CF

word and contemporary dance while telling the story of the assassinated leader, also raised key questions about moral leadership in a post-apartheid South Africa.

This year, in collaboration with the French Institute of South Africa and the French-based company, Mazars,

Artlooks & Artlines is a monthly column

the Market Theatre Laboratory will present an African

written by ISMAIL

adaptation of a timeless and magical storytelling

CEO of the Market Theatre Foundation.

MAHOMED,

masterpiece, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic children’s book, The Little Prince.

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 53

ATHOL@86 ngogo o N g n i Revisit

Athol Fugard’s Nongogo was first staged in 1959, when the playwright was in his 20s.

Now, almost 60 years later, the play will be staged at the Market Theatre from 15 June to 15 July 2018 as part of their Athol@86 season. Creative Feel spoke to Artistic Director of the Market Theatre, James Ngcobo, who will be directing the play.

O

ne of Fugard’s ‘township plays’, Nongogo covers the complexities of black urban life. It is a reflective piece of theatre and has a long history that is part of the tapestry of South Africa. Set in

the 1950s, a vibrant yet turbulent time in the history of our country, the play also weaves in a touch of romance that is ultimately not realised at the end.

Nongogo revolves around life in a township frontroom shebeen, operated by an enigmatic woman known as Queenie. While her past remains a secret to many of the characters of the play, the audience already has an idea of what it might entail – nongogo is Zulu/township slang for ‘prostitute’. Johnny, a young, travelling salesman, storms into her life with a suitcase full of tablecloths. Swept off her feet by this ernest young man who too harbours a secret, Queenie immediately changes her life – and her home decor – to please him.

Playing out alongside this budding romance are the harsh realities of township life, revealed in hunchbacked

Zikhona Sodlaka (Nongogo/Queenie). PHOTO Brett Rubin

54 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Blackie; conniving Sam; and destitute Patrick.

Peter Mashigo (Blackie), Bongani Gumede (Patrick), Vusi Kunene (Sam) and Zenzo Ngqobe (Johnny). PHOTO Brett Rubin Blackie, homeless and socially disorientated, has taken

Zikhona Sodlaka is a South African actress best known

a vow to ‘protect’ Queenie. He brings her (unwanted) stolen

for her starring roles in such television series as Shooting

gifts in attempts to please her.

Stars, Rhythm City, Soul City, Intsika and Montana.

Disruptive and morally decadent, Sam, Queenie’s ‘fixer’ and former pimp, exerts a vicious presence in her life.

Meanwhile, Patrick spends his time trying to find a name for his umpteenth child. In an attempt to escape the realities of his growing family responsibilities, he drowns himself in alcohol.

This is not James Ngcobo’s first time directing Nongogo,

Vusi Kunene is an award-winning actor with over 25 films and television shows under his belt, and is best-known for his role as villain Jack Mabaso in Generations – a good foundation for his upcoming portrayal of Sam. Peter Mashigo made his break in the 1987 production of Asinamali. He has also appeared in Sikulu, Daughters of

having directed it in 2013, just before he joined the Market

Nebo: An African Opera, Mooi Street Moves, On My Birthday,

Theatre as artistic director. He will again be working with

The Patriot, Freak Country, Ma-Gents, Kgolo – Journey To

Nadya Cohen on the set design, who has designed the set for

Discovery and Woza Albert!. Mashigo is known for his roles

the play many times and has worked on numerous Fugard

in television series such as Mzansi, Ga Re Dumele, Ke Nako,

plays over the years.

Mponeng, Heartlines and Justice for All.

Ngcobo’s passion for Athol Fugard’s plays, Nongogo, and

Bongani Gumede is best known for his role as Oupa Dube

theatre in general is undeniable as he talks about directing

in Mzansi, and is a familiar face on television shows like The

the play. ‘For Athol@86, I wanted to do Nongogo again with a

Lab, eKasi and isiBaya. He was the Zulu dialogue coach for

completely new cast and a new take on it,’ says Ngcobo. ‘I’ve

the 2006 feature film Catch a Fire, starring Tim Robbins.

been sitting with Nadya and we’ve been revisiting the design.’

For the cast, Ngcobo has chosen Zikhona Sodlaka as

No stranger to Fugard’s work, Zenzo Ngqobe played the the role of Butcher in the Oscar-winning movie adaptation

Nongogo/Queenie, Vusi Kunene as Sam, Peter Mashigo as

of Fugard’s novel, Tsotsi, which launched his career and

Blackie, Bongani Gumede as Patrick and Zenzo Ngqobe

earned him roles in productions like Blood Diamond, sitcom

as Johnny.

Ga Re Dumele, and television drama Rhythm City. His love,

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 55

The cast with James Ngcobo. PHOTO Brett Rubin however, is for the stage. ‘When I am on stage, I’m at home,’

has it happened yet? How has the life of an ordinary

says Ngqobe. ‘So often I disappear from the television screen

person changed?

for theatre. The truth is, television takes up a lot of your

‘The brilliance of Nongogo is that there are just two or

time as an actor, and sometimes contracts are so restrictive.

three lines that touch on what was going on at the time –

But the stage allows you to work on the craft of acting.’

he really steered away from the politics of the day. He put

Talking about this stellar cast, Ngcobo says that, ‘I’m

these people in a room – this bunch of dreamers. You know

directing actors that I’ve never directed in order to grow as

that Patrick’s dreams will never happen, he’s the saddest

a director. You don’t want to be stuck with the same, and I

character in the play. There’s a line where Johnny asks him

always look for people who I’ve never directed before – to

if he has a kid, and he says, “Do I have a kid? I have five and

give it a new spin.’

there’s another on the way. I’m sitting here trying to decide

Although Nongogo is set in the 1950s, says Ngcobo, ‘If you read the play, you will realise its pertinence to life today. The five characters on stage all have one thing in

what I’m going to name this kid, because that’s the only thing I’ll ever give him – a name.” He has nothing.’

Ever the storyteller, Ngcobo continues, ‘And then you have

common; they are all waiting for something to happen in

Queenie, she’s got a sheeben, she’s got money coming in, she’s

their lives. This completely echoes where we’re at today;

got people coming to drink, and really a flourishing business,

we are having big discussions about land, and 24 years

but there is a void in her life that speaks to the erosion of the

into this democracy, have people’s lives changed? And

feminist structure. She walked away from her family; just left.

the great dream of utopia that we had for this country,

She says in the play that the little one was still suckling from

56 / Creative Feel / June 2018

this woman takes him in. He is in love with Queenie in his own way. And at one point he tells her that when he goes on his upcoming job (he regularly goes to white areas and breaks into houses) in Houghton, he will bring her back a big clock that sings, a clock like in a church, and Queenie is saying, “No, I don’t need that, don’t do that.”

‘Sam is a black man who will not be put down by anyone. He is adamant – don’t hand me anything, I will fetch it myself. I don’t want the freedom you offer me, I want money and I will buy my own freedom.

