34onLong - auctionfa 4/30/08 12:14 PM Page 2

Composite

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

William Kentridge edition of 60 estimate R22 000 - R25 000

contemporary fine art auction

10 june 18h30

34 long street onauction.co.za viewing 5/6 June 10h00-17h00, 7 June 10h00-14h00

THE SOUTH AFRICAN ART TIMES

ART GUIDE MAY

(Detail) Stephan Hobbs, Hillbrow Walk, 2008. Digital photograph. To be seen at Bank Gallery, Durban, 15 May – 07 June 2008

Mike Loewe

The angry young performing artist who once smoke-bombed the offices of the National Arts Festival newspaper, Cue, in order to get a reviewer to attend his fringe show, has returned to Grahamstown in the somewhat anachronistic posi-tion of festival director!But that is how the wheel of fate has turned, and it feels appropriate that an authentic voice from the fringe has taken centre stage.Ismail Mahomed, 48, diligent and thorough maths and science teacher, performing artist extraordi-naire, is the first director of colour to head up the 34-year-old festival, a formative institution in shaping South African, and lately,

international arts.He’s erudite, passionate, prolific, clever, gentle, proud, and a dedi-cated trooper for the peformers. He knew from the age of 14 that his life was in the theatre.But first the system evicted him and his family from Sophiatown and later from Vrededorp to Lenasia, a small, intense, bruised but stoic Indian community driven 30km out of Joburg by racial ar-rogance and hatred.The young Mahomed was angry. He watched in 76 as Soweto burned just beyond the railway tracks, Wits and Rau accepted him as a student but the regime would not give him a permit. However,

in his works – by now too many to count – he has always strived to “never stop at the level of di-dactism, but to always tell stories. It’s about the characters and letting the audience go on a journey with the performers…”

So, thwarted, he became a teacher of maths and science – a brilliant choice it turned out, because by the time he decided to give the comfort of a regular pay check and other middle-class conventions the old heave-ho and leap into the arts, he had a special skill - administration.

With the addition of business skills,

an eye for good marketing, and canny understanding of the power of collaboration and networking as a weapon in the struggle for excel-lence, he has achieved recognition and success.

And he has been hugely success-ful. He was even awarded teacher of the year by the old segregated education system, which he finds somewhat ironic.

Certainly not a party hack, Mahomed’s philosophy leans more towards cross-over and exploration across lines of class, race, religion, gender – all the hot frontiers in our society.

He believes coming from Lenasia has steeled him for yet another return to the smallness of town, especially this historical town, still a frontier alive with contradictions, divides, and lately, an ANC assault on its very name, Grahamstown.

It’s way too early for Mahomed to be blooded by these local feuds, the man is simply looking for a house to buy. He’s got the bike, a knobbly dirt machine, bought from the local outdoor cycle store, and he can’t wait to settle down into his beloved lifestyle of work, work, work, reading four newspapers a day, cooking, entertaining, and, as stated, more work.

He is unmarried, but one gets the sense that he is absolutely de-lighted with life and his new post.Like many things, he is an abso-lute festival veteran. It was a trip to fest in 1982, when he brought 60 young Indian schoolchildren on a long bus trip to Grahamstown, where his life changed.

“For the first time I witnessed the transformative nature and power of the arts. My students, who lived in a closeted little community, could, for the first time, interact with others from other communities and worlds. The arts became a conduit for a whole range of issues which were barred from discussion by formal schooling.”

A few days after getting back home he resigned, cashed in his pension and began his new life by launch-ing the Creative Arts Workshop, a community project in Lenasia.This company would grow to be-come one of the largest independ-ent theatre companies.

But it needed the oxygen of travel – and so it did, to almost every fes-tival available, from Grahamstown, to KKK, to Durban, a women’s festival, and later, to Copenhagen,

and the USA.

Mahomed feels jack about telling it like it was: “There was a lot of cynicism with people saying ‘How does an Indian expect to survive in the arts?’ The stereotype was that an Indian became a merchant or accountant.”

There was a sense that his work would become the vehicle to disprove that, but that was when he was younger.As he developed in his career, so did his creative marketing skills. He brought a whole herd of shows in the big party festival of ’95 – no less than six shows. By the next year the figure had ballooned into a staggering 13 shows!“We booked out Vickies (at Victoria Girls High) and played to full houses every day, every perform-ance.”

Besides writing, producing, direct-ing and all the rest, he’s also been on the festival boards in his own play, ironically acting as a white conscript in the apartheid army.He’s still focused on theatre that “breaks conventions, that is cutting edge, but it must reach standards of excellence. I’d like the audience to walk out feeling challenged, stimulated and that they had value for their money.”

After attending 23 festivals, Mahomed is preparing to ease into the director’s chair as local pillar of the Grahamstown community and festival pioneer through very dark and bright years, Lynette Marais, prepares to leave it.

He is adamant that festival re-mains “the barometer of the South African arts community”, and while it is a vital income earner for Grahamstown, this is precisely because the festival is a “national cultural treasure”.

He is seemingly utterly unafraid of conservative environments. One of his successes was turning the Witbank Civic Theatre around, giving it life for all, regardless of its old Conservative Party stronghold history.

His last job, as senior cultural spe-cialist in the American Embassy in Pretoria was also at a time when American attitudes towards the Muslim world and vice versa were on tenterhooks. America had just invaded Iraq, but he describes his five years there as “stimulating”. “The allowed me to build a bridge of dialogue between a broad range of justice institutions in Johannes-burg and the embassy.”

So, if he can win over the locals, can he win over the different disciplines within the arts?How about the visual arts? Maho-med immediately reverts back to the festival committee, saying it has “people who are very strong in the visual arts”.

“I will shape the vision of this festival in consultation with the artists on the committee and people who have exhibited her in the past, as well as a whole range of stakeholders who have a vested interest (in the visual arts).

Meanwhile, nothing seems to displease the man. He loves Gra-hamstown, he loves the festival team he has inherited, he is not phased by the carnivorous political scene, he believes this is good for the arts community!“When a regime begins to show flaws, this is when the arts com-munity becomes most critical and vibrant…”

He’s not phased about criticism leading to a spiteful withdrawal of funding. Artists are by nature innovative and will always find money to enable them to make their work.

The 80s saw the arts playing an extremely critical role, then going into a more reconciliatory role in the mid-90s to now, where there is a “new wave” of work grappling with “succession, accountability and corruption.

Back in the Madiba days artists were in “a state of euphorbia. Now we are coming out and saying how do we assert our identity?”He’s keen on “art on the left” which holds a very clear “mirror to our society”, but he tacks on the notion of bureaucracy, administration and government.

Yet, he’s also keen on the old building of partnerships with government, and believes that artists who do not want to play a responsible role can be behaving in an irresponsible manner.The partnership with government needs to be built on “honesty, trust and criticism”.

And that smoking incident? He says he arrived in the Cue offices with a smoke machine, asked a student where he could plug it in, and was naively shown the socket. Once he had it going, the entire cast of a children’s show started demanding their review, and, when the smoke had settled, got it.And it was pretty good too.

Smoke Bomber take centre stage at National Arts Festival

The new National Arts Festival Director: Ismail Mahomed Photo: Mike Loewe

Mike Loewe

The angry young performing artist who once smoke-bombed the offices of the National Arts Festival newspaper, Cue, in order to get a reviewer to attend his fringe show, has returned to Grahamstown in the somewhat anachronistic posi-tion of festival director!But that is how the wheel of fate has turned, and it feels appropriate that an authentic voice from the fringe has taken centre stage.Ismail Mahomed, 48, diligent and thorough maths and science teacher, performing artist extraordi-naire, is the first director of colour to head up the 34-year-old festival, a formative institution in shaping South African, and lately,

international arts.He’s erudite, passionate, prolific, clever, gentle, proud, and a dedi-cated trooper for the peformers. He knew from the age of 14 that his life was in the theatre.But first the system evicted him and his family from Sophiatown and later from Vrededorp to Lenasia, a small, intense, bruised but stoic Indian community driven 30km out of Joburg by racial ar-rogance and hatred.The young Mahomed was angry. He watched in 76 as Soweto burned just beyond the railway tracks, Wits and Rau accepted him as a student but the regime would not give him a permit. However,

in his works – by now too many to count – he has always strived to “never stop at the level of di-dactism, but to always tell stories. It’s about the characters and letting the audience go on a journey with the performers…”

