THE SOUTH AFRICAN
ART TIMES
February 2009 • Issue 1 Vol 4 • Subscription RSA 180 p.a • February Print & Distrib. 7 000 copies • Full online version available at www.arttimes.co.za
2009 will be a trying year for the art world nevertheless local players remain optimistic, writes Mary Corrigall
The art centres of New York and
London are reeling in the wake of
a financial recession. Galleries are
closing, the survival and efficacy of
public museums reliant on private
funding are under threat and
auction prices which dropped by
4,5 percent for the first time in six
years are expected to sink much
lower. The South African economy
has been partly cushioned against
the effects of the global credit
crisis but the message hailing from
all spheres of local industry is that
2009 will test the survival of many
businesses. The local art world
certainly won’t be impervious to
the economic downturn, but which
echelons of the industry will be the
most aversely affected?
Reliant on government rather
than private funding for its running
costs and acquisitions (albeit
limited), our local museums should
be able to weather the storm.
However, most are reliant on
private sponsors to bank roll major
shows, such as Standard Bank’s
sponsorship of Marlene Dumas’
Intimate Relations at Iziko South
African National Gallery last year.
In fact artists, art projects and
programmes and award exhibi-
tions are all dependent on the
benevolence of corporate compa-
nies. Corporate buyers are also a
life-line for many a Joburg gallery.
Standard Bank have cancelled
their sponsorship of this year’s
Cape Town Jazz Festival but will
continue as planned with acquisi-
tions for their collection, says
Mandie van der Spuy, the banks’
art sponsorship manager.
While Van der Spuy doesn’t fore-
see any other major alterations to
their sponsorship programme she
says that the bank’s sponsorship
budgets will all be tightened.
“The programmes will all remain in
place but the budgets will be man-
aged carefully and we will reduce
spending where we can.”
Van der Spuy predicts that smaller
sponsors might feel the pinch a
Bumpy road ahead
bit more and will be compelled to
cancel actual projects.
Ricardo Fornoni, is the co-owner
and curator at Resolution Gallery,
a relatively new gallery located on
Joburg’s ‘art strip’ along Jan Smuts
Avenue. He is optimistic that his
gallery will ride out an economic
recession.
“We are more flexible and because
we are still small so our overheads
are not as high as the more
established galleries. There is a
good chance that we will make it
through this bad path if we keep
the quality of our exhibitions
high and keep developing new
concepts.”
Fornoni is less hopeful about
securing sponsorship for some of
the bigger projects he had planned
for the year.
“We had two or three big projects
that we are looking for sponsor-
ship, which I think will be difficult
to get.”
The mood in art world is jittery,
says Fornoni.
“Everybody is quite concerned and
panicked; it is going to be a tough
year.”
There is much talk abroad that
the recession will be beneficial to
the art world; that art will become
less commodified. Some see the
reverse happening, suggesting
that with their backs up against the
wall gallerists will prefer to invest
in “money shows” rather than risky
conceptual shows.
For a new gallery like Resolution
that is still trying to establish a
reputation they can’t afford not to
do concept shows, says Fornoni.
Michael Stevenson, owner of the
Michael Stevenson gallery in Cape
Town and partner in the Joburg-
based Brodie/Stevenson, says that
his business felt the effects of the
economic recession since the end
of last year.
Not quite all doom and gloom, but always eternally cheerful, Still life with spring flowers by Alfred Neville Lewis
Continued on page 3 (1895-1972) to be seen at the SWELCO’s Decorative & Fine Arts Auction, Cape Town. Auction takes place on
Tuesday 24 February - Wednesday 25 February, 2009. See www.swelco.co.za for more details.
Page 2
The South African
Art Times
February 2009
www.arttimes.co.za
Published monthly by
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Copyright of the enclosed material
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Cover: Lyndi Sales
Photo: David Bloomer
Marieke Prinsloo, The Poet
Cement fondue, 45cm x 74cm x 26cm
There’s a Kentridge somewhere up there........
Artist’s inspiration,Table Mountain
Steve Kretzmann
A conceptual collaboration
between 21 of South Africa’s top
artists - such as William Kentridge,
Diane Victor, Willie Bester and
Brett Murray to mention a few -
would have thousands of art lovers
flocking to a gallery.
But in the two years the concep-
tual Heritage Cache, conceived
by Cobus van Bosch and Arlene
Amaler-Raviv, has been running,
only scores, rather than thou-
sands, of people have seen it.
Perhaps this has something to do
with the fact that the work lies
Nora Newton
Marieke Prinsloo
Tuesday 10 February 6:30pm
10 February to 15 March 2009
Photo: Steve Kretzmann
half-way up Table Mountain, buried
under rocks and leaves.
While this may limit the number of
people who view it, the location,
and finding it, is all part of the
concept. You need to know where
to look, be keen to don a pair of
comfortable shoes and hike to the
site, and then scratch around to
discover exactly where the treas-
ure lies buried. The co-ordinates
and a global positioning system
(GPS) help with what is, in fact, an
adult treasure hunt.