‘So these are the characters in this play, and when you deal with these characters, you suddenly feel that they are timeless,’ says Ngcobo.

‘There is something about plays set in the 1950s and black people of the ‘50s – that yearning for that emancipation and Vusi Kunene (Sam) and Zikhona Sodlaka (Queenie) PHOTO Brett Rubin

that chance. All of them have that word, “chance”. These aren’t victimised blacks,

her breast when she walked away to try to find a better life.

they are blacks who are going to find out what they need and

Her biggest regret is not knowing where they are. The Queenie

they’re going to get it. And that for me is a psychology that

character touches on a human condition, that sometimes

excites me as a human being, as a man, as a Zulu man, as a

you can amass as much as you want in worldly possessions,

South African, and as a theatre director, as an artistic director

but if there is nobody to look you in the eye and say, “I love

and as an audience.’

you, how was your day?”, it means nothing. So when Queenie

That Fugard wrote such complex characters so early in

is woken up by a knock on her door early in the morning,

his career – Nongogo was one of his first plays – Ngcobo

having gone to bed at 3 o’clock, she is woes (wild, irreverent)

puts down to genius. ‘You can go back to Mozart, you can go

and angry and is like, how dare you knock so early in the

back to Prince – there are just people in life who have done

morning?? So she says to this guy, “go away, we are not open”

wonders at a very young age, and they themselves aren’t

and he knocks again, and she goes “fuuuu… ” and opens the

able to articulate why.’

door. But then she sees Johnny and falls in love with him – she had never met a guy like that.

‘So Johnny sells tablecloths to try to make a living, to

Although it is set in the 1950s, Nongogo has much to say about the present realities of urban South Africa – from thwarted aspirations to self-destructiveness. Despite

try to change his life. You discover a dark thing in the play…

the moral poverty of some of the characters, the play is

which the audience will find out when they watch it.

a warm portrayal of township life, its people and their

‘And Blackie, with his hunchback and funny arms, who doesn’t belong in a world of conventional perfectness… and

idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. This is definitely not a production to be missed! CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 57

JOBURG CITY THEATRES: DEVELOPING THE YOUTH AND COMMUNITY Joburg City Theatres provide training in the form of education and support programmes and workshops that are related to theatre-making and other forms of performing art production.

Y

oung people desire to create change in their

Music has been a major priority for the arts industry.

surrounding environments, Joburg City

In recognising the importance of growing talent in South

Theatres develop partnerships between

African townships, Youth Unplugged hosts the musical

youth organisations and community

talent, featuring bands and vocalists. The musical talent

development agencies to create new opportunities for youth to serve their communities while developing their personal abilities.

Joburg City Theatres host a variety of community and youth development programmes, spread across Joburg Theatre, Soweto Theatre and Roodepoort Theatre.

Youth Development Venue Space.com offers

discovered will showcase on stage in the theatre.

The DNA for actor’s workshops serve as a bridging course, providing a tutorial programme for those who graduate from institutions of drama and need to make their way into the performing arts industry.

Community Outreach Projects are created for access to the performing arts and to promote arts education

structured and professional opportunities to aspirant

utilising the Mobile Theatre Truck. Community

artists. This platform creates income-generating

Development partners with communities to enhance

opportunities through ticket sales for artists who

the quality of life by allowing them to participate in

produce their own work.

performing arts activations.

The Applied Performing Arts and Arts Management

The Soweto Theatre’s Youth and Community

(APAAM) programme is a three-year short course provided

Development Department is mandated to provide

at Joburg Theatre in partnership with the Wits University,

structured and professional opportunities to aspirant

Drama for Life. The short course has been instrumental in

artists and new audiences for in-depth development of

preparing community theatre groups to become theatre

their artistic skills and the development of arts and culture

game chargers.

within the community through its programmes.

58 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Join the Music Tutorial Programme (MTP) with your band: Music has always played a major role in the arts industry and Soweto Theatre recognises the importance of growing talent in South African townships. More importantly, the need to produce the next generation of musical greatness as a form of preserving the authenticity of our communities.

The Music Tutorial Programme (MTP) makes music education available to an increasing number of children and youth in and around Soweto, catering for children and youth from the ages of 10 to 21. The programme also provides music qualification support through the Unisa Music Foundation.

The programme runs a schools’ music outreach programme in partnership with Concerts SA, facilitating music workshops, promoting the culture of live music in schools, engaging different audiences from different cultural backgrounds.

Join Lits’omong: Lits’omong, is a drama development programme that provides basic theatre-making skills for children and youth from the ages of 7 to 21 years.

The aim of the programme is to use theatre as a learning tool, to introduce learners to basic skills of theatre; to provide a safe space where the youth can explore social issues through theatre; and to create a platform for learners who have an interest in the arts. To participate, one must go through an audition process, which takes place in January.

Motivate for your school to join the Schools’ Setwork Festival: The Schools’ Setwork Festival is an opportunity for youth to make their theatre debut on a professional stage in a non-competitive environment.

The theatre provides the scripts, resources, training and framework needed by schools to direct a setwork with their students.

The Schools’ Setwork Festival forms part of an annual schools’ programme which also includes the professional staging of school setworks.

These works cover the following areas in the school’s curriculum, language, history and drama. These productions are an excellent tool used by teachers to enhance the teaching and learning experience for their learners. Complex concepts contained within texts are brought to life on stage.

How to get involved in development at the theatre: Become a facilitator or director in our programme. Aspirant theatremakers, drama teachers and directors can submit their bios or profiles to Khosi Hlatshwayo, Community Development Manager via email: khosi@sowetotheatre.com or to register your school for the Schools’ Setwork Festival contact Youth Development Intern, Mpho Chiloane, mpho@sowetotheatre.com or call Soweto Theatre on 011 930 7461. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 59

NOMINEES FOR THE 14TH ANNUAL

NALEDI THEATRE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The theatre world has been buzzing with anticipation and, as usual, the Naledi Theatre Awards are one of the highlights of the showbiz year.

Andile Gumbi in King Kong

60 / Creative Feel / June 2018

When Swallows Cry

R

anging across all the disciplines of theatre, the Naledi Theatre Awards are coveted by performers, designers, production teams and staging crews. As the largest theatre awards in

South Africa, a nomination by the Naledi judges is in itself an achievement. The main panel judges are obliged to see the majority of the productions that qualify, which, broadly speaking, are professional productions with more than ten concurrent performances. There is also a second panel of judges that looks at youth performances, known as the ASSITEJ Nominations.

The Naledi Theatre Awards nominations announcement was slightly delayed this year, according to Naledi CEO, Dawn Lindberg. ‘As usual, funding has been an issue.

However, in true showbiz fashion, the show must go on!’ Despite the nominations and awards being later in the year, the Naledi Team are happy to announce that the nominations were made public at the exciting new Ramolao Makhene Theatre at the Market Theatre Square on 14 May. The gala awards evening will take place on 18 June 2018 at the Teatro at Montecasino.

2017 was a very busy year for theatre, with an extraordinary amount of new talent, works and sheer entertainment on display.