So, thwarted, he became a teacher of maths and science – a brilliant choice it turned out, because by the time he decided to give the comfort of a regular pay check and other middle-class conventions the old heave-ho and leap into the arts, he had a special skill - administration.

With the addition of business skills,

an eye for good marketing, and canny understanding of the power of collaboration and networking as a weapon in the struggle for excel-lence, he has achieved recognition and success.

And he has been hugely success-ful. He was even awarded teacher of the year by the old segregated education system, which he finds somewhat ironic.

Certainly not a party hack, Mahomed’s philosophy leans more towards cross-over and exploration across lines of class, race, religion, gender – all the hot frontiers in our society.

He believes coming from Lenasia has steeled him for yet another return to the smallness of town, especially this historical town, still a frontier alive with contradictions, divides, and lately, an ANC assault on its very name, Grahamstown.

It’s way too early for Mahomed to be blooded by these local feuds, the man is simply looking for a house to buy. He’s got the bike, a knobbly dirt machine, bought from the local outdoor cycle store, and he can’t wait to settle down into his beloved lifestyle of work, work, work, reading four newspapers a day, cooking, entertaining, and, as stated, more work.

He is unmarried, but one gets the sense that he is absolutely de-lighted with life and his new post.Like many things, he is an abso-lute festival veteran. It was a trip to fest in 1982, when he brought 60 young Indian schoolchildren on a long bus trip to Grahamstown, where his life changed.

“For the first time I witnessed the transformative nature and power of the arts. My students, who lived in a closeted little community, could, for the first time, interact with others from other communities and worlds. The arts became a conduit for a whole range of issues which were barred from discussion by formal schooling.”

A few days after getting back home he resigned, cashed in his pension and began his new life by launch-ing the Creative Arts Workshop, a community project in Lenasia.This company would grow to be-come one of the largest independ-ent theatre companies.

But it needed the oxygen of travel – and so it did, to almost every fes-tival available, from Grahamstown, to KKK, to Durban, a women’s festival, and later, to Copenhagen,

and the USA.

Mahomed feels jack about telling it like it was: “There was a lot of cynicism with people saying ‘How does an Indian expect to survive in the arts?’ The stereotype was that an Indian became a merchant or accountant.”

There was a sense that his work would become the vehicle to disprove that, but that was when he was younger.As he developed in his career, so did his creative marketing skills. He brought a whole herd of shows in the big party festival of ’95 – no less than six shows. By the next year the figure had ballooned into a staggering 13 shows!“We booked out Vickies (at Victoria Girls High) and played to full houses every day, every perform-ance.”

Besides writing, producing, direct-ing and all the rest, he’s also been on the festival boards in his own play, ironically acting as a white conscript in the apartheid army.He’s still focused on theatre that “breaks conventions, that is cutting edge, but it must reach standards of excellence. I’d like the audience to walk out feeling challenged, stimulated and that they had value for their money.”

After attending 23 festivals, Mahomed is preparing to ease into the director’s chair as local pillar of the Grahamstown community and festival pioneer through very dark and bright years, Lynette Marais, prepares to leave it.

He is adamant that festival re-mains “the barometer of the South African arts community”, and while it is a vital income earner for Grahamstown, this is precisely because the festival is a “national cultural treasure”.

He is seemingly utterly unafraid of conservative environments. One of his successes was turning the Witbank Civic Theatre around, giving it life for all, regardless of its old Conservative Party stronghold history.

