Get to Concerts for a Cause in CT
Spend a lazy Saturday Arvie in Cape Town in February supporting a good cause and enjoying local sounds. CONCERTS FOR A CAUSE kicks off with the first in their series of concerts at The Range in Tokai, on Sunday the 3rd of February 2008, with top SA acts Freshlyground, the Rudimentals, and Bed on Bricks. The concert series is aimed at raising funds for The Heart of Healing, an NGO committed to creating sustainable business solutions to social and environmental issues problems in South Africa. With a large portfolio, and diverse range of already developed solutions, the team of venture philanthropists now intend using a portion of the proceeds from each event towards the ongoing musical training and mentorship of disadvantaged, young artists, who will then be given the opportunity to showcase their talents alongside the bands headlining the events, providing visible feedback on how funds are channelled. Headlining next month’s laid back Sunday afternoon concert is MTV Award-winning Freshlyground, with their vivacious, catchy melodies and deeply introspective ballads. Their perfectly ultra catchy hit ‘Doo Be Doo’! is a favourite amongst a diverse spread of radio stations and their listeners, and the single, “I’d like”, also from their second album, the platinum-selling ‘Nomvula’, held the No.1 position on the 5fm charts for 3 consecutive weeks, and saw them playlisted on every station in the country. Freshlyground, made up of seven talented and diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is one of South Africa’s most successful young acts. They exude a live performance energy that has been the bedrock of their success, and seen them playing numerous music festivals including the Harare International Festival of the Arts, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Villa Celimontana Festival in Rome, the 2005 Expo in Japan, the Robben Island African Festival, and the big Oppikoppi ‘Wired’ festival. The band, who bridge historical divides and defy musical stereotypes, were also asked to play before President Thabo Mbeki at the opening of Parliament on the eve of celebrating 10 years of democracy in South Africa! Next up, The Rudimentals bring you their blend of Pan African Ska, dance-hall rap, dope Reggae Rhythm and vintage Ska – with a dash of Jazz and the Blues. Their live shows have captured the imagination of everyone who has seen them, blurring age, taste and social group boundaries – from the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, to UB40, Vortex trance parties, and everywhere in between! They thrive on the fact that they defy musical genre categorization and are proud to carry the “unique” label. Having spent a considerable amount of time at the top of the SA...
Alison Kearney and Emily Stainer @ Goodman
We forgot to let you know about this bewitching expo earlier this month – it’s running for another two weeks so get there! The Goodman Gallery is pleased to host a new body of work by two young South African artists from the 19th January to 9th of February 2008. This exhibition comprising new works in various media by Alison Kearney and Emily Stainer opens at noon on Saturday 19th January, on this day the gallery will have extended hours from 09h30 to 17h00. Alison Kearney is a South African artist interested in issues to do with the contexts of art production and display, as well as issues to do with how value is determined in culture. Within Kearney’s current art production, she explores the role of the audience in making meaning and contributing to the creative process when engaging with conceptual artworks, using a combination of mixed media, installation, and photography. In her most recent exhibition titled About Context, An exploration of Value in Four Parts [November 2006], Kearney asked audience members to participate in a performance work by bringing objects to exchange with her ad other participating audience members. The purpose of this public exchange was so that she would ultimately have a collection of objects to work with that she did not choose. The starting point for this exhibition is an engagement with, and documentation of the objects Kearney received. Kearney’s current interest is informed by her early works, which interrogate the institutions of art as institutions that to a large extent determine cultural value and influence cultural production, through parody of some museum practices. Included in this interrogation is an engagement with theories around public art through the construction of monuments which challenge the conventions around monuments through their subject matter, and also through the scale and the materials used. Emily Stainer is a South African artist and art historian, working in watercolour, mixed media and installation. Stainer was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. The body of work that Stainer has created for this exhibition entitled Cautionary Tales, alludes to those popular nineteenth century children’s tales that sought to warn children about the perils inherent in life. In ‘Struwwelpeter’ (1845) by H. Hoffman there is a contradiction between the comic verses and the abhorrent punishments meted out to the characters. There is something paradoxical about the rhymes’ delight in cruelty and in their concern for the welfare of the child. The fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm include many stories of young people abandoned, kidnapped and sometimes even murdered. The perpetuation of this abuse is...
Afrika burns:”There is no time. There is no money.”
Feel like something out of this world that involves community participation, arts and pop-up culture? Tired of money money money work work work and bling bling [bling]? Go get amongst the GIFT ECONOMY at Afrika Burns this year and get away from it all. Thanks to Horn for the inspiring words and pics… Afrika Burns was held for the 1st time in Africa from the 22-25 November 2007 in Tankwa town, Karoo. There is actually no town there at all. It is halfway down the most remote road in SA. Tankwa Town is 113 km down the longest road in SA that has no town on it. In the desert This is an art Festival….no ordinary art festival- It is totally participant created. There is nothing there to begin with and each camp creates something , whether it’s an art installation, a camp or just getting involved and volunteering. Afrikaburns….the regional event for the burning man festival- is an experiment in temporary community building. Every thing that is brought in must be taken away. It’s a haven for radical self expression, self reliance and non commercialism. Nothing can be bought or sold, and you have to bring everything that will allow you to survive, encouraging the culture of environmental mindfulness, which is leaving no matter out of place. Afrika burns is probably some of the most amazing 4 days you can have: building, creating, making friends, helping out, making a difference and going on missions. There is no time. There is no money , there are no things to buy or pay for. So what this all means is that you get together with a bunch of friends, colleagues, strangers and you plan and build a camp. There were 28 themed camps this year with each camp having a theme to add to the whole event: – “Camp Vuvuzela”, who were definitely the most organised, they put together a stage and a dance floor, with chill out areas, couches, pillows and all. They put on a myriad of tunes and acts on stage, from percussion to trance, they also had a mobile DJ mutant vehicle in the “vuvu van” (a mutant vehicle that was once a landrover that had decks, amps, speakers, adorned with orange and pink fur who’s sole purpose was to attended other camps events and add some tunes if needed. – Then there was the amazing Burning Mail – they erected a fully functioning post office in the middle of the desert , complete with typewriters, especially designed postcards and delivery anywhere in the world. They also delivered to the next camp (via bicycle) or if...