Nominations for Best Musical include the revival of the famed South African musical classics King Kong (Prod.

Lynelle Kenned in West Side Story

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 61

NOMINEES FOR THE 14TH ANNUAL N ALEDI THEATRE AWARDS

Andrew Buckland and Jennifer Steyn in The Inconvenience of Wings

Vanessa Cooke in Sylvaine Strike’s Molière’s Tartuffe

62 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Nondumiso Tembe in West Side Story

Craig Morris in Sylvaine Strike’s Molière’s Tartuffe

Die reuk van appels PHOTO Stephanie Gericke

by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre Productions) and Sarafina! (Prod. by Committed Artist Productions in ass. with The South African State Theatre). The iconic Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Prod. by Hazel Feldman, Showtime Management, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Nullarbor Productions in ass. with MGM On Stage), Evita (Prod. by Pieter Toerien and David Ian) and West Side Story (Prod. by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre Productions), rounded off the musical year.

Nominations for Best Director of a Musical or a Review go to, Elizma Badenhorst for Rock of Ages (Prod. by Gold Reef City and Exec prod. by VR Theatrical), Jonathan Munby for King Kong and Dr Mbongeni Ngema for Sarafina!. Matthew Wild has been nominated for his direction of West Side Story.

Best Lead Performance in a Musical or Review – Male nominations go to Andile Gumbi (as King Kong) in King Kong, David Dennis (as Bernadette) in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Jonathan Roxmouth (as Che) in Evita, Phillip Schnetler (as Adam/Felicia) in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Sne Dladla (as Pop) in King Kong.

Nominations for Best Lead Performance in a Musical or Review – Female go to Claire Taylor (as Sherrie) in Rock of Ages, Emma Kingston (as Eva Perón) in Evita, Lynelle Kenned

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 63

NOMINEES FOR THE 14TH ANNUAL N ALEDI THEATRE AWARDS

(as Maria) in West Side Story, Nondumiso Tembe (as Joyce) in King Kong and Noxolo Dlamini (as Sarafina) in Sarafina!.

The Inconvenience of Wings (Prod. by The Baxter Theatre Centre and presented by The Market Theatre), When Swallows Cry (Prod. by The Market Theatre), Die reuk van appels (Prod. by The South African State Theatre in ass. with Theatrerocket), The Suitcase (Prod by. The Market Theatre), Tamasha on Hope Street (Prod by. The Market Theatre) and Molière’s Tartuffe (Prod by. The Fortune Cookie Theatre Company in collaboration with the French Institute of South Africa and the Alliance Française in South Africa), amply supplied us with nominations for the Best Play.

Best Director of a Play nominations went to Andre Odendaal for Karel se Oupa (Prod. by The Market Theatre in ass. with Kosie Smit), Lara Bye received a nomination for Die reuk van appels, and Lara Foot got the nod for The Inconvenience of Wings. Lesedi Job is nominated for her direction of When Swallows Cry and, finally, Sylvaine Strike has been nominated for Molière’s Tartuffe.

Best Performer in a Play – Female nominations go to Ameera Patel for Tamasha on Hope Street, Carly Graeme for Betrayal (Prod. by Daphne Kuhn at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square), Chi Mende for Chasing Chairs (Prod.

by The Market Theatre), Jennifer Steyn for The Inconvenience of Wings, Masasa Lindiwe Mbangeni for The Suitcase and Vanessa Cooke for Molière’s Tartuffe.

The nominations for Best Performer in a Play – Male go to Andrew Buckland for The Inconvenience of Wings, Christiaan Schoombie for When Swallows Cry, Craig Morris for Molière’s Tartuffe, Graham Hopkins for Freud’s Last Session (Prod. by Daphne Kuhn at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square), Lindani Nkosi for Tamasha on Hope Street, Mpho Osei-Tutu for When Swallows Cry and Warren Masemola for When Swallows Cry. Forming part of the Naledi mandate to grow the industry and identify upcoming performers is the coveted Best Newcomer/Breakthrough Performance Award. This award is given to those new, rising stars in the industry. This year, Ian Roelofs (Karel se Oupa), Isabella Jane (Evita), Kanyi Nokwe (Pinocchio: The Ultimate Pantomime Adventure), Noxolo Dlamini (Sarafina!) and Phillip Schnetler (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) have been nominated.

West Side Story 64 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Robert Finlayson and Emma Kingston in Evita

One of the most exciting awards given is the Best New South African Script, which encourages and fosters new and uniquely South African scripts and playwrights. This year, nominations go to Johann Smith for Die reuk van appels, Retief Scholtz for Karel se Oupa, Rajesh Gopie for Tamasha on Hope Street, Lara Foot for The Inconvenience of Wings and Mike van Graan for When Swallows Cry. ‘There are many strong contenders for the awards this year,’ says Dawn Lindberg. ‘And the nominations debate was a robust one, but it has reflected the quality of the productions presented and the true non-partisan nature of the panel in their deliberations.’

Naledi is proud to introduce the new Board of Directors for 2018: Patron: Dr John Kani; Chairman: Kgomotso Christopher; Deputy Chairmen: Sello Maake KaNcube and Maishe Maponya; Executive Director and Legal: Lihan Pretorius; Directors: Dr Mbongeni Ngema, Thuli Sithole, Hemant Vanmali, Des Lindberg; Founder; Renos Spanoudes: Chairman of judging panel; and CEO: Dawn Lindberg.

For a comprehensive list of all the nominations and all the exciting news surrounding these epic awards, please visit www.creativefeel.co.za CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 65

Femi Koya

SA’s oldest jazz festival celebrates

GREAT LEGACIES The countdown to the 2018 Standard Bank Jazz Festival kicks off with a line-up of leading musicians poised to make it an unforgettable 31st edition at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Taking place from 28 June until 7 July, the programme will celebrate great jazz legacies with a league of world-class musicians, reimagining them with youthful verve.

‘T

he Standard Bank Jazz Festival, Grahamstown is a special jazz festival, produced as a barometer of South African jazz, and a place where artists meet and challenge audiences to expand their

expectations of the art form. In the midst of the National Arts Festival, audiences know that they can trust the programming to be exciting and different and, even if some performers are not household names, always to be excellent,’ says Director of the Standard Bank Jazz Festival, Alan Webster.

‘This year’s programme will celebrate key jazz milestones, give a nod to great musical traditions from across the African continent and showcase some of the best among what Europe and the United States has to offer today,’ he says.

With a ten-day-long programme that features some of the very best jazz musicians worldwide, Creative Feel has selected just a few of our most anticipated performances for this year.

Classics from the great pool of hip-hop and soul music genius are given a jazz treatment in the ‘Rebirth of Cool’ led by pianist Thandi Ntuli – the current Standard Bank

66 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Tineke Postma

Nduduzo Makhathini Young Artist for Jazz – and DJ Kenzhero. The lofty legacy of the historic band, the Blue Notes is revisited with dexterous musical adoration by star-studded Blue Note Tribute Orkestra led by trumpeter Marcus Wyatt. Award-winning writer Percy Mabandu will lead an interdisciplinary performance to mark the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Yakhal’inkomo, the historic record released in 1968 by the late saxophonist, Winston Mankunku Ngozi. The project will bring together literature with the masterful jazz musicianship of Andile Yenana, Shane Cooper, Ayanda Sikade, Linda Sikhakhane and Sisonke Xonti.