His last job, as senior cultural spe-cialist in the American Embassy in Pretoria was also at a time when American attitudes towards the Muslim world and vice versa were on tenterhooks. America had just invaded Iraq, but he describes his five years there as “stimulating”. “The allowed me to build a bridge of dialogue between a broad range of justice institutions in Johannes-burg and the embassy.”

So, if he can win over the locals, can he win over the different disciplines within the arts?How about the visual arts? Maho-med immediately reverts back to the festival committee, saying it has “people who are very strong in the visual arts”.

“I will shape the vision of this festival in consultation with the artists on the committee and people who have exhibited her in the past, as well as a whole range of stakeholders who have a vested interest (in the visual arts).

Meanwhile, nothing seems to displease the man. He loves Gra-hamstown, he loves the festival team he has inherited, he is not phased by the carnivorous political scene, he believes this is good for the arts community!“When a regime begins to show flaws, this is when the arts com-munity becomes most critical and vibrant…”

He’s not phased about criticism leading to a spiteful withdrawal of funding. Artists are by nature innovative and will always find money to enable them to make their work.

The 80s saw the arts playing an extremely critical role, then going into a more reconciliatory role in the mid-90s to now, where there is a “new wave” of work grappling with “succession, accountability and corruption.

Back in the Madiba days artists were in “a state of euphorbia. Now we are coming out and saying how do we assert our identity?”He’s keen on “art on the left” which holds a very clear “mirror to our society”, but he tacks on the notion of bureaucracy, administration and government.

Yet, he’s also keen on the old building of partnerships with government, and believes that artists who do not want to play a responsible role can be behaving in an irresponsible manner.The partnership with government needs to be built on “honesty, trust and criticism”.

And that smoking incident? He says he arrived in the Cue offices with a smoke machine, asked a student where he could plug it in, and was naively shown the socket. Once he had it going, the entire cast of a children’s show started demanding their review, and, when the smoke had settled, got it.And it was pretty good too.

Eastern Cape

East London

Anne Bryant Art Gallery08 – 24 May: Aubrey & Gary Klink-radt - Father and son art exhibition 9 St Marks Road, Southernwood, East London T. 043 7224044

Driftwood Studios Until 10 May: Ceramic Indaba26 Rainbow Valley,Kwelerha, East London T. 043 7374431www.driftwoodstudios.co.za

Port Elizabeth Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Until 08 June: About-face 1 Park Drive T. 041 5861030 artmuseum@artmuseum.co.za

Free State

Bloemfontein

Oliewenhuis Art Museum13 May: Cement and Mosaic Project 21 May-16 June: Hardy Botha - Retrospective Exhibition 30 May-26 June: Pauline Gutter - Opslag 16 Harry Smith Street Bloemfontein T. 051 4479 609

Gauteng

Johannesburg

Alliance Francaise of Johannesburg08-21 May: Cronjé Lemmer and Erhardt Grobbelaar Collagraphy exhibition13-22 May: Short Film Festival: “Voyages en Courts”22 May: Tribute to Aimé Césaire 27-31 May: Ilana Seati Paintings exhibition17 Lower Park Drive, Corner Kerry Road Parkview T. 011 646 1169www.alliance.org.za

Art Extra Gallery07 May- 07 June: Aftermath373 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannes-burg T. 011 326 0034www.artextra.co.za

Artspace Gallery10-26 May: Heptad - Seven Years of ArtspaceT. 011 4821258 / 0836715139www.artspace-jhb.co.za

David Krut Print WorkshopUntil 17 May: Deborah Bell David Koloane Colbert Mashile Diane Vic-tor DKW: New Editions 200824 May-17 June: Bronwyn Findlay142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg T. 011 447 0627www.davidkrutpublishing.com

Everard Read Gallery11 May: Gary and Alexandre James - A Voyage to the interior continued15 May-01June: Jean Jansem - Expressionniste humaniste17 July: Franki Burger - Place and Belonging6 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg T. (011) 788-4805 www.everard-read.co.za

