implicit art

What a weird place this is (a hidden gem with many facets!) during the festival. It really is kind of strange, actually. On the one hand, it’s like a huge frat party in the mainstream festival - lots of drunk guys singing Afrikaans folk songs, walking around like they own the streets, checking out women who all look the same, and generally making a ruckus with each other and defacing public property.

But…

Just upstairs on the second floor, is a whole lot of contemporary art by some of the most talented artists in the country; just ’round the corner are politically savvy dramas by the likes of Mike van Graan; down the block is one of the best restaurants in the country; even in the Cango Caves, a national treasure, there’s a beautiful, considered and projected artwork by our most prolific video artist (Minnette Vari), for tourists and art appreciators alike….

Something for everyone, then?

Like my buddy Franci Cronje said, this festival is more bipolar than our misdiagnosed youth! Maybe later in the week, some of my would-be frat-brothers might go and check out some art?

Our story beings with 4 young artists (myself, Hannes Olivier, Bronwyn Lace and Simon Gush) on a flight to said festival (KKNK). We first encounter lots of meat covered with cheese sauce in George (pretty much the whole menu), and think, ‘this is going to be a long trip.’ I wonder if there are any vegans in the Eastern Cape(?).

That afternoon, after we arrive at our actual destination, we make a plan to work all of the following day on my installation and Hannes’ sculpture. (Check out the brand new text and video documentation of the updated enter: hektor! It’s hot, and Hannes says his favorite work of mine.) We make sure the wood is there, the fabric, our supplies, etc - bloody hell, it’s hot…. And, oh sh!t, Hannes’ huge packaged sculpture, made of metal, glass and granite, needs to find its way to the second floor - but won’t fit up the stairs. D’oh!

The highlight of the next day was when Ruline Spies, the coordinator, had to call in the army. I sh!t you not. This guy in full gear and beret drives up in a crane, takes the railing off the back entrance of the Principia College (our makeshift contemporary gallery) and lifts his art up and onto the second floor. The procedure took hours, and I’ve got a whole roll of great photos. Afterwards, the crew stood around and gaped at Olivier’s artwork, not sure what they had just put all that effort into.

I told them it was an abstract of the Virgin Mary, and they seemed to be OK with it (tho I’m still not sure whether or not they believed me).

That night we were up until around 2 in the morning setting up the space for enter: hektor, and back again early the next day for more. This is when the rest of our curators arrived, including Khwezi Gule, Andrew Lamprecht, Virginia MacKenny, Liese van der Watt and Churchill Madikida (the lattermost two actually did not come themselves, but their work was installed by Simon Gush, and presented by Ralph Borland and Lucia Burger, respectively).

The man above seems really, really nice when he buys you things, but he is actually an evil, evil duckling. He pretends it’s a good thing to buy you lots of tequila, and then when you are not looking, casts a spell that makes your tolerance levels slightly lower than the average, oh, 10 shots + 4 beers.

This is what the majority of the artists present did that next night.

And the next day was hell. Let’s skip it.

The following day consisted mostly of peops running around helping out with the group shows, as curated by the above folks. Solo artists were also pretty much all there by this time, and working on their own. These were:

Sanell Aggenbach: Hoogwater - flying books, sunset tapestries and windows on the sea, a beautiful and fantastic show whose statement I could not understand (it was in Afrikaans), but whose physical presence was more than enough.

Ryan Arenson: Pierneef Too - obsessed with paint, the show felt like Impressionism revisited. His brush strokes look almost like embroidery, or lanyard, and the elegance of light on light, dark on dark, made for a contemporary formalism.

Phillip Rikhotso: Mitsheketo (”mites” in Tsonga) - do I have to say anything about this guy? Shame, he had even more trouble with language than I did, but his sculptures are so rich with stories that he needn’t say a word. He and Cathy (his friend / dealer / translator of sorts) are sweet.

Hannes Olivier: unclaimed, indefi nite … - above.

Nathaniel Stern: enter: hektor - say you love me. go on. say it.

And the invited artists (tho it’s unclear to me what the difference is between these and the solo installation artists) were:
Elmarie Costandius: speech bubbles (body + text: yay!) and Andries Gouws: Bepeinsinge oor die alledaagse (very talented traditional painter: for the less contemporary)….

The next morning started with our own bubbles - champagne and relaxation, followed by a walk-about session with the public. Not too many people came, but also not too few - an intimate session with the curators and artists.

We started with Virgina MaKenny’s show (above far right, followed leftward by Lucia Burger). She began by talking about young and up-coming artist Mikhael Subotzky. He makes beautiful 360-degree images that flip the dynamic between artist and subject. The work shown is in Pollsmoor Prison, and as you can see, since he must stand in one spot in order to accomplish the all-round feat, he is framed by the eyes of those in the image (rather than the other way around), and becomes observer and observed all at once. The white male gaze becomes a guilty voyeur…. ;)

She carried on by talking about Greg Streak’s bronzes, and finally, Carol-Anne Gainer’s installation (pictured, artist in middle). I only briefly covered Gainer’s show at Franchise a few months ago (here), but I did spend some time there, and got to know her and her work a little better this time around. It’s like a rupture in the home, a bleeding out and suffocation, but with what feels subtle because of the materials used - even tho her installations are far from subtle. There’s a discomfort in her choice to build a public home, and not just destroy it, but have it eat itself in front of our eyes….

Following this was Ralphy B talking about Liese van der Watt’s show (which also included Pieter Hugo) and Khwezi Gule’s show (which was very smart, and well curated, including black south african artists exploring gender issues - Nicholas Hlobo’s work is of special note). Lamprecht chatted about BB, toys that take over the world, and James Hertz (sp?), who all did ironic work about consumerism, design, and ownership. Unfortunately, no one stood in for Churchill to speak about his show, but I should mention that Cape Town sweetheart Mustafa Maluka was amongst his selected artists….

Our solo and invited artists talked about their stuff, and then we went our separate ways. Most went on to see the festival artist’s work: two projections rooms at Principia, one (with 5 screens!) up the block, and, as you might have heard, an installation in the Cango Caves.

I can’t stress enough what a prolific artist Minnette is. Absolutely comfortable in her media, and someone willing to take risks in exploring subject matter, space, and conception, her art deserves the widest possible exposure, and a lot of time. It demands us to “look again”.

For a change, I’m finding myself at a loss of words. The juxtapositions are that of flesh and bone, cold stone and warm fire. The morphing and mixing alludes to a formalistic approach, but bear the signs of struggle, discomfort, anger. These videos feature the artist, but don’t feel personal, as if she were the protagonist. She acts like more of a guide through an exploration of our own exploitations of self; she simultaneously reveals and conceals an inside that is morbid, and outside that manifests an out-of-the-norm beauty.

I like her.

One more dinner with the kids, a struggle with the AV guys the following morning (always), then hit the beach in George for 5 mins before hopping on a plane - ah, the Indian Ocean!

And finally, homeward bound. If you have time, check out the second floor at KKNK! Otherwise, quote me and pretend you were there, but please try to make me sound smarter than I am. Or at least you should sound smarter than I am.

Wow, that was a blog.

In the middle of a monster blog all about my experiences, and the art, at Oudtshoorn; should be up by tomorrow, AM, the latest. In the meanwhile, check out the new updated statement for, and great video documentation of (if I do say so myself), enter: hektor. Mucho thanks to Simon Gush for helping with the footage, design and construction, and Brownyn Lace and Hannes Olivier for their help, as well.

What a great trip.

I think that Virginia MacKenny summed it up best when she said that it was not just about the prolific artists and curators who were all in the same space strutting their stuff - it was moreover, in the spaces between. How wonderful to put names, faces and personalites to work I have been admiring; even better, to spend time learning about artist processes and appreciate art I didn’t, or mightn’t have, before. And dude, are you really a south african artist before you get massively drunk with Andrew Lamprecht? I think not. (no. more. tequila….).

One highlight I want to mention now is Ralph Borland and his work - great artist, cool guy, excellent DJ, and a very giving teacher. He’ll be coming to joburg later this week to give a new version of his famed “physical computing workshop”. Keep an eye on atjoburg to learn how to sign up - it’s gonna be H-O-double-T….

Anyhow, I’m gonna relax a bit this evening (so nice to see my wife! very long week without her, even tho the festival was a great experience…), but have some great photos and stories to share, and you can bet I will do tidbits of just that as the time finds its way into my schedule, and I have the urge to blog away.

Nice to be home in joburg, tho.

spending rands and sans pictures on this machine, i just wanted to check in and say hi. minette vari is prolific with her media (video, mostly), philip rikhotso (sp?) rocks, and actually, the fine art in general is very worth seeing. hannes olivier, ralph borland, bridget baker and nicholas hlobo (again, sp? no resources here!) are also of special note…. more when i get back!

So I’m on my way to the hidden gem with many facets for the KKNK (Klein Karoo National Arts Festival - but in Afrikaans). If I have any web access, will do my best to blog, but am assuming I’m pretty much signing off for the next week or so. Will come back with pix and a story or three, tho, I am sure…

Miss me!

Sue Williamson is an artist, writer, innovator, activist, and a whole heap of other great things all at once. Usually, I hate pretentious lists of nouns to describe people and what they do - readers tend to slough off that kind of information and take in more about what they really do.

However, in Sue’s case, these are hats she has worn for decades - and she has played a huge role in shaping South African identity and art here, and overseas, during the struggle, and afterwards. Her books, sites and work have showcased art, artists and lives with a kind of “speaking back” to perception of “who and what” beyond the “where and why”. I could go on for pages about her extensive contributions, and I’m sure I only know the tip of the iceberg….

Included is the powerful video and print series, Better Lives, commissioned by Africalia for the mega show ‘Transferts’ at the Palais de Beaux Arts in Brussels and shown on the Dakar Biennale last year. This is work in the tradition of questions Williamson has been asking for years. Simple and beautiful, the images are subtle, while the sound and text evocative.

But what I really enjoyed was the fact that an artist as profound and talented as this has not lost her sense of humor. Her Kebble-award winning piece welcome to the jet hotel, is a witty infomercial for a bad inn she stayed at while travelling, and the surrounding postcards and installations are quirky invitations to join her in the trip. (Pictured at top, the artist with some of that work.)

This show is just as worth seeing out of respect for the artist, as it is for respect of her work.

Maybe it’s the ex-comic book geek in me (well, uh, maybe not so ex?), the former Reggae/Ska fanatic with over 500 albums, the obsessions I have with text as a mediation/translation/creation of art and history, or maybe it’s just really rad - but this show kicks @ss.

Warren Siebrits, his wife (huge Wopko Jensma fans, and their first gallery - Metroplex - in Rosebank showed some of his subversive work from the mid-Apartheid era) and Michael Gardiner have collectively put together a show of rare South African literary magazines from the 50s through the 80s. As if the collection of covers - laid out in glass tables - weren’t enough, some of the less hard-to-find gems are in the open air for us to gape at whilst we turn the pages, and Siebrits has also found, and is exhibiting, paintings, photographs, drawings and prints by artists whose works were either featured, or who created cover art or illustrations for them.

Says Siebrits:

The aim of doing this was to reinforce the strong links that existed at this time between artists and writers working in South Africa, in their common goal to fight censorship and challenge the status quo with regard to the stringent limitations placed on freedom of speech and association during this era.

A bit more on the show, from Gardiner, another collector and scholar:

The first focus … consists of a brief account of fifteen of the literary magazines published [from 1956 - 1978]. The account is designed to provide essential information about [them] and a taste of each magazine’s qualities.

The second area of focus is the display of works by artists associated with five magazines on this exhibition: The Purple Renoster, The Classic, Wurm, Izwi and Staffrider. These works have been selected by Warren Siebrits.