And what you can look forward to
unearthing are 21 objects chosen
by artists William Kentridge,
Diane Victor, Willem Boshoff, Lien
Opening
Curator: Mike Donkin
Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 9:00 - 15:00
Botha, Willie Bester, Brett Murray,
Churchill Madikida, Gordon Froud,
Raymond Smith, Cobus van
Bosch, Arlene Amaler-Raviv,
Sanell Aggenbagh, Dale Yudel-
man, Norman O’Flynn, Liza Grob-
ler, Conrad Botes, Andrew Porter,
Kevin Brand, Adrienne
van Eeden, Inge du Plessis
and Leonard Wichtmann.
Each object represents an aspect
of South African heritage a nd
comes attached with notes to
be read while taking in a grand
view of the Atlantic ocean below
and the Twelve Apostles above,
whereafter you put it back as you
found it so that the next person
may enjoy it.
But while the entire concept may
seem rather strange and exotic
to gallery pundits, the Heritage
Cache is part of a global
phenonmen called Geocaching, in
which (mostly outdoor) enthusiasts
hunt for objects using co-ordinates
posted at www.geocaching.com.
This activity, which started in 2000
with a bunch of Americans experi-
menting with the accuracy of their
GPSs, has grown to include tens
of thousands of participants who
hunt for over 720 000 geocaches
in over 200 countries.
Most of the cache’s are small
objects such as toys or artifacts
of little worth. Some cache’s are
simply a notebook to record that
you found it.
The Heritage Cache, of course,
is an exception. While art lovers
would appreciate its contents, geo-
cache enthusiasts who have found
it as part of their normal treasure
hunting quest have also expressed
appreciation for what it contains.
Some of the feedback posted by
geocachers on the geocache
Nora Newton, Nguni Cattle at Coffee Bay,oil on canvas, 90 x 152cm
South African Art Times.
Hidden art a treasure to find
website were: “Such a pleasure to
enjoy some thing arty,” and, “That
is quite a box full of goodies!”
And it seems van Bosch and
Amaler-Raviv may also be con-
tributing to art education, as some
people indicated they would need
to find out more about the artists
involved: “A very interesting cache
- now I will have to find out what it
all means!” said one geocacher.
Originally planned to be part of
t he X-CAPE programme
within the abortive CAPE07
event, Amaler- Raviv said the
idea evolved after Van Bosch met
her to talk about her successful
‘Autobiography in Paint’ exhibition
which she was putting on at World
Art in Johannesburg.
She said it became apparent that
she and Van Bosch were reading
“similar stuff” at the time and
she was “going mal”
over “the way
images
in
the
universe
connect”.
February 2009
She said Van Bosch started talking
about geographical points and
GPS, “this amazing new technol-
ogy” and the concept was finalised
“within a day”.
She said the response from the
artists who were invited to contrib
ute found objects worth less than
R20 each, was “fantastic”.
“There’s even some dagga in
there.” She said they last visited
the cache about two months ago to
check its contents, and everything
was still there. No-one had even lit
up the dagga zol.
And if you’re in Johannesburg
and feeling left out, don’t fret,
she said they were planning
to plant a cache in Jo’burg,
“soon”.
The Heritage Cache coordinates
are 18° 23’40.10 east
and 33° 56’54.88
south. And if
you
don’t
have
a GPS,
don’t worry, a
good map will do.
 South African Art Times. February 2009
Absolutely Gordon Froud
Michael Coulson meets up with the Gordon Froud of Gordart
It’s been a busy few months even
for a workaholic like Gordon
Froud. Not only has he put togeth-
er not just one, but two, dazzling
exhibitions in part-fulfilment of his
master’s degree at the University
of Johannesburg (where he also
teaches); for the second time in
two years his gordart gallery has
had to move after finding that a
landlord’s view of a reasonable
rental was incompatible with the
earning power of an art gallery.
Mind you, Froud is used to a work
schedule that would make most
blench. “I come from a poor white
background. At one time while
I was studying I had five jobs.
Nobody told me that sort of thing
couldn’t be done. It’s all a question
of time management.” And, he
admits, a metabolism that requires
less sleep than most people.
What he sees as chapter three
(“And, I hope, the last”) of gordart’s
history entails a move to Johan-
nesburg’s Parkwood art strip. It’s
smaller than either of his former
premises in Melville, and when I
last visited him in Melville he was
agonising over which artists he’d
scheduled for this year could no
longer be accommodated.
Partly as corollaries to this, he
sees two other possible conse-
quences of the move. First, he
hopes a smaller gallery with, in
Gordon Froud
effect, fewer shows will be less
time-consuming and allow more
opportunity for creating art; sec-
ondly, a shift in approach.
“I’ve always seen gordart as a
developmental gallery,” he says,
a philosophy that goes all the way
back to the early 1990s when he
ran the ICA gallery in Newtown.
“Several artists who had their first
showings with us have gone on to
mainstream galleries. We made
the initial investment but others
benefited from the resultant higher
prices.
“That model is no longer viable.
While we’ll always remain a
developmental gallery, for financial
reasons we need a change in fo-
cus. So we’re starting to develop
a stable of four or five artists who’ll
stay with us after they become
established.”
Froud didn’t set out to become a
gallerist, or even an artist, though
he admits that as a child he was
always making things out of
everyday objects. The only way he
could finance post-matric studies
(he matriculated in Germiston in
1981) was by a bursary. The old
Transvaal Education Department
offered bursaries in maths and art,
but insisted he study art – a
subject he took up only in his
matric year - where the lack of
teachers was greater.
“My parents would have preferred
me to become a lawyer or an
accountant, but eventually they
realised my heart wasn’t in it, and
relented.”
Froud trained as a realist sculptor
under Peter Schutz at Wits, learn-
ing all the traditional techniques.
But for five years after he gradu-
ated in 1986 he created nothing. “I
couldn’t afford traditional materials,
but my interest in unusual materi-
als developed, encouraged by the
likes of Karel Nel.”
Cups, cutlery, wine glasses, tooth-
picks and coat hangers, mostly in
plastic, all became grist to his mill.
He’s proud that his first plastic
cup show, in Paris in 2000 during
his residency at the Cite des Arts
International (later replicated at the
African Window, in Pretoria), was
one of the first of its kind.
By the time of his master’s shows
last year, though, he’d progressed
from using literally found objects
to being a major buyer of these
items.
He sees no conflict in his roles of
artist and gallerist. “Up to now I’ve
sold my work through other galler-
ies, but that may also change.”
And while he agrees that the art
market is in for a difficult year, he
doesn’t believe Johannesburg is
over-galleried. “We’re continually
having to turn away artists who
want to exhibit. And on the other
side of the picture, we have our
own market. We don’t appeal to
the millionaires or the corporate
market. Our market is the up-and-
coming 30- and 40-year-olds, with
pockets to match.”
Let’s hope he’s right; if he isn’t,
the repercussions will be felt far
beyond the art market.
Page 3
Bumpy road
ahead
KUNSGALERY
JOHANS BORMAN
continued from Page 1
FINE ART GALLERY
“Our international collectors have
been much more cautious.”
Nevertheless he says that he will
continue to pursue the same busi-
ness model. CAPE TOWN
“If you believe in what you do you
cannot change strategy.”
Galleries will undoubtedly be less
keen to take risks on unknown
artists but Stevenson believes
that this won’t impede the rise of
remarkable young talent.
“The recession has brought back
the focus to the art itself. If you
have talent it will manifest and you
will find the support. Those without
a distinctive intent will battle more
than they did before (to get a foot
in the door).”
The “flush years” as Stevenson
terms it may be over but it is busi-
ness as usual for the Stevenson
enterprise which will participate in
seven art fairs this year, including
the Joburg Art Fair, which runs in
April. Stevenson isn’t the only gal- Walter Battiss ‘Tahiti’ 35 x 40 cm
lerist that is sticking to his guns. So
far all 24 of the galleries committed A showcase for the best of
to exhibiting at the Joburg Art Fair
haven’t cancelled, according to South African Masters,
Ross Douglas, the fair’s director as well as some leading
and head of Artlogic. The fair’s
primary sponsor – FNB - as contemporary artists.
well as a host of other secondary
sponsors have also remained Telephone: 021 423 6075
committed to supporting the event,
he says. www.johansborman.co.za
Douglas is optimistic about the Art
Fair and suggests that its success Mon-Fri: 10h00 - 18h00
isn’t measured by its financial ac- Sat: 09h00 - 14h00
complishments. or by appointment
“Those short on money may not
spend at the art fair now but will re- In Fin Art Building
turn to the galleries when they do Upper Buitengracht Street, Cape Town 8001
have money. The art fair is about Cell: 082 566 4631
more than commercial success it is
about introducing contemporary art E-mail: art@johansborman.co.za
to South Africans.”
Page 4
Polokwane: secret art powerhouse comes to light
By Andrew Lamprecht
The city of Polokwane, one of the
2010 Soccer World Cup venues,
is one of the fastest developing
areas in South Africa. Only des-
ignated a city in 1992, it adopted
its current name in 2003, being
known as Pietersburg before that.
It may not be the first city to come
to mind when one thinks of art in
South Africa, but in fact it has a
vibrant community of artists and
art-lovers and boasts its own sub-
stantial art museum, housed in the
Danie Hough Cultural Centre.
As the capital and located in the
centre of Limpopo Province, it
is ideally placed as a locus for
the important traditional art that
Limpopo offers. In addition several
well known contemporary artists
live and work in this area, including
Samson Mudzunga, Jackson
Hlungwani, Noria Mabasa, Phillip
Rikhotso, Amos Letsoalo, amongst
many others.
In this town, as it grew into a city,
a little known but tireless couple
has consistently championed the
cause of contemporary art and
built up (with modest means) a
major collection as well as bringing
a love and appreciation of art to
the broader Polokwane commu-
nity. Their names are unlikely to
grace the “power lists” so beloved
of other publications but in the
context of how one can translate
the love of art in to the practical,
both through acquisition and also
support and dissemination, they
must be one of the most important,
if under-recognised teams at work
in the country today.
Johan van Rooyen, a medical doc-
tor, and his wife Maria, an artist,
have campaigned ceaselessly and
in some unusual ways to get art
Custom Stretched Canvasses
Hand made Easels
Painting & print stretching
Tel: 021 448 2799 Fax: 021 448 2797
Free delivery within Cape area artstuff@webmail.co.za www.artstuff.co.za
Maria van Rooyen :Tafelberg (work in progress). Medium: Charcoal, pastel and pencil
appreciated in the city. For almost
two decades, and with a small
amount of disposable income to
spend on art, they have amassed
a collection of institutional-quality
contemporary SA art. Ignoring
the fashion for Irma Sterns and
Pierneefs, they chose to focus only
on younger, living artists and often
recognised their quality long be-
fore the market and critics caught
up. With a keen eye for talent they
bought William Kentridge, Kendell
Geers, Wayne Barker and Bonnie
Ntshalintshali at a time when few
other collectors were paying much
attention to them.