The late, great John Coltrane devotee, American saxophonist Michael Brecker will have his music reimagined by a band led by Norwegian saxophonist Petter Wettre in a project titled ‘Don’t try this at home – A Tribute to Michael Brecker’. Well-known American pianist Aaron Goldberg (US), who has toured the world with Joshua Redman for two decades, will bring his own trio to Africa for the first time.

In what is perhaps one of the longest running musical partnerships in our jazz history, saxophonist McCoy Mrubata and pianist Paul Hanmer will give a performance that reflects their influences on each other in celebration of 30 years of collaboration.

In addition to the ‘Rebirth of Cool’ project, Thandi Ntuli will showcase music from her album Exiled in her performance on 29 June. Since the release of her debut album, The Offering, Ntuli has been recognised as one of the pioneering voices of modern South African jazz and the

Aaron Goldberg

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 67

Madala Kunene

Thandi Ntuli

McCoy Mrubata and Paul Hanmer © Katrin Kusmierz Boswil

release of her latest album, Exiled, this year once again solidified her standing as an artist of significant cultural and musical importance. True to her eclectic musical influences, her music goes beyond the confines of genre with references from Mali and Ethiopia, as well as an inclusion of spoken word, jazz and soul.

For one unique night, an extraordinary collection of musical and artistic talent will be present on one stage in the form of ‘Afropoets’. The two-hour long performance will feature the fresh sounds of Urban Village – folk music layered with electric, funky acoustic melodies and a blend of traditional influences – collaborating with the legendary ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, Madala Kunene. Also on stage is The Brother Moves On, a South African performance art ensemble; and the new face of Afro-Folk, Bongeziwe Mabandla, who is effortlessly able to entwine Xhosa lyrics with traditional music and folk stylings to create something uniquely captivating.

This is guaranteed to be one of those nights that will be spoken of for years to come – a chance to get a glimpse of the future of South African music in the hands of the pioneers, anchored by one of our country’s living legends.

Affectionately nicknamed The Voice, Vusi Mahlasela is lauded as one of the most unique voices on the continent and his fan base spans the world, with joyful performances and visceral sounds going out to audiences that hang on every single note and lyric. Mahlasela began writing songs about freedom and justice after he witnessed the Soweto Uprising in 1976 and his toe-tapping and uplifting music makes its way into the hearts of his diverse and loyal audiences. Mahlasela’s track-record boasts performances such as at Nelson Mandela’s Presidential inauguration, the FIFA World Cup Kick Off concert, and Mandela’s 90th Birthday 46664 celebration in Hyde Park, London, to name but a few. In 2012, the South Afropoets

African Music Awards (SAMAs) fittingly honoured him with a lifetime achievement award for music, topped the following year by an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University.

Platinum-selling, proudly amaXhosa artist Amanda Black shot to fame after her debut hit single ‘Amazulu’ won the hearts of South Africa in 2016, gaining nationwide radio airplay. She cleaned up at the 2017 SAMAs where she won Album of the Year for Amazulu, Best Newcomer of the Year,

68 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Vusi Mahlasela

Best Female Artist of the Year and Best R&B Soul Reggae Album, and at the 2017 Metro FM Music Awards she scooped Best R&B Single and the Listener’s Choice Award, quickly cementing a place for herself on the national stage. A truly Eastern Cape product, she was born in Mthatha and raised in Butterworth and Port Elizabeth before moving to Johannesburg at the beginning of 2016 to pursue her music career. The afro-soul singer/songwriter blends hip-hop, soul and R&B with a tasteful mix of English and Xhosa lyrics.

Award-winning pianist Nduduzo Makhathini’s love for music has pushed him to look into ways to keep jazz fresh by combining it with his intimate knowledge of African culture

Amanda Black

and of music’s healing power. He will be performing music from his recently released eighth album, Ikhambi, which takes

in a fashion unique in South Africa and possibly the world,

its title from the Zulu word used by traditional doctors and

catalysing the growth of our national jazz identity in the

herbalists to refer to a mix or concoction of healing herbs.

process,’ says Webster.

Makhathini is himself a healer who sees himself as a musical

The provocative, exciting and enjoyable programme

activist on behalf of African traditions of healing. With a

is, says Webster, ‘threaded through with musicians who

range of accolades that span from being 2015 Standard Bank

have made their initial forays into jazz in Grahamstown,

Young Artist for Jazz to winner of both a SAMA for Best Jazz

as Standard Bank Young Artists; or in the Standard Bank

Album and an AFRIMA Best Artiste in African Jazz 2017, it’s

National Youth (SBNYJB) or Schools’ Bands (SBNSBB); or

refreshing to hear the young virtuoso articulate his music

simply as youngsters having their minds blown by what they

through spiritual and cultural lenses as well.

have seen on the DSG stage.’

Makhathini, who has spent time in Switzerland,

And it’s definitely going to be an unforgettable week

will collaborate with Swiss musicians for his second

of magic and music in the culture bowl of Grahamstown

performance. His Ikambi repertoire is extended with the

for young musicians making their way to the Festival. For

addition of three vocalists, fleshing out the rich harmonies

the past 26 years, the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz

inherent in his music.

Festival (SBNYJF) has been investing in the country’s young

Fiery Ghanaian pianist Victor Dey Jr will present his

musicians. The best among these will be on stage with the

exciting mixture of traditional Ghanaian rhythms and

Standard Bank National Schools’ Big Band, conducted by

modern jazz, which has seen him called on by musicians

Dr Gordon Vernick, Professor of Music and Coordinator

such as Stevie Wonder and Hugh Masekela.

of Jazz Studies at Georgia State University. The Standard

Versatile Nigerian saxophonist and dynamic vocalist Femi

Bank National Youth Jazz Band is made up of musicians

Koya is the new face of the African Renaissance. Combining

between the ages of 19 and 25 years from across the country

West African Highlife and jazz, South African Sophiatown

conducted this year by pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger

with a nostalgic Afrobeat roots sound, his music is a rich

and educator Amanda Tiffin, who is Head of Jazz Singing and

blend of deep and sultry Afrobeat and contemporary groove.

Acting Head of Jazz Studies at the University of Cape Town.

‘Incorporated within the festival is the Standard Bank

The road to Jazztown in Grahamstown is now open.

National Youth Jazz Festival (SBNYJF) – a festival that

Standard Bank card holders qualify for a 20% discount

has provided musicians, teachers and students with key

subject to terms and conditions. For more info and to book

networking opportunities and exposed them to the world

visit www.standardbank.com/naf. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 69

The Evolution of an

UNDEFINED

With his sophomore album, The Evolution of an Undefined, Benjamin Jephta continues to deliver a sound that is magically ‘undefined’.

