One of the blockbuster shows that will, in the future, always be attributed to Clive Kelner’s reign at the JAG, the opening night of this show was possibly more filled than the Johannesburg Biennale, back in 1997, when downtown was still a buzzing mix of life (or so I hear). This, his recent negotiated bodies exhibition, and the upcoming Kentridge retrospective, have breathed new meaning into Joubert Park, and revitalized Joburg’s caring artists and appreciators (along with the likes of Art South Africa magazine, and the Brett Kebble Art Awards).
But, more importantly, this exhibition is absolutely stunning.
Dumile Feni: illustrator, aspiring filmmaker, poet, and depressed in exile. He died in poverty, despite no doubts of his talents, no lack of appreciation. This show is a tribute to a prolific man, whose life’s work speaks volumes to a post-apartheid South Africa, and will for centuries beyond the present.
OK, so that was a great sound clip, and didn’t tell you much about the show – but I’m hoping the above image will. The JAG’s entire ground floor, as well as all its little nooks and crannies, is chock full of experiments, studies, and completed sketches ripe with emotion and wrought with political struggle. This is the kind of show that simultaneously reminds me why I am an artist, and humbles my sense of ability.
I cannot stress enough: this is a MUST SEE.
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