In some ways this type of collect-
ing, informed by a good eye and a
clear head and motivated above all
by a love of art, and especially art
of quality, serves as a good model
for those who insist that the art
market has crashed. The question
will remain as to what type of art
has crashed. It seems that the Van
Rooyens, who have no intention
of ever selling their collection,
have still made a wise investment
in the things that they choose to
surround themselves with.
The walls of Dr Van Rooyen’s
practice are a veritable art gallery
in miniature, being crowded with
South African Art Times.
some of the most significant
artworks produced by the middle
and younger generation of our
artists. At times these do not sit
well with some of his patients who
have been heard to mutter that
‘there is something not quite right’
about all this art. Nevertheless in
this subtle way, he has caused
countless visitors to spend their
time contemplating art as they wait
their turn to be attended to.
The Van Rooyens acknowledge
the important influence that Wayne
Barker has played in their art
activities, noting how he intro-
duced them to many of the artists
they subsequently collected and
got to know. Indeed it is likely that
they have the finest collection of
Barker’s art as his mid-career star
begins to shine ever more brightly.
Perhaps there could have been
no clearer sign that Polokwane
had emerged from the shadows
of its bigger coastal cousins and
its neighbours in Gauteng than
with the launch of Modern and
Contemporary Art: Then, Now
and Beyond, an exhibition of ‘41
old masters and 26 contemporary
artists’ held as part of the Limpopo
Arts Festival last year and spon
ArtStuff now available on the Garden Route
Call Paul Tunmer 083 2610084
February 2009
sored by Standard Bank. Curated
by Dr. Fred Scott and Wayne
Barker under the co-ordination
of Maria van Rooyen. This was
a major undertaking with superb
examples from many major names
in the history of South African art
since modernity, including Jane
Alexander, Walter Battiss, Gerard
Bhengu, Dumile Feni, Alexis Prel-
ler, Marlene Dumas, Irma Stern,
Sandile Zulu and many more of
the same ilk.
This major and impressive assem-
blage was as a result of a smaller
but extremely well received show
the previous year, Double 07, and
on the basis of its success it was
decided to host the event annually.
Not to rest on her laurels Van
Rooyen has now put together a
residency programme for February
2009 in Polokwane, sponsored by
Modern Autohaus BMW, and fea-
turing seven contemporary artists
addressing the issue of ‘mobility’.
In their modest but influential way
Maria and Johan van Rooyen have
demonstrated that a love for art
and a passion for sharing it with
their community will always pay
off dividends that transcend those
of the power-brokers and financial
speculators.
Artist: Ann Gadd
Art Guide
Richard Hart, Swan. Work from his upcoming exhibition entitled: Kind Pockets, on from 25 February - 21 March 2009 at the Whatiftheworld Gallery
 SOUTH AFRICAN ART GALLERY SHOW LISTINGS FOR FEBRUARY
Eastern Cape – 1945), Bronze Sculptures
East London www.everard.co.za
Ann Bryant Art Gallery Gallery MOMO Maroelana Centre, Maroelana.
12 – 28 Feb, Identity, Paintings by Them-
beka Qangule & Janna Prinsloo. Until
08 Feb, Queenstown Fine Art Society
Bequest.Until 01 Mar, Empty Vessels,
Ceramic containers from the Museum’s
Collection.
9 St Marks Road, Southernwood, East
London T. 043 722 4044
Port Elizabeth 32 Maude Street, Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art
Museum
05 Feb – 05 Apr, Beyond the Documen-
tary Photograph, Contemporary South
African Photography. Until 01 Mar, Empty
Vessels,Ceramic containers from the
Museum’s Collection.
1 Park Drive, Port Elizabeth,
Tel. (041) 586 1030,
www.artmuseum.co.za www.museumsnc.co.za Until 28 Feb, New sculptures, Angus
Free State 05 Feb – 07 Mar, Crocodile Tears, Brett
Bloemfontein
Oliewenhuis Art Museum PAM - Albert Werth Hall,05 Feb – 19 Apr Until 07 Mar In Storage Paintings &
05 Feb – 08 April,Transitions, Exhibition
and film, by Paul Emmanuel.
16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein T.
051 447 9609
Gauteng by Julie Lovelace Until 25 Feb,’Stripped’ ceramics by
Johannesburg www.gordartgallery.com
ABSA Gallery
04 – 25 Feb, About Face: works in mixed
media by Marike Kruger
ABSA Towers North, 161 Main
Street,Johannesburg
Afronova Modern and Contemporary Art
Until 14 Feb, The Summer Show - Local
and African Artists. 14 Feb – 21 Mar, Solo
Exhibition by Dominique Zinkpe.
Cnr. Miriam Makeba and Gwi Gwi
Mrwebi Street, Newtown, Johannesburg,
Tel. 083 7265906 www.afronova.com
Brodie/Stevenson
Until 14 Feb, A Brutal Year, Solo exhibi-
tion by Robyn Penn. Until 14 Feb,Project
003, Alexandra Makhlouf KwaZulu-Natal by Noria Mabasa, 25 Feb – 28 Mar.TBC,
373 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg T.