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idely considered one of South Africa’s

process. It’s about staying connected to tradition while

premier double and electric bass players

reaching towards a new identity.

(and he’s only 26!), Benjamin Jephta is one of the most versatile artists on the jazz scene

‘It’s about standing with feet planted in two moments – the past and the twenty-first century. This music fuses jazz,

today. With the Evolution of an Undefined, Jephta has evolved

electronic and hip-hop, moves beyond genre and creates itself

a sound that he first premiered in his album Homecoming. A

through sound. If Homecoming was about rediscovering who I

fusion of jazz, hip-hop, electronic and rock music, this new

am, now, The Evolution of an Undefined is about who I will be.

album offers an eclectic sound that really just works.

Modifying. Reconstructing. Progressing. Final form: undefined.’

Jephta graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2013

The album, says Jephta, ‘is a mixture of acoustic jazz

and moved to Johannesburg in early 2014. He was named the

tracks with more produced electronic and hip-hop tracks, as

2017 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz. He has since shared a

well as a few shout outs to artists I admire (“Dear Mr Hodge”

stage with every major act currently on the circuit.

and “Mombelli”) or stories I was touched by (“Song for Ellen

Of The Evolution of an Undefined, Jephta says, ‘All art is evolution. What we create builds on what came before – our histories, our memories – and transforms into something new. The Evolution of an Undefined is that

70 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Pakkies”).’ Yet in the midst of all this newness, Jephta writes music that embraces a classic sound in his own compositions.

Two songs on the album feature Jitsvinger, an award-winning Afrikaaps vernacular performer who combines hip-hop, poetry,

PHOTO Alexia Webster

self-composed music, theatre and storytelling. While some jazz

opportunity to collab on something. This collab with Eden also

purists might balk at the idea of combining jazz and hip-hop,

sparked the track titled “Choice” on the album.’

but the outcome is something that deserves an in-depth listen.

Thapelo Lekoane’s powerful voice adds rich emotion

The musicality of these songs and the obvious connection and

to ‘Choice’, creating a sound that blends soul and more

respect between the two artists creates something emblematic of

‘traditional’ jazz. They find magical accompaniment in the

South Africa, and particularly the youth.

rest of Jephta’s touring band, including two former Standard

Singer and songwriter Eden Myrrh joins Jephta and

Bank Young Artists, Kyle Shepherd and Bokani Dyer on piano

Jitsvinger for the track ‘Identity’, which speaks to self-

and synths along with Sphelelo Mazibuko on drums. This

expression and ‘living your truth’, fearlessly. ‘This was actually

high-powered rhythm section is melodically led by Keenan

the track that sparked this whole album,’ says Jephta. ‘I was

Ahrends on guitar and Sisonke Xonti on saxophone.

messing around with this groove/harmony one day and thought

Jephta’s exceptional bass playing is clear and confident,

it would be dope to get some rhymes over the top. Since the

the compositions vibrant and young, yet reflecting a musical

rhythm was unconventional, I could only think of one dude

maturity that makes it obvious why Jephta is one of the most

that could flow naturally over it. I then hit up Jitsvinger and we

sought-out bassists in the country.

just took it from there. With Eden, I’ve always liked her vibe and attitude towards music and thought this would be a unique

The Evolution of an Undefined is available on iTunes and Amazon Music, as well as all major streaming services. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 71

Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple

Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads

The classic side of heavy metal With classical music and heavy metal increasing in popularity among the youth in South Africa, Creative Feel decided to find out if there is any link between the two.

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hen one talks about a potential link between

appropriation and adaptation of classical models sparked the

classical and heavy metal music, guitarist

development of a new kind of guitar virtuosity, changes in

Yngwie J. Malmsteen often springs to mind.

the harmonic and melodic language of heavy metal, and new

In the liner notes to his 1988 album Odyssey,

modes of musical pedagogy and analysis.’

Malmsteen thanked JS Bach, Nicolo Paganini, Antonio

This link between heavy metal and classical is an

Vivaldi, Ludwig van Beethoven, Jimi Hendrix and Ritchie

unlikely one, particularly as classical music is considered

Blackmore, implying a musical genealogy that extends

a high form of art, heavy metal not so much. If anything,

beyond the blues and rock ‘n’ roll heritage that is so typically

progressive and art rock of the 1960s seem to be a better fit,

ascribed to heavy metal.

such as The Moody Blues’ collaboration with the London

While heavy metal owes its biggest debt to African-

Festival Orchestra for Days of Future Passed (1968), while

American blues, evident in the use of pentatonic scales,

groups like The Who, Yes, The Kinks, and Emerson, Lake

classical music has been an important influence right

and Palmer (ELP) all composed classically-influenced rock

from the very beginning. Since its emergence in the

songs, rock concertos and rock operas. Deep Purple, now

1960s to today, some of heavy metal’s most influential

recognised as one of the founders of heavy metal, was

musicians have been guitar players who also studied

diverted off the path of fusions (such as keyboardist Jon

classical music. Robert Walser, author of Eruptions: Heavy

Lord’s ambitious ‘Concerto for Group and Orchestra’ 1969)

Metal Appropriations of Classical Virtuosity, writes, ‘Their

by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

72 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Uli Jon Roth

Jay Troskie and Matt Jordaan of Disarmageddon

As lead guitarist for Deep Purple, Blackmore was one

Eddie Van Halen

he died tragically in a plane crash at 25), also grew up in

of the most influential guitarists of the 1960s and ‘70s.

a musical household, studying guitar, piano and music

While he is hardly the first guitarist to employ classical

theory. Influenced by Blackmore, Van Halen and classical

sentiment, his was an impressive, compelling fusion of rock

composers Vivaldi and Pachelbel, Rhoads had a life-long

and classical music which really affected other musicians.

attraction to classical music, which is evident in his

Blackmore himself claims that ‘the chord progression in the

recordings. His adaptation of the harmonic progression

“Highway Star” solo is a Bach progression’ and that the solo

of the famous Pachelbel canon is evident in ‘Goodbye

is ‘just arpeggios based on Bach.’ In general, the members

to Romance’ (Blizzard of Ozz, 1981), and many other

of Deep Purple ‘abstracted and adapted a particular set of

songs rely on the gothic overtones evoked by twentieth-

classical features: repetitious melodic patterns (such as

century Baroque music.

arpeggios), square phrase structures, virtuosic soloing and

‘The model of classically influenced players such as

characteristic harmonic progressions, such as descending

Van Halen and Rhoads contributed to a shift among guitar

through a tetrachord by half-steps, or cycling through the

players towards a new kind of professionalism, with theory,

circle of fifths. The harmonic progressions, as Blackmore

analysis, pedagogy and technical rigour acquiring new

asserted, are typically Baroque, as are the rapid, flashy

importance,’ writes Walser.

sixteenth-note patterns organised symmetrically through repetition and phrase balance,’ writes Walser.

Guitarists continued their experimentation with fusions

Malmsteen, who actually began by playing the blues, is considered at the forefront of metal’s neo-classicists, along with the likes of Jason Becker (Cacophony), Michael Romeo

of heavy metal and classical music throughout the 1970s.

(Symphony X) and Michael Angelo Batio (Nitro). Since his

With his fast scales and dramatic diminished chords, Ulrich

debut album in 1984, Malmsteen has adapted classical music

‘Uli Jon’ Roth of the German band Scorpions, set new

with a thoroughness and intensity, expanding the melodic

virtuosic standards.

and harmonic language of metal while setting even higher

Edward ‘Eddie’ Van Halen’s father was a professional musician (on saxophone and clarinet) who encouraged him

standards of virtuosic precision.

‘Not only do Malmsteen’s solos recreate the rhetoric of

and his brother Alex to become classical musicians. While

his virtuosic heroes, Bach and Paganini, but he introduced

both initially started out on the piano, Eddie eventually

further harmonic resources, advanced techniques such as

ended up playing guitar and Alex, drums. With his solo on

sweep-picking, and achieved the best impression yet of the

the 1978 Van Halen track ‘Eruption’, Eddie is said to have

nuance and agility of a virtuoso violinist,’ writes Walser.

‘transformed electric guitar’. Writes Walser, ‘“Eruption” is

Heavy metal, in all its current forms and new offshoots

one minute and twenty-seven seconds of exuberant and

(of which there are many), is hugely popular in South Africa,

playful virtuosity, a violinist’s precise and showy technique

with the South African Metal Music Awards taking place

inflected by the vocal rhetoric of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll

recently. While some bands prefer to lean on the ‘shock

irreverence. Here and elsewhere, Van Halen’s guitar playing

factor’ and punk-like anti-establishmentism that gives the

displays an unprecedented fluidity, due to his skilful use of

genre its reputation as a ‘low’ art form, the influence of

string bending, two-handed tapping and his deft touch on

virtuosos like Blackmore, Van Halen Rhoads and Malmsteen

the vibrato (or “whammy”) bar.’

is present in the arpeggios and sweeping of guitarists in

Randy Rhoads, who famously played with ex-Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne in his new band (until

bands like Disarmageddon, Spectral Realm, Mad God, My Columbine and Bloodbeast. CF

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 73

LITERARY LANDSCAPES |

INDRA WUSSOW

Artes Liberales

L

THE FREEDOM OF THE ARTS

egend surrounds the German city of Heidelberg. The town, which is situated on the banks of the Neckar river, is simultaneously celebrated as the epitome of German Romanticism and as a science hub, home to

several internationally renowned research facilities.

As Germany’s oldest and most famous university

town, it is famed for its Baroque old town, spirited student atmosphere, beautiful riverside setting and its evocative half-ruined hilltop castle, which attracts more than 10 million visitors a year. They follow in the footsteps of the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century romantics, most notably the poet Goethe, and try to catch the famous ‘myth of Heidelberg’ somewhere between the castle and the valley of the Neckar.

Britain’s William Turner also loved Heidelberg, which inspired some of his greatest landscape paintings. In 1878, Mark Twain began his European travels with a three-month stay in Heidelberg, recounting his observations in A Tramp Abroad (1880). Heidelberg’s rich literary history, along with its thriving contemporary scene, which encompasses authors, translators, publishing houses, bookshops, libraries, festivals and events, saw it named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2014.

The Hauptstrasse, the long pedestrian zone, is crowded with tourists from all over the world. They make their way to

Clemens is erudite and always happy to converse with his

the castle, stop in one of the old Heidelberg pubs or simply

customers; to enlighten them with his immense knowledge

go shopping in one of the many souvenir shops around. At

and that of his books. This incredible man with his trademark

the end of the Hauptstrasse is the Kornmarkt, where I find my

hat offers the visitor not only a space for reading and

favourite gem – the bookshop artes liberales.

thinking, but also a space to meet, to exchange ideas and to

The artes liberales is the smallest bookshop I have

relax. Besides his bookshop, this restless intellectual founded

ever come across, but probably the most well-curated one.

another space called artes liberales – universitas, where he has

Its founder and owner is the philosopher Clemens Bellut

initiated a diverse programme that includes readings, talks,

who opened this little treasure trove in 2013. Two years

scientific colloquia, performances, art shows and concerts.

later it was awarded the respected honour of ‘Germany’s

The universitas is an open space in the best and freest sense

Best Bookshop’. Deservedly so. Clemens carefully chooses

and enables a dialogue between the arts and science, between

his selection of books. Around 2 000 works of philosophy,

an incredibly informed audience and curators.

poetry, the arts and science can be found in the 20-square-

It is a sunny day and the front window of the artes

metre shop in one of the wooden shelves that rise up to the

liberales is already open, displaying its books to passersby.

ceiling. It feels like embarking on an intellectual expedition

On one of the two outside chairs, I meet one of Heidelberg’s

where you can find the classics next to unknown territory,

most renowned poets. Rainer René Müller is a local icon and

and the dedicated owner is the right expert to accompany

his poetry is a means of coming to terms with the legacy of

this transcendent journey.

Nazi-times and the repression of its implications. He was born

74 / Creative Feel / June 2018

that the biggest gift Clemens Bellut offers is that of a safe haven in the midst of this troubled world in which we can freely advance into the deep (un)known interior of ourselves to share and grow together. To connect people through books, to connect writers and book lovers has become the antithesis to our loud and exhausted world and therewith the artes liberales has become an irreplaceable space of intellectual life and its spirit will stimulate me until I next return to Heidelberg.

Paths, paths A din, this gospel of survivors’ guilt something undercuts us, necessitates this choir, this murmur of shards, Lessing’s splendour; in 1949, when post-war Germany was just four years old, when

prologue blue

the rubble of war and the smell of corpses were still part of everyday reality. Because of his roots and his Jewish family,

we have witnessed everything

German history goes right through his body and soul. His

the squealed on truth, the hanged man

poetry is immersed in a language of injury. An injury many

billowing in the wind

want to simply forget. But there is no comfort in forgetting and the silence of the post-war is a horror vacui (fear of empty

who went the Way of the Cross

space) instead. Rainer René Müller traces the injuries of the

for one superfluous amen

past, traces his own injured self and its whereabouts in a

a truncheoning by the Tarot

society of silence and repression. In his poetry he has created an injured language that stretches the German language to

we have drunk everything

its limits and, while doing so, it becomes obvious that he has

the bleached out leaden white,

done it not only out of the sheer passion for the experiment

the discharge

but also bowed to the need to find a new language for the

issuing from the Thomas side

unspeakable, for the Überlebensschuld (guilt of the survivors).

Encounters like ours might come as a surprise but feel as if destiny played a role as well, and the interest this fragile

in the guarded sleep overcome by us there is a fateful sleep ticket

man shows in an edition of African contemporary fiction is a connection point in a world that today would rather recognise

the left was the side of death

what separates us. We talk about guilt and survival, about

the right was the side of work

the strength of empathy and perseverance and the enormous power that our underlying injuries offer each of us.