Gallery Momo08 - 31 May: Johannes Phokela - Exhibition of new works52 7th Avenue, Parktown North T. 011 3273247

www.gallerymomo.com

Gordart Gallery11-31 May: Hanje Whitehead and Craig Smith, Martin Osneran - pho-tographs, Mpumelelo Guliwe72 Third Ave, Melville, Johannesburg www.gordartgallery.com

Graham’s Fine Art Gallery29 May-29 August: The Modern Palimpsest - Envisioning South African ModernityCorner Valley & Cedar Roads Broa-dacres, Fourways T. 011 465 9192www.grahamsfineartgallery.co.za

The Johannesburg Art GalleryUntil 31 May: Spier Contemporary 2007Until 31 May: Santu Mofokeng Homeland SecurityKing George Street, Joubert Park, Johannesburg T. 011 725 3180 /81

The Thompson Gallery 11 May-07 June: Sites of Memory 78 Third Avenue, Melville T. 011 482 2039www.thompsongallery.co.za

The University of Johannesburg Art Gallery07-28 May: Peter Magubane Rites of Passage Kingsway Campus T. 011 559 2099www.uj.ac.za

Moja Modern GalleryUntil 10 May: Allen Reed, Slugs and Snails16th 7 Avenue, Parktown, Johan-nesburg T. 011 447 9000www.mojamodern.co.za

Obert Contemporary at Melrose Arch17 – 31 July: Maja Maljevic - Drawingswww.obertcontemporary.com

Standard Bank GalleryUntil 10 May - Skin-to-Skin – Participating artists include: Tamlin Blake, Leora Farber, Fiona Kirkwood, Walter Oltmann, Jane Makhubele and Yda Walt.Corner Simmonds and Frederick Street T. 011 6311889

The Goodman GalleryUntil 24 May: David Goldblatt - Joburg163 Jan Smuts Avenue , Parkwood T. 011 7881113www.goodman-gallery.com

Pretoria

Association of Arts PretoriaUntil 28 May: Peter Sibanda, Introduction, an exhibition of oil paintings173 Mackie Street, Nieuw Muckle-neurk T. 012 3463100

Platform on 18th Until 24 May: Content232 18th Avenue, Rietondale, Pretoria Pretoria Art MuseumUntil 11 May – Mid-career retro-spective – Johann LouwCnr Schoeman and Wessels Streets, Arcadia Park T. 012 3441807/8

Unisa Art GalleryUntil 02 May – Thematic Exhibition - David Goldblatt, Keith Dietrich, Penny Siopis, John Muafangejo, Julie Mehretu and othersUnisa Main campus, Theo van Wijk

Building (goldfields entrance), 5th Floor T. 012 4296255 ukun1@unisa.ac.za

KwaZulu-Natal

Durban

artSPACE durbanUntil 10 May: The Great Trek12-31 May: Petros Ghebrehiwot Crowd Power and Steve Mandy Pre-Intervention3 Millar Road, Durban T. 031 312 0793www.artspacedurban.co.za

Bat Centre07 May-07 June: Londiwe (Zee) Nzimande Fabric45 Maritime Place, Small Craft Harbour, Durban (Off Victoria Embankment) T. 031 332 0451 www.batcentre.co.za

DUT Art Gallery Until 23 May: Themba Shibase Hybrid Culture – Durban1st Floor Library Building, Steve Biko Campus, Berea, Durban T. 031 373 2207

KZNSA GalleryUntil 09 May: Alison Kearney, Put something in to get something out and other, Recent work Until 09 May: Nelson Makamo, Moving into a light13 May – 8 June: Stephen Hobbs: D’urban 13 May – 8 June: Dineo Bopape: Lovestrung13 May – 8 June: Johan Thom: twilight (of the idols) & bind/ontbind (series 1)166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood T. 031 2023686www.kznsagallery.co.za

Tatham Art Gallery Until 04 May - New Acquisitions Exhibition Until 04 May - Edendale excels: an exhibition of four artists from Eden-dale. Includes works by Michael Zondi, Gerard Bhengu, Chicken-man Mkhize and Siyabonga Sikosana.Cnr. Of Chief Albert Luthuli (Com-mercial) Rd. and Church Street (Opposite City Hall) T. 033 3421804

Northern Cape

Kimberly

William Humphreys Art Gallery Exhibition of Permanent CollectionCivic Centre, Cullinan Crescent T. 053 8311724

Western Cape

Cape Town

34 Long Fine Art10 June: Contemporary Fine Art Auction34 Long Street, Cape Townwww.onauction.co.za

Alliance Francaise du Cap09-29 May: Steve Bandoma 155 Loop Street, Cape Town T. 021 423 5699

art.b Gallery Until 14 May – Scenes – Group exhibition by Len Tempelhoff, John Skotnes, Verna Jooste and Souls-capes and Reflections by Elizabeth Miller-Vermeulen21 May - 18 Jun – Argentium - Theo KleynhansLibrary Centre, Carel van Aswegen Street, Bellville T. 021 9182301www.artb.co.za

AVA GalleryUntil 09 May: Jean Brundrit, Nkoali Nawa, Zoë Moosman12-30 May: Christian Nerf and Douglas Gimberg - One More Day to Regret35 Church Street, Cape Town T. 021 424 7436www.ava.co.za

Bell-Roberts Contemporary Gallery 07-31 May: Kevin Brand - Set the world on fire89 Bree Street, Cape Town T. 021 422 1100www.bell-roberts.com

Cape Gallery Until 10 May: Leon de Bliquy - Icons of a past life 11 May-8 June Martin Layton and Lin Barrie exhibition of recent paintings60 Church Street, Cape Town T. 0 21 4235309 www.capegallery.co.za

Curious, Whetstone & Frankley 09-21 May: Two Karens 87a Station Road, Observatory, Cape Town T. 021 448 8780

David Krut PublishingUntil 22 May: Mathew Brittan Paintings 22 May-28 June David Koloane Prints and Monotypes31 Newlands Avenue, Newlands, Cape Town T. 021 6850676

Erdmann ContemporaryUntil 24 May: Themba Shibase Umhlaba Kabani? (Whose Land?)26 May-28 June: Manfred Zylla Recent paintings63 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town T. 021 422 2762 www.erdmanncontemporary.co.za

Everard Read Gallery08-22 May: Penelope Stutterheime - A Way Through3 Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront T. (021) 418 4527 www.everard-read-capetown.co.za

Gill Allderman GalleryUntil 30 May: Second exhibition works on paper278 Main Road, Kenilworth, Cape Town T. 083 556 2540

Goodman Gallery Cape08 May – 31 May: Peter Schutz and Walter Oltman3rd Floor, Fairweather House, 176 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape TownT +27- (0)21- 462 - 7573 / 4www.goodman-gallery.com

Iziko South African National Gallery Until 18 Jun - A Private View – Cecil SkotnesUntil 25 May: Reality Check photo-graphic exhibitionGovernment Avenue, Company’s Garden T. 021 4674660info@iziko.org.za

João Ferreira GalleryUntil 31 May - Sub Rosa - Sanell Aggenbach70 Loop Street T. 021 4235403info@joaoferreiragallery.com

Michael Stevenson Gallery15 May-05 July: Disguise - The art of attracting and deflecting attentionGround floor, Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Cape TownT. 021 462 1500 www.michaelstevenson.com

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery6-27 May: Theo Paul, Vorster Dianne, Heesom-Green- Falling from my mind10 Wellington Road, Durbanville T. 021-9764691www.rust-en-vrede.com

The A.R.T GalleryUntil 03 May – Altered Im-ages: Rethinking Polaroids - Tessa Frootko-GordonNo. 205, The Colosseum Building, 3 St. George’s Mall T. 021 4192679artbailey@netactive.co.za

Tinus de Jongh Art GalleryDuring May and June: Charles Theodore Villet Retrospective exhi-bition of oils and watercolours 13 Aberdeen Road, Newlands, Cape Town T. 021 686 4141

