{"id":763,"date":"2005-09-11T10:34:40","date_gmt":"2005-09-11T08:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/?p=763"},"modified":"2005-09-11T11:45:58","modified_gmt":"2005-09-11T09:45:58","slug":"art-south-africa-is-powerless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/2005\/09\/11\/art-south-africa-is-powerless\/","title":{"rendered":"art | south africa is powerless"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post is probably related to this other post about the lack of reviews of emerging artists in joburg<\/a>…<\/i><\/p>\n

I can’t decide whether I find it amusing or enraging that in art | south africa’s<\/i><\/a> big issue on “power and influence,” they’ve almost completely written themselves out. To quote Sean O’Toole’s (the editor’s) brief introduction:<\/p>\n

Why embark on such a self-reflexive enquiry into power and influence? In his book, The Culture Game,<\/i> Olu Oguibe remarks: “Ironically, the contemporary art ‘world’ is one of the last bastions of backwardness in the west today, which makes it an uneven playground, a formidable terrain of difficulty for artists whose backgrounds locate at the receiving end of intolerance.” Substitute the geographies – west for South Africa – and Oguibe’s statement retains a compelling significance. Of course, anyone who routinely engages the South African art world will know this already, that it is a formidable terrain of difficulty, one in which “institutions, patrons, brokers and promoters peddle not only art but careers, loyalties and fortunes of artists also,” to borrow a sharp statement from Oguibe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Perhaps I am gambling my own fortune by playing with loyalties here, but is it not a disingenuous “self-reflexive enquiry” if Bell-Roberts, and more importantly, their magazine – art | south africa<\/i><\/a> – are merely a footnote, a caveat, a sidebar? “What about Suzette and Brendon Bell-Roberts?…. it was decided to exclude the duo.” Aside from that statement lacking any agency (“mistakes were made!”), I’m more interested in why publications, and their editors, were left off this list. art | south africa<\/i><\/a> is the only regular, high quality, international print publication in the country.<\/p>\n

How much power do writers, gallerists or artists have without being seen in the public eye? art | south africa<\/i><\/a> left out that they ask for, and\/or refuse, columns both by and about everyone on their own (and everyone else’s) list. The mag is the (most) public face of our contemporary art, and with that comes power and influence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post is probably related to this other post about the lack of reviews of emerging artists in joburg… I can’t decide whether I find it amusing or enraging that in art | south africa’s big issue on “power and influence,” they’ve almost completely written themselves out. To quote Sean O’Toole’s (the editor’s) brief introduction: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,9,2,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-politics","category-pop-culture","category-south-african-art","category-theory"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9blZT-cj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1147,"url":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/2006\/04\/14\/contempo\/","url_meta":{"origin":763,"position":0},"title":"Contempo: SAs new art+culture mag","author":"nathaniel","date":"14 April 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"For those of you who have not heard, Contempo is the new \"art + culture + design\" magazine for South Africa's non-elite art appreciators (etc). I was admittedly extremely apprehensive at first - my line being that the art snob in me must be skeptical of any publication touting a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "art"","block_context":{"text":"art","link":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Contempo magazine, art+design+culture in South Africa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/04\/contempo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1135,"url":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/2006\/04\/04\/the-upgrade-johannesburg-proudly-presents-turbulenceorg-gavin-jantjes\/","url_meta":{"origin":763,"position":1},"title":"The Upgrade! Johannesburg proudly presents: Turbulence.org + Gavin Jantjes","author":"nathaniel","date":"04 April 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Hosted by Wits Digital Arts, University of the WitwatersrandPlease circulate widely! 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With the similar intentions of promoting,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "art"","block_context":{"text":"art","link":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1203,"url":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/2006\/06\/09\/memento-momo\/","url_meta":{"origin":763,"position":3},"title":"Memento @ Momo","author":"nathaniel","date":"09 June 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"One hour performance, drinks served. 52 7th Ave, Parktown North, Johannesburg South Africa the release: On 16 June 2006, South Africa celebrates the 30th anniversary of Youth Day. The act of remembrance is shaped by a multitude of senses ranging from sight, sound, physical touch and smell. This year Gallery\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "art"","block_context":{"text":"art","link":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"memento @ momo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/mementoshow.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1298,"url":"https:\/\/nathanielstern.com\/blog\/2006\/08\/18\/the-cc-salon\/","url_meta":{"origin":763,"position":4},"title":"the CC Salon","author":"nathaniel","date":"18 August 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Remix. Sample. Mash up. Reconstruct. Reformulate. Remake. Reproduce. Reshuffle. Transform. Recreate. Modify. Reassemble. Revamp. Rejuvenate.These are the words that make corporate copyright protectors shudder and free culture creators grin with glee.The 'remix' has become one of the most powerful tools of the digital age. 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