We exchange books. I present our German translation

Rabbinical, my dream of the tailor in New York

of Niq Mhlongo’s novel Way Back Home, which I found on

who might heal

one of the shelves, and in return receive a copy of Rainer’s

this

small compilation of his poetry. Poetry that blows me away and for the first time I wish I were a poet myself and not

– Rainer René Müller, translation by Charl Pierre Naudé

just a writer, so that I could translate his verses kindredly into English. His poetical journey is a tour de force through his own and Germany’s post-war history and his command of language so acutely senses the pain and impossibility of properly confronting the deadly past.

While we talk, it feels like all these books take part in our

Literary Landscapes is a monthly column by

INDRA WUSSOW, a writer, translator and director of the Sylt Foundation.

conversation, and of course, they do, as so much of what we know we have learnt through reading and reflecting. I realise

Creative Feel / June 2018 / 75

Black Panther

SUPERHEROES: TRANSCENDING CONTINENTS

Comics have a youthful appeal, taking us back to school holidays and days spent exploring imaginary worlds. From their appearances in daily newspapers as comic strips to full comic books, some of popular culture’s favourite characters started out as illustrations.

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e have been telling stories through drawings

have been told through comics for over 70 years, and

and illustrations for thousands of years, from

have successfully transitioned into the radio, film and

cave paintings during the Palaeolithic period

television markets.

to religious texts in the Middle Ages. From

Marvel Comics have arguably made the most successful

storytelling to art, advertising and politics, illustrations have

transition into film over the past few years. Combining

long been a regular part of daily life.

super powers and humour, with a type of science fiction

Cartoons, the precursor to comic books, have been

that somehow seems to believably fit into the real world,

popular in England and America since the early 1800s,

characters like Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Deadpool, Star-

originating in newspapers and periodicals. Through natural

Lord, Black Panther, Spider-Man and the X-Men have seen

evolution, cartoons developed into comic books, first through

audiences streaming into movie theatres, often pre-booking

publications containing compilations of cartoon re-prints,

tickets weeks in advance.

then as books with original cartoon artwork, before reaching critical mass through the creation of superheroes in 1938.

What is now referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Comic

But there’s so much more than just superheroes. Light humour is a popular genre among both children and adults.

Charles M. Schultz’s Peanuts ran in daily and weekly papers

Books’ began in 1938 with the debut of the beloved

from 1950 to 2000 and is the most popular and influential in

Superman. Batman premiered less than a year later.

the history of comic strips. With 17 897 published in total, it

These would soon become two of DC Comics’ most

is arguably the longest story ever told by one human being.

favourite characters, and were joined by Flash, Green

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their social circle have made

Lantern and Wonder Woman in the 1940s. Their stories

their way into numerous books, TV shows, stage musicals,

76 / Creative Feel / June 2018

Japanese storytelling formats anime and the ancient art of manga gained huge popularity in South Africa in the anime boom of the 1990s, with both the anime television series Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon (originally a video game) becoming favourites among children. The popularity has only increased over the years, with anime clubs and conventions popping up worldwide, and the influences of both the manga and anime aesthetic becoming increasingly evident in ‘Western’ comics.

Comic books and graphic novels are popular among TV- and film-makers, with many making their way onto our screens. Notably, V for Vendetta, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Sin City, Watchmen, The Walking Dead, Atomic Blonde, The Crow, Wanted, Tank Girl, Red, Hellboy, KickAss, Old Boy and Ghost in the Shell.

Comics are alive and well in South Africa too. Soccerbased comic Supa Strikas is published in numerous

Madam & Eve

newspapers and magazines nationwide and has been adapted into an animation for e.tv and Disney XD. Kwezi, video games and even board games, with their audiences

South Africa’s first-home grown superhero comic book,

existing across age, gender and country lines.

made history in June 2016 when it became the first South

Published since 1978, Garfield is the world’s most widely

African comic book to be made available at a major retailer.

syndicated comic strip. The lazy, lasagna-loving, orange

And it was announced in February that the story of Brenda

cat who disdains Mondays, earns $750 million to $1 billion

Fassie, written by Lauren Beukes and illustrated by Anja

annually in merchandise sales and has spawned several

Venter, will form part of the comic anthology Femme

animated television specials, two animated television series,

Magnifique, which features contributions from all over the

two theatrical feature-length live-action/CGI animated

world and will be released in September.

films, and three fully CGI animated direct-to-video movies.

South African political satire Madam & Eve has been

Another beloved ‘cat’ is Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes. Bill

running since 1992 and is syndicated in 13 publications,

Watterson’s daily comic strip follows the humorous antics of

claiming a daily readership of over 4 million people.

Calvin, a precocious, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-

Gwen Anderson, ‘Madam’, and her ‘domestic maintenance

old boy, and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger.

assistant’, Eve Sisulu, were created by Harry Dugmore, Rico

Teenaged Archibald ‘Archie’ Andrews debuted with Betty

Schacherl, and Stephen Francis. The hilarious squabbles

Cooper and Jughead Jones in 1941, in a story by writer Vic

of Madam and Eve have been recreated in books and a TV

Bloom and artist Bob Montana. Loved by generations of teens,

show; some art from Madam & Eve has even been placed

Archie Comics changed formats in July 2015; the entire Archie

into galleries, such as the exhibit at the Caisa Gallery,

universe was rebooted with a new character design aesthetic

Helsinki, Finland, which lasted

and a more mature story format and scripting, aimed for older,

until 30 June 2005. CF

contemporary teenage and young adult readers.

The French series The Adventures of Asterix is extolled

Even more exciting for

worldwide. Since their first appearance in 1959, protagonists

comic book fans is the

Asterix and Obelix and the village of Gauls have kept readers

news that Comic Con

entertained as they resist Roman occupation in 50 BC.

Africa will be taking

Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi’s (who wrote under

place at the Kyalami

the pen name Hergé) The Adventures of Tintin was one of

Convention Centre

the most popular series of the 20th century. Although now

this September.

controversial, by 2007 the stories of Tintin and his dog

Don’t forget

Snowy had been published in more than 70 languages with

to get your

sales of more than 200 million copies.

tickets!

Calvin and Hobbes

MUSIC |

T H E L AT E S T R E L E A S E S TO S U IT A L L TA S T E S

Scream For Me Sarajevo ‘Scream For Me Sarajevo touched on something far beyond the confines of a mere music documentary’ – Nick Ruskell, Kerrang!

D

uring the longest siege a capital city has faced in the history of modern warfare, and amid the mortars and grenades, a heavy metal band agreed to play a concert…

Scream for Me Sarajevo is the astonishing story of

the most unlikely of rock concerts, performed by Bruce Dickinson and his band Skunkworks in 1994. Risking their lives, they were smuggled into the besieged city to play a

‘The most heart-rending and emotional film I’ve seen in years…a true tale of triumph over tragedy!’ – Paul Anthony, Planet Rock

concert for its citizens amidst the chaos of war; letting the citizens of Sarajevo know that they weren’t forgotten despite being cut off from the rest of the world.

The film is far from a straight concert movie and provides an insight into a wider story of the people of

the people of Sarajevo at a time when they thought they had been forgotten by the rest of the world.

This must-see documentary includes footage of

Sarajevo taking drastic measures to endure the privations

the gig and the war itself, as well as recent interviews

of war and pushing the boundaries to survive. It reflects a

with Dickinson and his bandmates. The documentary

thriving underground arts community who were living their

also follows Dickinson making an emotional return to

lives in the shadow of war and making music in the face of

Sarajevo, ‘War turns the world on its head, but this is an

devastating loss, and the huge impact the concert had on

optimistic message.’ Speaking of his experience Dickinson says, ‘It changed the way I viewed life, death and other human beings.’

Scream For Me Sarajevo will be released on DVD, BluRay and digitally on Friday 29 June via Eagle Vision. On the same day, music from the film will be available to buy on CD, double LP and digitally via BMG. Comprising of music from the film, which spans Bruce Dickinson’s solo career, the album features rarities such as ‘Acoustic Song’ (previously only available as a bonus track on the 2001 Best Of Bruce Dickinson special edition), ‘Inertia’ (Live) (previously only available as a bonus track on the expanded re-release of Skunkworks in 2005) and the album closer ‘Eternal’ (previously only available as Japanese bonus tracks on Tyranny Of Souls). CF You can pre-order both the film and the soundtrack from www.screamformesarajevo.com now.

78 / Creative Feel / June 2018

W I N : E XC LU S I V E TO C R E AT I V E F E E L R E A D E R S

The perfect movie

night out

Stand a chance to join us ‘on the beach’ on 21 June 2018 for a preview screening of On Chesil Beach at Cinema Nouveau Rosebank Mall at 19:00.

Adapted by Ian McEwan from his bestselling novella, On Chesil Beach centres on a young couple of drastically different backgrounds in the summer of 1962. Following the pair through their idyllic courtship, the film explores sex and the societal pressure that can accompany physical intimacy, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle, Anne-Marie Duff, Adrian Scarborough, Emily Watson, and Samuel West.

The movie pairs multi-Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Brooklyn, Ladybird), who’s remarkable in it, with an up-andcoming British actor named Billy Howle (Dunkirk, The Sense of an Ending), and proves to be a fiercely charismatic and commanding talent.

Dominic Cooke CBE is a four-time Olivier Award-winning and BAFTA nominated English theatre, TV and film director and writer. Cooke’s On Chesil

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AT CINEMAS 22 JUNE

Beach elegantly and delicately steers a path between laughter and groaning sympathy for a prim young couple, hesitatingly, awkwardly, spending their first night together as man and wife. Both successful Cambridge students, Edward (Billy Howle) and Florence (Saoirse Ronan) are nevertheless, at a complete loss when it comes to consummation. This is the focal point of a sensitive, poignant reading of McEwan’s novella, which pits the emotionally-

Creative Feel and Cinema Nouveau are giving away double-tickets (with popcorn and a coke!) to a selection of our lucky readers.

constipated newlyweds headlong into the dilemmas of love, life and emotion.

G o t o w w w. c r e a t i v e f e e l . c o . z a / o n - c h e s i l - b e a c h / t o e n t e r i n t o t h e d r a w

ON CHESIL BEACH DIRECTOR: Dominic Cooke STARRING: Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle, Anne-Marie Duff, Adrian Scarborough, Emily Watson, Samuel West Summer 1962, England. We first encounter Florence and Edward, a young couple in their early 20s, on their wedding day. Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) is a talented, ambitious violinist with a string quartet; Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) is a History graduate from University College London who dreams of becoming an author.

Florence was born into a prosperous, conservative family in a neat, organised home presided over by her overbearing father (Samuel West), a successful businessman. Edward comes from a contrasting background. His father (Adrian Scarborough) is a teacher, while his art expert mother (Anne-Marie Duff) is brain-damaged after an awful accident; their home is informal, somewhat chaotic and closer to nature. Two very different people, but deeply in love, they married as virgins.

Now on their honeymoon, dining in their room at a stuffy, sedate hotel near Chesil Beach in Dorset hours after their wedding, they find their conversation becomes stilted and nervous: the consummation of their marriage is fast approaching. While Edward welcomes the prospect of sexual intimacy, Florence is scared by it. The tension between them boils over into a heated argument as Florence attempts to repel Edward’s advances. She dashes from the room on to Chesil Beach, with Edward in pursuit. On the remote beach, they have a blazing argument that leads to one of them making a startling decision that will have life-long consequences for them both.

80 / Creative Feel / April 2018

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ENCORE DAWN LINDBERG is the founder and CEO of the Naledi Theatre Awards.

One of the biggest and most prestigious awards events in South Africa, it recognises and honours excellence in South African theatre. Previously, she was an independent theatre producer and entertainer (with her husband, Des) for 52 years. Des and Dawn Lindberg were the first to produce multiracial theatre in 1973 (Godspell) and the first to successfully fight the banning in the Supreme Court. They were appointed Living Legends by the Minister of Arts and Culture in 2016.

Name one thing you think would improve the arts and culture industry in South Africa.

More generous funding from the government, the private sector and abroad!

Name three artworks that you love and why.

Picasso’s Guernica, for its evocative power and masterly

What is your most treasured possession?

design (unsurpassed); Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, for its

My 200 volumes of scrapbooks telling of our journey in

passion and stirring of the soul; Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for

showbiz for over 50 years.

the depth of understanding of the human spirit and turmoils within our emotions.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Children who go to bed hungry, and systematic

Name one artist you would love to meet.

embezzlement from our state coffers.

Leonardo da Vinci.

What is it that makes you happy?

What are you reading at the moment?

Sitting in a theatre as the lights go down; watching

Gordon Forbes’ I’ll Take the Sunnyside.

animals roaming free in the bush; listening to an orchestra tuning up.

What is in your car’s CD player?

We no longer use CDs in the car. We use what we download

Describe a defining moment in your life.

onto a USB memory stick; ranging from classical to folk.

Falling three metres onto my head from an unprotected

Alternatively, I listen to 702 for the news only, and Classic

staircase, and realising I was alive and not seriously injured;

FM, to calm my soul.

no longer sweating the small stuff and being able to handle the challenges of my remaining time on this earth

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

What projects will you be busy with during 2018 and

My oversensitivity to what I assume people think.

into 2019?

Writing our book: Des & Dawn Unplugged; illustrating a

How have the arts industries in South Africa changed

friend’s book of poetry.

over the last ten years?

Theatre and the arts are much more reflective of our current

Name one goal you would like to achieve in the next

society and the demographics of the practitioners. New

twelve months.

voices are telling our own stories and expressing our unique

Making the Naledi Theatre Awards sustainable with modest

cultures through dance, music and the visual arts.

help from big business and government. CF

82 / Creative Feel / June 2018

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