Afronova Winter Show
It’s started already and lasts until September, make sure to take a drive downtown to Newtown and pop into Afronova gallery, opposite the Market Theatre. The Winter Show features a rare selection of works by some of the finest artists from South Africa and the continent like Dominique Zinkpe (Benin), Samson Mnisi (South Africa), Mouna Karray (Tunisia) and Mohamadou Ndoye Douts (Senegal). A unique selection of dozens of books and catalogues on African contemporary art is available. Exhibition runs until Saturday 6...
EXHIBITIONS @ blank projects: July 2008
Next time you’re wondering through the quaint sunny streets of the BoKaap in CT, make sure to pop into blank projects and check out the constant flow of art that passes through the gallery. Details below: Opening 2 July 2008 1) Norman O’Flynn The Butterfly Project “When will I be a butterfly?” the caterpillar asked. “When you have finished being a caterpillar,” the butterfly laughed. (ends: 18 July 2008) 2) Gabrielle Alberts FINE ART Local artist Gabrielle Alberts is to launch her debut solo exhibition on 2 July 2008. The show, entitled Fine Art, is an exhibition of found objects that deals with notions of the artist as collector and selector, along with the concepts of elitism and definition. It features a series of purchased amateur artworks to be displayed and sold together as one installation. Alberts, 24, explains the rationale of the show, as well as how she brought the works together. “It’s a solo show where I act more as curator than artist,” she says. “These works would, according to art critics, connoisseurs and aficionados, be considered useless in terms of traditional definition. In collecting the pieces I ask why they fail (and here qualify) conceptually, stylistically and/or technically.” Rather than defining her selection by quality control, Alberts treats artists as a self-publisher, so that the argument of whether or not their creations – in concept or technique – are ‘bad’ becomes moot. The result is thus highly subjective but not necessarily discerning, because the show must comment on taste and exclusivity (even snobbery) within the art world, and as such explore the consensus on what is considered art. Formally the show will be presented in a way similar to permanent collections found in galleries, and each work will be credited to its (known or unknown) amateur originator. The outcome is that, by curating these works, Alberts, a professional artist, effectively takes ownership of them. This gives them a level of legitimacy that highlights the idea underpinning the show itself: the fine line between artistic ambition and acceptance. Gabrielle Alberts, a graduate of the Michealis School of Fine Art, produces sculpture, video and assemblage works that currently deal with the notion of the artist as an individual in society. She considers her mode of production to be fundamentally conceptual, as opposed to formal or procedural. (ends 30 July 2008) Opening 23 July 2008 3) Barend de Wet | Douglas Gimberg | Christian Nerf Mental Pictures “I’m not sure what the occasion was but Christian, Barend and I were braaing wors at the studio. It’s the woolies lamb sausage we were owed by Renee Holleman from Carpentry 101....
Youssef Nabil @ Art Extra
Catch Youssef Nabil – Sleep in my arms photography exhibition at Art Extra in Craighall. Opening Wednesday 9th April at 6pm.: Art Extra is pleased to present Sleep in my arms, a solo show of photographer Youssef Nabil. Presented for the first time in South Africa at Michael Stevenson in Cape Town in 2007, Sleep in my arms will be the first time Nabil’s work will be exhibited in Johannesburg. Born in Cairo in 1972, Youssef Nabil has always been fascinated with the glamour and style of early Egyptian cinema, the black and white photo-novels published at the time and the hand-coloured family portraits that still adorn most living rooms in Cairo. He started taking pictures after being rejected by the Institute of Cinema in Cairo and used his friends to stage scenes which he would ideally liked to have filmed. These early images set the stage for all his subsequent work which was further influenced by his close friendship with the legendary Egyptian-Armenian photographer Van Leo. Van Leo is celebrated for his glamorous studio portraits of famous Egyptian actresses of the 1950s and 60s and Nabil spent many hours watching him at work in his studio. While working as a photographers’ assistant in prominent studios New York and Paris in the 1990s, he started producing his staged, constructed and meticulously hand-coloured black and white portraits of celebrities, close friends and fellow artists such as John Waters, Shirin Neshat, Tracey Emin and Ghada Amer. Nabil tells ‘stories’ through his carefully constructed images. In his words: “I always like to tell stories through my work; the more simple the photo is, the more complicated the story becomes. What’s the point in making a photo if it doesn’t have something to say?” Nabil’s images have a cinematic quality and explore the interior and exterior worlds of drama, beauty, glamour, sexuality and identity. In his latest body of work titled Sleep in My Arms, Nabil gives us access to stories about his relationships with various male friends through his delicately coloured, quiet and intimate portraits. A voyeur by nature, Nabil places these young men in situations of his own imagining and sets up dreamlike moments that are imbued with a brooding sexuality. Youssef Nabil will be giving a walkabout on Wednesday 9th of April at 2pm 373 jan smuts avenue craighall johannesburg gallery hours: tuesday to friday 1030 – 1730 saturday 930 – 1500 t011.326.0034 f011.326.0041 email website Youssef Nabil, Ahmed in djellebah, New York 2004, Hand coloured silver gelatin print, 27 x 40 cm, Edition of 10 Courtesy of Michael...
BLANK in April
Blank has a blog, they also have various events planned for April… Wednesday 9 April – Friday 9 May ONS SKRIK VIR NIKS – Studio 2666 (group exhibition) The first group show by the 12 artists from Studio 266. Be afraid. Visit the blog for more info: www.studio2666.blogspot.com Friday 11 April (18h00) THE END – Closing event for Jeremy Purén. Don’t miss the closing of this off-beat shenanigan! The watermelons are hitting the (proverbial) fan(s), Wednesday 16 April – Friday 19 April Daniel Glaser/ Magdalena Kunz Daniel and Magdalena is a Swiss artist-couple working in photographic media – currently the BLANK/Pro Helvetia artists-in-residence. Voices, the new project by Swiss artists Daniel Glaser and Magdalena Kunz, is a verbal geography that gives a voice to people to talk about their hopes and fears. At blank Glaser/Kunz will show a Talking Head, one of their video sculptures. For more info: www.blankprojects.blogspot.com blank projects 198 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town Tel: 072 198 9221 Email: blankprojects@gmail.com by...
Catch Karl Gietl @ Afronova
Catch Karl Gietl’s solo exhibition at Afronova gallery in Newton opening on the 28 March. One for the road is Karl Gietl’s latest and finest offering in Johannesburg before he sets off to live and work in the South of France. The exhibition of paintings also features his recent short films and will coincide with the launch of his new monograph simply entitled One for the road. The book is published by Afronova with the kind support of Hollard. Exhibition runs until Saturday 19 April Gallery Hours Tuesday to Friday : 13 :00 to 19 :00 Saturday 13 :00 to 17 :00 Contact afronova@tiscali.co.za +27 (0) 83 726 59 06 The gallery is just across the Market Theatre entrance Safe parking corner Miriam Makeba and Gwigwi Mrwebi St – Newtown Po box 3205 – Parklands 2121 – Johannesburg – South...
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