UCT Irma Stern Museum 06-24 May: Joan Peeters - The Landscape UnveiledCecil Road, Rosebank, Cape Town

Whatiftheworld Gallery01-31 May: Zander Blom - The Drain of Progress05-28 June: Prints and Editions First floor, 208 Albert Road Wood-stock T. (021) 448 1438www.whatiftheworld.com

Stellenbosch

Die Dorpstraat GaleryUntil 6 May: Mike Donkin exhibition10 May- 17 June: Chris Diedericks Indigo Boy21 June-12 August: Nora Newton exhibition144 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch T. 021 887 2256

SMAC Art Gallery Until 25 May - Revisions plus works by artists such as Trevor Makhoba, Dumile Feni, Gerard Bhengu and Simon Mnguni will be on show De Wet Centre, Church Street T. 021 8873607

Franschoek

The Gallery at Grande Provence Until 28 May: exhibition of drawings and ceramicsMain Road Franschoek T. (021) 876 8600www.grandeprovence.co.za

Knysna

Knysna Fine ArtFrom 01 May: Leon Vermeulen - The edge of desire45 Queen Street, Knysna T. 044 382 5107

MAY GALLERY LISTINGS

Peter Sibanda, Introduction, an exhibition of oil paintings - Association of Arts Pretoria - Until 28 May

WHAT’S ON AT IZIKO, CAPE TOWN

GALLERY : MAGGIE

Featuring: Maggie Laubser

489 Alsation Road, Faerie Glen, Pretoria

E-mail: sagallery@hotmail.com

Cell: +27 (0) 833754844 –Johan

Tulips , Oil on Board 40cm x50cm

The inspiration for the exhibition arose out of an invitation to the South African National Gallery in 2006 from the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, in Germany, to curate an exhibition called Contemporary Art Photography from South Af-rica, which ran in various German cities. Reality Check is a selection from the larger exhibition.

The work of the twelve contem-porary photographers and artists provide an indication of the di-verse practices through which the realities of our radically changing world are explored.

The exhibition demonstrates an engagement with a wide range of concerns and forms: the personal is given new weight; and issues

around identity, self-representation and gender are explored along-side landscape and post-apartheid memory.

The following are represented in Reality Check: Bridget Baker, Lien Botha, Jean Brundrit, David Goldblatt, Pieter Hugo, Santu Mofokeng, Zanele Muholi, Jo Ratcliffe, Mikhael Subotzky, Guy Tillim, Andrew Tshabangu and Nontsikelelo ‘Lolo’ Veleko.

The Gallery is open daily from 10:00-17:00 except Mondays.

Enquiries: Pam Warne, Tel. 021 467 4660, or e-mail pwarne@iziko.org.za.

Popular art critic and lecturer Lloyd Pollak returns to Iziko South African Museum on 16 and 22 April, 13 and 21 May, and 11 June, to present a further series of lectures on 20th century art styles, from Fauvism (or ‘wild beasts’) to the artistic revolutions of Russia. Hosted by the Friends of the South African National Gallery, all lectures begin at 17:30 in the TH Barry Lecture Theatre and cost R40 per lecture (R160 for the series) for Friends, or R50 per lecture (R220 for the series)

for guests. Enquiries should be directed to Lizzie at 021 467 4662 (Tue-Thu 10:00-14:00) or email sangfriends@iziko.org.za.

16 April - Fauvism included the works of Dufy, Roualt, Derain, Vlaminck and Matisse whose ‘strident palettes sounded the birth cry of Modernism’ and triggered the ‘outrage standard’ of 20th century art. 22nd April – With Cubism, Picasso and Braque unleashed a radical

artistic revolution that in turn spawned a number of new genres such as Futurism, Purism and Vorticism. This lecture traces the evolution and stages of Cubism. 13 May – Explosive and angst-ridden, German Expressionism achieved a blend of tortured and Gothic art, tribal and Van Gogh, Ensor and Munch. 21st May – Futurism, an Italian style dominated by light and move-ment, celebrated the ‘dynamism of

modern life’, portraying its hectic rush and teeming metropolitan crowds. 11th June – Russian Art of the 20th Century - Once the seedbeds of artistic revolutions, Moscow and St Petersburg embraced a number of European avant-garde styles before State policy dictated that Socialist-Realism became the order of the day. For further information, visit www.iziko.org.za

Changes at Iziko MuseumsAs a public education facility in a developing economy and a newly democratic society, Iziko Museums of Cape Town is acutely aware of its mandate, which is to manage and promote Iziko’s unique com-bination of South Africa’s heritage collections, sites and services for the benefit of present and future generations.

In keeping with this mission, the Council of Iziko Museums of Cape Town (Iziko) has reviewed Iziko’s entrance fees and concessionary prices, with the aim of enabling maximum access to our museums,

particularly for the youth.

We are proud to announce that, with effect from 1 April 2008, all children under the age of 16 years will be able to visit the museums operated by Iziko free of charge. School groups will continue to have access to special guided tours and other educational activi-ties, at a subsidised cost.

For those schools that cannot afford to visit the city, our outreach programme and mobile museum will bring the museum’s collections to them. Furthermore, the current conces-

sionary entrance fee for South African pensioners and students remains unchanged.

Our visitor surveys have shown that, except where such a day was a public holiday, the public have not taken advantage of free entrance on Saturdays, as we had hoped. From 1 April therefore, entrance to Iziko museums will no longer be free on Saturdays. Instead, there will be free entrance to all patrons on the following selected commemorative days:

Freedom Day (27 April), Interna-tional Museums Day (18 May), Af-

rica Day (25 May), Youth Day (16 June), National Women’s Day (9 August), Heritage Week 2008 (22 – 28 September), National Aids Awareness Day (1 December) and Human Rights Day (from 2009).

Iziko remains committed to ena-bling visitors to enjoy maximum access to our collections, exhibi-tions and programmes.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their loyal patronage and support.

Available in leading art shops around South Africa www.italianartshop.co.za

We’ve been making the worlds finest brushes since 1793- beforeNapoleon conquered Europe. The intervening years have given ustime to perfect this art. That’s why Raphael is known as the finestbrush maker in the world. Our ‘Paris Classic’ range was developed forthe impressionists and is still made the same way today. Try themand banish inferior brushes to St Helena…

Lloyd Pollak returns

New changes at Iziko

Jean Brundrit: If my house went through airport security 2005/6 (detail) Selenium toned shadowgram

Reality Check is a photographic exhibition that runs at Iziko South African National Gallery until 25 May 2008.

Subscribe to The South African Art Times R 180 for 12 issues Go to www.arttimes.co.za for further information

David and Gail Zetler. 270 Main Street, Paarl, 7646. Phone + 27 (0) 21 872 5030 Fax + 27 (0) 21 872 7133 E-mail: zetler@icon.co.za www.houtstreetgallery.co.za Artwork: Peter Fincham, Afternoon Shadows

Hout Street Gallery

GALLERY : MAGGIE

Featuring: Maggie Laubser

489 Alsation Road, Faerie Glen, Pretoria

E-mail: sagallery@hotmail.com

Cell: +27 (0) 833754844 –Johan

Tulips , Oil on Board 40cm x50cm

Cape Town’s largest contemporary art gallery exhibiting works by leading South African artists

Carmel Art 66 Vineyard Road, Claremont

Ph: 021 671 6601

Email: carmel@global.co.za Website: www.carmelart.co.za

Exclusive distributors of

etchings

full selection on website

Pieter van der Westhuizen

Available in leading art shops around South Africa www.italianartshop.co.za

We’ve been making the worlds finest brushes since 1793- beforeNapoleon conquered Europe. The intervening years have given ustime to perfect this art. That’s why Raphael is known as the finestbrush maker in the world. Our ‘Paris Classic’ range was developed forthe impressionists and is still made the same way today. Try themand banish inferior brushes to St Helena…

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������