Jozi Art Fair- A contemporary African Art Showcase
The Joburg Art Fair – the first African contemporary art fair which will be held in Johannesburg from March 13 to 16 – will establish South Africa as an essential stopover on the global contemporary art buying calendar. On sale at the Sandton Convention Centre will be the largest collection of African and South African contemporary art the world has ever seen. Prices will range, making art accessible to all – from arts appreciators to serious collectors. The fair will provide buyers and art lovers with a single point of access to a wide range of galleries. Potential buyers can also see a cross section of work in a short space of time by the continent’s best artists including Zwelethu Mthethwa, William Kentridge, Santu Mofokeng, David Goldblatt, Pieter Hugo and Sabelo Mlangeni, as well as being exposed to the continent’s best newcomers. The Joburg Art Fair will include a specially curated show entiled ‘As You Like It’ by Simon Njami and Thembinkosi Goniwe. Njami was the chief curator of the highly successful Africa Remix exhibition, as well as the Africa pavilion at last year’s Venice Biennale. Njami is choosing a selection of art from artists throughout Africa who are not represented by galleries on the fair and all these will be on sale. Artists selected (although this is subject to change) include video and installation works by Bili Bidjocka (Cameroon), Loulou Cherinet (Ethiopia), Amal Kenway (Egypt), Myriam Mihindou (Gabon), IngridMwangiRobertHutter (Kenya), Jimmy Ogonga (Kenya), Zen Marie (South Africa) and Patrice Felix-Tchikaya (DRC). Mixed media works by Modou Dieng (Senegal), Berry Bickle (Zimbabwe), Joël Mpah Dooh (Cameroon), Dominique Zinkpé (Benin) and Tamrat Gezahegn (Ethiopia) as well as sculpture by Shuck (Guadeloup), Isoje Chou (Nigeria) and Jems Koko Bi (Ivory Coast) will be shown. There will be photographic works by Omar D (Algeria), David Damoison (Martinique), Ihosvanny (Angola), Thando Mama (South Africa), Ananias Leki Dago (Ivory Coast), Jellel Gasteli (Tunisia), Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola), Malala Andrialavidrazana (Madagascar), Mouna Karray (Tunisia), Emeka Okereke (Nigeria), and Michele Magema (DRC). International contemporary art galleries confirmed for the Joburg Art Fair include the Jack Shainman Gallery from New York, Galerie Peter Herrmann from Berlin, Gallery Ames D’Afrique from Strasbourg and the October Gallery from London. Morocco’s L’ Appartement 22, Rabat and Cairo’s Townhouse Gallery will also be participating in the Joburg Art Fair. The New York Perry Rubenstein Gallery has chosen to feature their South African artist Robin Rhode as part of the Special Projects section of the Joburg Art Fair. Other special projects include the FUNDA college booth that highlights emergent artists from this significant South African arts institution. TONIC Design will create a...
Represent Recommends: Blood Orange
Blood Orange is the story of a boy’s journey toward manhood. Blacklaw weaves all the usual trials and rites of passage that go with growing up; with the realities of our childhood in the apartheid era. Our protagonist is able to tell his story against this backdrop of conflict, thus commenting on and often making light of the darkness of our past. The story is bitter-sweet, much like the fruit from which it takes its name. The partnership of Grieg Coetzee and Craig Morris is remarkable. Each of these very skilled theatre practitioners are storytellers, one verbal and one physical. This results in a performance that is multi-faceted and thick with detail. Craig Morris changes character with ease, and throughout the narrative we are introduced to many characters, yet each is distinct in accent, posture and characterisation. With Craig, only one performer is needed as opposed to a cast of hundreds. His physicalisation creates such imagery, just when you think his vocabulary of facial expressions have dried up – along comes another wonderfully vivid character. One that we can recognise… we know someone like that! As if that weren’t enough, there are these startling moments when we are reminded of Craig’s astounding dance abilities as he portrays feelings though his movement. He is only aided by the use of shadows and 4 tyres – ingeniously utilised. The piece is memory inducing and thought provoking and a testimony to the old adage ‘A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down’. An hour and a half on stage, alone and he holds us in the palm of his hands and on his every word for, every minute. GO AND SEE BLOOD ORANGE!!! BLOOD ORANGE An adaptation of Troy Blacklaws’ novel of the same name The Market Theatre and Untouchable Productions presents 22 January – 17 February 2008 (Tues – Sat 20h15; Sun 15h15) BUY TWO TICKETS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE Available from Wed, 23 January – Wed, 30 January 2008 (ex. Tues, 29 Jan) Tickets must be purchased from the Market Theatre Box Office. Call 011 832 1641. Performed by Craig Morris Directed by Greig Coetzee Debra...
Proudly brought to you by:
