INVESTING IN ART RMB Turbine Art Fair, 12 - 15 July 2018
Celebrating South Africa’s oldest SA R36,90 (incl. VAT) - June 2018
06018 9
771607
519004
JAZZ FESTIVAL Creative Feel / June 2018 / 1
in Grahamstown, 28 June - 7 July 2018
New to Flight Centre
Inspiring debt FREE travel memories
2 / Creative Feel / June 2018
Open your Stokvel Club today! Stokvel travel is aimed at creating the opportunity to travel for ALL South Africans. The objective is to make travel a reality through a Stokvel solution. This platform allows for individuals to contribute at their own pace and travel when they are ready to.
Benefits of travel through Stokvel
Open your Stokvel Club today!
• Expert travel advice • Travel discounts • Easy to use no credit checks • Easy access to Stokvel funds
Stokvel travel is aimed at creating the opportunity to travel for ALL South Africans. The objective is to make travel a reality through a Stokvel solution. This platform allows for individuals to contribute at their own pace and travel when they are ready to.
Benefits of travel through Stokvel
• Expert travel advice • Travel discounts • Easy to use no credit checks • Easy access to Stokvel funds
Stokvel Stokvel made easy?
1.
2.
Call or email the Flight Centre Stokvel Team. 0877 40 5154
Complete an application form with all club member’s details.
1.
2.
Call or email the Flight Centre Stokvel Team. 0877 40 5154
Comple with al
4.
5.
Receive3.monthly updates Make your on Stokvel depositbalances. of R500 Minimum.
You w ability
Determine monthly contribution.
4.
5.
6.
Receive monthly updates on Stokvel balances.
You will have the ability to make withdrawals.
When you are ready, book the holiday of your dreams.
Travel
Travel your way Call 0877 40 5154 Call 0877 40 5154
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.
SNS_03_2018
LIMITLESS
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’.
W
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.
W
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.
W
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
16LSNV
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
16LSNV
AT CINEMAS 22 JUNE Creative Feel / June 2018 / 81
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
Creative Feel Magazine subscription for 6 months for only R205 or 12 months for R365. Visit www.creativefeel.co.za/shop/
J O I N T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N Creative Feel
|
@CreativeFeel |
@creative_feel
W W W. C R E AT I V E F E E L . C O. Z A
Creative Feel / June 2018 / 83
84 / Creative Feel / June 2018