011 326 0034, www.artextra.co.za
AOP Gallery (Art on Paper) at the Goethe Institute, 119 Jan Smuts
07 – 28 Feb,(I promise) I love you, Prints
and drawings by Terry Kurgan
44 Stanley Ave, Braamfontein Werf
(Milpark), T. 011 726 2234
www.artonpaper.co.za - paper-mache and more.
Artspace - JHB 05 – 16 Feb, De Profundis Clamavi,
04-28 Feb, The measure of success,
Sculputres by Collen and Johannes
Maswanganyi
142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood,T. 011
482 1258, www.artspace-jhb.co.za
David Brown Fine Art
11 Feb – 11 Mar North by
North East (re)visited: an important
collection of South African Polychrome
Sculpture 1990 – 1994 Noria Mabasa,
Freddy Ramabulana, Owen Ndou,
Goldwin Ndou, Philip Rikhotso, Johannes
Maswanganye, and Samson Mudzunga
39 Keyes Ave,off Jellicoe, Rosebank,
Johannesburg. T. 011 788 4435
www.davidbrownfineart.co.za
David Krut Art Resources Until 14 Feb, Modular Repetition,Gordon
05 Feb – 16 Mar Swamp Eyes,
Curated Exhibition of works of paper
by: Ryan Arenson, Willem Boshoff, Wim
Botha, Gail Behrmann, Willie Cole (US),
Claire Gavronsky, William Kentridge,
Alive Maher (UK), Suzanne McClelland
(US), Colin Richards, Michelle Segre
(US), Rose Shakinovsky, Sean Slemon,
Kiki Smith (US), Nathaniel Stern, Sandile
Zulu.
142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood,
Johannesburg T. 011 447 0627
www.davidkrutpublishing.com
Everard Read Gallery Jhb
12 Feb – 07 Mar, Anton van Wouw (1865
6 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank,
Johannesburg T. 011 788 4805
Until 16 Feb, Group Exhibition.19 Feb
- 16 Mar, Ransome Stanley, In touch.
52 7th Avenue, Parktown North,
Johannesburg T. 011 327 3247
www.gallerymomo.com
Gallery on the Square
Until Mar 09 An eclectic mix of South
African contemporary fine art, sculpture
and ceramics.
Square at Sandton City, Sandton,
Johanesburg. T.(011) 784 2847
www.galleryonthesquare.co.za
Gerard Sekoto Gallery, Alliance
Francaise T. 012 346 0158
02-20 Feb, Wakaba Mutheki, 24 Feb
– 09 Mar, Ilana Slomowitz
17 Lower Park Drive (corner of Kerry
Road),Parkview,Johannesburg.
T. 011 646 1169 www.alliance.org.za
Goodman Gallery Western Cape
Murray.
163 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood,
Johannesburg,
www.goodman-gallery.com
GordArt Gallery PAM - East Gallery, 05 Feb – 22
GordArt Gallery (main Space), 14 Feb
– 07 Mar, Drawings by Taryn Racine Collection,Artists from Polly Street and
GordArt Project Room (2nd space), 14
Feb – 07 Mar, Sculpture and Ceramics
Shop 1 Parkwood Mansions, 144 Jan
Smuts Ave, Parkwood, t/f 011 880 5928
Graham Fine Art Gallery
South African Investment Art from the
permanent collection
Shop 31, Broadacres Lifestyle Centre,
Cnr. Valley & Cedar Roads Fourways,
Johannesburg.T. 011 465 9192,
www.grahamsgallery.co.za
Johannesburg Art Gallery
Until 01 Mar 09 Disturbance - An exhibi-
tion featuring Scandinavian and South
African Contemporary Art.Until 30 Mar
Retrospective Exhibition -Thami Mnyele
and Medu.
King George Street, Joubert Park,
Johannesburg T. 011 725 3180
www.johannesburgart.org
Market Photo Workshop 70 Loop Street, Cape Town
Until 13 Feb 09 Portfolio 08, Exhibition of
student Photo journalism, Until 20 March
Avenue Parkwood In Transit (at the
Goethe Institute) 13 young photogra-
phers T. 011 834 1444
www.marketphotoworkshop.co.za
Obert Contemporary at Melrosearch
Paintings by Paul Boulitreau. Until 21 Feb, Exhibition of Paintings by
14 High Street, Melrose Arch, Johan-
nesburg, T, 011 684 1214 Until 15 Feb 09, Indian Ink, Indian South
www.obertcontemporary.com
Standard Bank Gallery
03 Feb – 21 Mar I like my
neighbours, Oil Paintings, sketches and
sculptures by Johannes Phokela, 03 Feb
– 21 Mar, Misc. (recovery room), Draw-
ings, notebooks, objects, photos and
installation by David Andrew Shop G350 Palm Boulevard
Cnr. Simmonds & Frederick Streets,
Johannesburg. T. 011 631-1889
www.standardbankgallery.co.za
University of Johannesburg Arts
Centre Gallery
Froud.
University of Johannesburg, Auckland
Park Kingsway campus cor Kingsway
and Universiteits Rd, Auckland Park
T. 011 559 2099/2556
Warren Siebrits Modern &
Contemporary Art Stanford Galleries
Until 06 Mar, Prints,
Multiples and
Photography VI
140 Jan Smuts Avenue,
Parkwood, Johannesburg,
T.011 327 0000
www.warrensiebrits.co.za
Pretoria KZNSA Gallery
Alette Wessels Kunskamer
Exhibition of Old Masters and
selected leading contemporary artists.