There are omissions that must be acknowledged. One, the round of interviews with editors is incomplete. Where possible, written accounts by editors have been consulted instead.

Second, some magazines from this period have been omitted. These are: S’ketsh’ (1975 to 1979) and magazines from the early eighties such as Heresy, The Bloody Horse and Quarry as well as Taaldoos and Stet. They are part of the story and should be included in future accounts.

A figure in this exhibition that merits particular mention is Wopko Jensma. He is associated with every magazine on display except three. His presence, therefore, runs like a thread through the story that these magazines tell. It is for this and more personal reasons that I dedicate this catalogue to Wopko Jensma, the wonderful artist and poet.

My other favorite things are the knowledge bits, like the sticky note on the one of the covers that says “actually, this is issue number 2, not 3 - this is a misprint” and the articles that cover the history of their collecting and showing (where they found the zines, what interested them, etc), just as much as the history of the magazines themselves.

This show is worth a lot more time than I gave it, and I plan to go back. You should, too.

The talk yesterday afternoon was informal and cool. It was great to see some Wits Fine Arts undergrads, theatre peops, and a few outsiders, in addition to our usual crew of Digi-Arts grad students and faculty.

I promised I’d put links to some of the works and artists I talked about online, so here we go….

Myron Krueger doesn’t have a web site, but there is a great interview with him here (CTHEORY), some stuff about his early work is here, and his book I showed is called Artificial Reality 2, now in its second edition, and available from amazon (tho I prefer you to order it from loot.co.za - it’ll take longer for them to get, but they are proudly South African!).

Next up, we watched video of Camille Utterback’s beautiful untitled 5 and discussed text rain; these can be found here: camilleutterback.com

Here’s the very smart and savvy David Rokeby, who produced Very Nervous System. We also looked at his Taken and Sorting Daemon - Rokeby’s web site has all that, and then some; highly recommended.

Then there was Scott Snibbe, with his Boundary Functions and You are Here.

We looked at several interactive performance works by Golan Levin and Zach Lieberman (including the opera, Mesa di Voce), all of which have extensive online documentation at flong.com.

We saw the Tangible Media Group’s (led by Hiroshi Ishii) PP+ (Ping Pong plus), which used the sound of a bouncing ping pong ball to triangulate position and project feedback on a play-table in realtime.

We oooohed and aaaaahed at Jonah Brucker-Cohen, but there’s tons more where he comes from, given that his best work is less in the Interactive Video realm, and more based in deconstructing networks….

Finally, we showed Danny Rozin’s wooden mirror, and then looked - on request - at some of my own interactive work.

The two big schools we talked about, that were/are a hotbed of innovation, are ITP (Tom Igoe and Dan O’Sullivan) and MIT’s media lab. The former is more artists playing with science, the latter is more scientists playing with art.

Oh, and our WSOA Digital Artist in Residence, coming this June (a specialist and expert in the most cutting edge Interactive Video development environments), is Josh Goldberg (tho his website does not reflect how brilliant he is).

I think that’s pretty much the nutshell of our discussion. I hope to see more of you involved with WSOA Digital Arts and Art & Technology, Johannesburg!

So, my camera on my phone hates me, and it seems that I won’t be posting any pictures from it any time soon. It’s a real shame, too, cuz I’ve got some great photos of works by the likes of Simon Gush, Gerhard Marx and Theresa Collins over at the Drill Hall opening from Wednesday night - and Id’ love to share. Show is in a great space with a lot of smart art; Simon Gush’s work is especially subtle and beautiful.

Other photos I’m unable to share with you include Bronwyn Findlay pix from David Krut (worth seeing), Alex Trapani at the Gallery Premises (structurally unsound and wonderfully evocative), Joao Orecchia (great musician) at some weird fashion show, the Moscow Circus (nuff said) and Lara Rivera at her Franchise desk (mostly boring).

But I guess my lack of photos and explanations gives you less to read; you may consider yourself all caught up with the joburg art scene now!