S A R T S

C U R A T I O N  F O C U S

South Africa

Gallerys, museums and art foundations in: Hoedspruit · Johannesburg · Jeffrey's Bay · Knysna · Plettenberg Bay · Hermanus · Stellenbosch · Cape Town and more

Every curation reveals something both about the art showcased as well as about the curator. While the focus on South African art is obvious, so is the curator's focus on figurative art. Therefore, it is important for us to, at this point, to explicitly point towards the incredible variety of contemporary and historic art in South Africa, which is not fully showcased in this curation.

Over the course of a two-month-long solo trip through South Africa, our editor noticed and collected the incredible art in South Africa. The first small art hub encountered was Hoedspruit, near the Kruger park, then Port Elizabeth on the East Cape. During a road trip along the East and West Cape towards Cape Town, our editor had quite a dry spell in terms of art. However, as soon as Cape Town drew close, so did the incredible art scene of the Western Cape. Starting in Hermanus, with incredible art galleries that range from the regular commercial galleries that show a lot of different artists, to small, privately owned galleries. One gallery was specifically memorable: a husband who sold his wife's art while she was in her studio working on new pieces. The gallerists were incredibly welcoming, kind, and knowledgeable. The same happened in Stellenbosch. Of course, South African art legend Portchie has to be named at this point. The late Porchie, who sadly passed away recently, still has his own art gallery in Stellenbosch. While it does sell some merchandise, the gallery also shows a variety of original art works that are not for sale and can only be viewed in Stellenbosch. Since Stellenbosch is a university town, it is vibrant and incredibly alive. Students showcase their art, the university has artistic and creative departments and there is whole lot of craftsmanship to see.

Finally, Cape Town. The city absolutely stole my heart. Full of art museums, art foundations that showcase their art collections for free, private and public galleries it is simply an absolute gem. The city organises an art-centered event called "First Thursday" every first thursday of the month, where every art gallery and museums, as well as all of the creative spaces, bars and dance clubs, stay open until late at night. I was lucky enough to experience a "First Thursday" during my stay and it will forever remain in my heart.

Ultimately, this curation highlights just a few pieces of South African art with a particular focus on figurative pieces.

By the way, SARTS has interviewed renowned South African artist Natasha Barnes both for The Artist Interview Series, as well as for The Introductory Series. Check it out!

 Above: Spotlight about 'Setting' by Penny Siopis

An astonishing piece. Located and currently on display at A4ArtsFoundation (known especially for a performance art project titled “POLITE Force”) in Cape Town, South Africa. When I first stood in front of the piece, it took my breath away. I stared and stared at it until I sat down on a bench with an unobstructed frontal view of the piece.

The longer you sit and simply look at an artwork, the more you realize about it. At first, you look at the objects. Then you notice their shapes, colours, sizes, their relations and proportions to each other. Soon, the objects fade away, though. Your eye now focuses on the space in between the objects. You notice shadows, corners, small details, and secrets in between. Slowly, you start smelling the flowers, tasting the colours, feeling the shadows. The painting becomes an olfactoric, flavorfull and above all emotional experience.

‘Setting’ does not feel like a still life. It is no “memento mori” moment. It feels like an exploration: alive and vibrant. Interestingly enough, I found that photographing the painting – and therefore also converting it into a 2D-format - really hurt the painting in a way I have never experienced before. Meaning that in reality you have to imagine this masterpiece to be even more stunning.

Naturally, in the spirit of the South Africa curation of SARTS, ‘setting’ also holds a figurative element. A small female statue. She’s casual, unbothered.  She sits there leisurely, she doesn’t even throw the viewer one glance. She knows the paintings’ secrets in between the corners, in between the fruit. She knows something you don’t.