GPS : S25º 46.748 EO28º 15.615
T. 012 346 0728 C. 084 589 0711
www.artwessels.co.za
Centurion Art Gallery
02 – 27 Feb, Eben Arts Studio,Art
Student Show
T. 012 358 3477,
www.pretoriaartmuseum.co.za
Fried Contemporary Art Gallery
07 Feb – 07 Mar Suburb: digital works,
paintings, sculptures and functional
objects. Frieda Sonnekus, Eric Suplan,
Gordon Froud William Humphreys Art Gallery Goodman Gallery, Cape T. 021 448 1438
430 Charles Str, Brooklyn, Pretoria
www.friedcontemporary.com
Pretoria Art Museum 3rd Floor, Fairweather House
PAM - North Gallery
Until 22 Feb, Textile Exhibition, South
African works from the Art Museum’s
collection
PAM - Henry Preiss Hall,05 Feb – 19 Apr i Art Gallery
Kilimanjaro in relation to global warming:
origins of the Rift – ordered chaos to a
disordered present
Africa Rifting/ Bloodlines
Jun, From the Museum’s Permanent
Rorke’s Drift T.012 344 1807/8
art.museum@tshwane.gov.za
Pretoria Association of Arts
Until 05 Feb Exhibition of all SANAVA
branches
173 Mackie Street, New Muckleneuk,
Pretoria, Gauteng, 0181, Tel. (012) 346
3100 www.artsassociationpta.co.za
UNISA Art Gallery not mine, an installation of 8 film frag-
Until 13 Feb 09 UNISA Advanced
Diploma Students Exhibition
Theo van Wijk Building, Goldfields en-
trance, 5th floor. Unisa Campus, Pretoria.
T.012 429 6823 www.unisa.ac.za/gallery
Alice Art Gallery Roodepoort
25 Feb – 09 Mar Solo exhibition Good Hope – Iziko Granary
Susan Greyling
217 Drive Street, Helderkruin, Pretoria,
T.011 958 1392 www.aliceart.co.za Gallery Sasol Art Museum
Durban www.bell-roberts.com
Art Space - DBN Blank Projects University of Stellenbosch
Until 14 Feb Under My Skin Works by Liz
Speight, Hermine Spies Coleman & Ann
Wakerly. 16 Feb - 07 Mar Sicelo Ziqubu
3 Millar Road, Durban. T.031 312 0793
www.artspacedurban.co.za
Durban Art Gallery Nola Muller. 22 Feb – 14 Mar, Oil Paint-
Africans in the media: A photographic
history of propaganda and resistance.
Second Floor, City Hall, Smith Street,
Durban T. 031 300 6238
Kizo Contemporary Printmaking Stellenbosch Art Gallery
19 Feb – 20 Mar National Group Exhibi-
tion Watercolour Society of South Africa.
Gateway Theatre of
Shopping Umhlanga
T. 031 566 4322
www.kizo.co.za
Anton van Wouw (1865 - 1945) The Dagga Smoker. Part of the van Wouw Exhibition at Everard Read Gallery , Johannesburg. Exhibition ends 7 March 09
Until 15 Feb The Elephant
Sculpture by Andries Botha.Until 15 Feb,
Green KZNSA Gallery Members
exhibition 2009.
166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, T. 031
2023686, www.kznsagallery.co.za
Tatham Art Gallery
Until 01 Mar, Schreiner Gallery, Into the
Light: work by KZN Women artists
Cnr. Of Chief Albert Luthuli (Commercial)
Rd. and Church Street (Opposite City
Hall) Pietermaritzburg. T. 033 342 1804
Northern Cape
Kimberley
Permanent Collection Exhibition - In-
cludes works of a variety of contemporary
SA artists
Civic Centre, Cullinan Crescent, Kimber-
ley, Tel. (053) 831 1724,
Cape Town www.grandeprovence.co.za
34 Long
Sculpture from the Gallery Collection
34 Long Street, Cape Town
T. 021 426 4594, www.34long.com
Art B Gallery www.houtstreetgallery.co.za
Hennie Meyer. Photographic exhibiton
by Stanford artists Annalize Mouton and
lampshades by woodturner Attie van
der Colff.
Library Centre, Carel van Aswegen
Street, Bellville T. 021 918 2301, www.
artb.co.za
Association for Visual Arts (AVA)
09 - 27 Feb, In partnership with Spier:The
Dance Paintings by Polly Alakija, Recent
Paintings by Jenny Parsons,Recent
Paintings by Christopher Zinner
A family Body - Hanneke Benade, Keep-
sakes by Tamlin Blake abd Marlise Keith
35 Church Street, Cape Town, T.021 424
7436 www.ava.co.za
Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art
Until 21 Feb Works in Clay and Wood
Paintings by Fahamu Pecou
176 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock,
Until 21 Feb, Section: video, photography
& sound installation, Marie Snauwaert
198 Buitengracht Street, Bo-Kaap, Cape
Town, www.blankprojects.blogspot.com
Cape Gallery T. 808 3524/3489
ings by Robert Koch & Martin Koch 12 Feb – 15 Mar Paintings from 1948 to
60 Church Street, Cape Town
T. 021 423 5309, www.capegallery.co.za
Curious, Whetstone & Frankley
Until 14 Feb, Warren Editions,
87 Station Road, Observatory Permanent exhibition of Conrad Theys,
www.curiouswhetstonean
dfrankley.com
Erdmann Contemporary /
Photographers Gallery
South African Print Gallery
26 February - 28 March
Until 31 Jan, Home is my castle: Lien Printing Money
Botha, Angela Buckland, Jean Brundrit, Selected young contemporary
Abrie Fourie, Diek Grobler, Luan artist printmakers.
Nel, Collen Maswanganyi, Maré van 107 Sir Lowry Rod, Woodstock.
Noordwyk, Nontobeko Ntombela, Jurgen T.021 4626851 www.printgallery.co.za
Schadeberg, Themba Shibase, Leonora
van Staden, Bronwen Vaughan-Evans Urban Contemporary Art
and Dale Yudelman 63 Shortmarket Until 28 Feb, Pigment on Paper, Michael
Street, Cape Town T. 021 422 2762 Taylor, Nicola Grobler, Ilene Jacobs,
www.erdmanncontemporary.co.za Adrienne van Eeden and Jacqui Stecher
46 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape
Everard Read Gallery - Cape Town Town T. 021 447 4132,
5 – 19 Feb, Exhibition of Oil Paintings www.urbancontemporaryart.co.za
by Sasha Hartslief
Portswood Rd, V&A Waterfront What if the World…
T.021 418 4527 Until 21 Feb The Status of Greatness
www.everard-read-capetown.co.za Debut Solo exhibition by Xander Ferreira
First floor, 208 Albert Road, Woodstock
24 Jan – 21 Feb, Flux by Deborah Bell. www.whatiftheworld.com
26 Feb – 21 Mar, Review Revue, a selec-
tion of diverse works from over fifty years
of South African art.
Franschhoek
Gallery Grande Provence
176 Sir Lowry Road Woodstock, Cape
Town T.021 462 7573/4,
Taylor. Until 04 Mar, Feast - Paintings by
www.goodmangallerycape.com
Louis Jansen van Vuuren in celebration
of his 60th birthday
Main Road Franschoek. T. 021 876 8600
27 Feb - 12 Mar, Decade:a selection of
83 works covering the last ten years of
acquisitions for the Sanlam Art Collec-
tion- on tour at the IArt Gallery
IArt Gallery,71 Loop Street Cape Town
Paarl
T. 021 424 5150
Hout Street Gallery
Until 28 Feb, Summer Salon
Irma Stern Museum
270 Main Street, Paarl,T. 021 872 5030
Until 07 Feb, Distant lands for today’s
times - Jewelry by Marion Gottlieb
Cecil Road, Rosebank, Cape Town T.
021 685 5686, www.irmastern.co.za George
Iziko South African National Strydom Gallery
Gallery 40th Annual Summer Exhibition, selected
Until Jul 09, Scratches on the Face. Until artwork from established SA Artists
15 Mar 09, Voices of the Ancestors Marklaan Centre, 79 Market Street,
Until 08 Mar, I am not me, the horse is George Tel. (044) 874 4027,
www.artaffair.co.za,
ments by William Kentridge. Until 15 Mar,
Wildlife photographer of the Year Exhibi-
tion, Until 22 Mar, Past/Present, Andrew
Stellenbosch
Verster, Breathing Spaces, Environmen-
Dorp Straat Gallery
tal Portraits of Durban’s Industrial South
10 Feb – 16 Mar Painting and sculpture
Photographic exhibition. Until 01 Mar,at
by Norah Newton & Marietjie Prinsloo
the Good Hope Gallery at the Castle of
144 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch
T. 021 887 2256
Government Avenue, Company’s Garden
www.dorpstraatgalerie.co.za
T. 021 467 4660, www.iziko.org.za
João Ferreira Gallery
14 Jan – 28 Mar,Retrospective Exhibition,
04 – 28 Feb, Paintings, by
Wendy Anziska
Judith Mason
52 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch.
Tel: 808 3029/3695
T.021 423 5403
www.joaoferreiragallery.com
www.sun.ac.za/usmuseum
Kalk Bay Modern
Until 07 Feb, Masters Degree students
George Hallett’s ‘A Photographic Journey’
(exams), Visual Arts Dept. Stellenbosch
Opening words by Peter Clarke
University
21 February- 15 March 09
cnr of Bird and Dorp Streets,
Kalk Bay Modern, 1st Floor Olympia
Stellenbosch
Buildings, 136 Main Road, Kalk Bay
(Above the Olympia Cafe)
kbmodern@iafrica.com
SMAC Art Gallery
Michael Stevenson Contemporary
2005 by Claude Bouscharain.
26 Feb – 04 Apr,In Boksburg photogra-
De Wet Centre, Church Street,
phy by David Goldblatt. 26 Feb – 04 Apr,
Stellenbosch T. 021 887 3607
new Prints by Claudette Schreuders.
www.smacgallery.com
Until 21 Feb, Cain and Abel,Solo exhbi-
tion of new works by Conrad Botes. 15
Jan – 21 Feb, Nollywood,Solo exhibition
of photographs by Pieter Hugo
John Kramer, Gregoire Boonzaier,
Ground Floor, Buchanan Building,
Adriaan Boshoff and other artists.
160 Sir Lowry Road, Cape Town
34 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch
T. 021 462 1500
T. 021-8878343
www.michaelstevenson.com
www.stellenboschartgallery.co.za
Sanlam Art Gallery
Red Black and White
Until 28 Feb, 86 selected works
07 Feb – 07 Mar,Exploring lines,Strijdom
by the Tafelberg Photography
van der Merwe
Club Exhibition.
5a Distillery Road, Bosman’s Crossing,
2 Strand Road, Bellville
Stellenbosch, T. 021 886 6281
Tel. (021) 947 3359
www.redblackandwhite.co.za
www.sanlam.co.za
Stanford
11-13 Queen Victoria Street
Stanford
Tel: 028 341 0591
www.stanfordgallery.co.za
South African Art Times. February 2009 Page 7

Blood Sweat and Hairspray.

By Alison Tu: Photographic print
To be seen at UCA Gallery,
Observatory, Cape Town

Xander Ferreira, The Hunt of the

Gazelle, to be seen at his show
entitled: ‘The Status of Greatness’
at Whatiftheworld Gallery. Show
ends February 21.

Mark Midgley new work is now

found at The Atlanic Gallery, CT
Work by Deborah Poynton. Poynton will be exhibiting at Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town in June 2009

Wendy Anziska
"SHOW TIME!"
4 - 28 February
Opening reception: 4 February 2009

70 Loop Street Cape Town 8001 South Africa

t: +27 21 4235403 f:+27 088 021 4232136
info@joaoferreiragallery.com
www.joaoferreiragallery.com Network, 2008, oil on board

Paul Emmanuel

TRANSITIONS
5 February – 8 April 2009

Mon – Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Sat 10 am – 5 pm • Sun & Public Holidays 1 – 5 pm
16 Harry Smith Street Bloemfontein ☎ 051 447 9609
south africa oliewen@nasmus.co.za

Sales’s transcendence of loss sets Paris astir
Steve Kretzmann
Many artists scorn the use of the
word ‘cathartic’. It is so clichéd.
But Lyndi Sales does not hesitate
to utter the word for me as I stutter
through one of those tip-of-the-
tongue moments.
“Cathartic? Yes it was,” she says,
with a disarming smile.
The question had to be asked,
considering her impressive body
of work examines the crash of
the Helderberg, the ill-fated South
African Airways plane that crashed
into the Indian Ocean on November
28, 1987, killing all 159 people on
board.
Lyndi was 14-years-old at the time,
and her father was on that plane,
returning via Mauritius from a busi-
ness trip to Taiwan.
It is the type of tragedy that can
take a lifetime to get over, and
rather than flinching from it, Lyndi
has delved deep into that fateful
accident and the secrets and
conspiracies that surround it, with
the result that she has produced
art which is innovative, imaginative,
contemplative, confrontational,
surreal and even, controversial.
But her approach has not, on the
surface, been introspective. While
loss may have been an original
driving force, it is not something she
mentions overtly. It is an unseen
undercurrent, dimly sensed. The
work is not literal. Its sublime
technicality gives it great power and
reach, allowing it to achieve many
translations. She has unravelled
many a thread emerging from a
complex knot.
There are works produced by this
talented printmaker that, if observed
with a virgin eye unencumbered
with any background knowledge,
could be construed as a comment
on the current global climate crisis.
One medium sized work (ap-
proximately 150cm x 100cm) for
instance, is a print of the outlines
of the world’s continents with
gradations of colour reminiscent
of a vegetative map. Upon it the
intricate patterns of the lungs
bronchial tubes have been incised
using a laser, and raised to create
a three-dimensional image. Other
works, using a similar technique
of incision into ‘found’ objects, or
“ephemera”, as Lyndi calls it, such
as the safety cards or emergency
flotation devices found in aircraft,
might indicate our collective
obsession with personal safety
highlighted by the juxtaposition with
the delicate patterns of the inner
human body…or the vulnerability of
the body in transit.
The multitude of ‘ephemera’ that
Lyndi works with, such as the afore-
mentioned, as well as boarding
passes; lottery tickets (the gamble
we take when we put our lives in
the hands of others); lifejackets; life
raft material; ocean bed maps, are
indicative of a forensic mind.
Indeed, Lyndi’s study of the
Left: Shatter (detail), work for Holland Bienalle
Below left: Flight path, Shatter, flight path II (detail).
Above: Lyndi Sales
Below: Fortunes and fortunes
Lyndi Sales
Helderberg crash and the opaque
narrative surrounding it is a mix be-
tween that of a forensic pathologist
and an investigative journalist. This
has served to strengthen, rather
than detract from, her artwork.
The sound applications of tech-
nique, methodology, research and
the final expression of that which
has been soundly internalised, all
contribute to the quality of her work.
And proof of this quality is the
astounding reception her current
solo exhibition in Paris has already
received, just five days into the five-
week show at the time of writing.
Despite having just returned the
previous afternoon, after setting
up her 37 works and opening her
show In Transit at the Gallerie
Maria Lund in Paris’s fashionable
old gay quarter, Lyndi, looking fresh
and unperturbed, quite casually
notes that about 80 percent of her
work there has already sold. This
has been achieved in spite of their
unabashed price tags and in the
midst of an economic recession the
like of which Europe has not seen
(according to pundits at the World
Economic Forum in Davos) since
the end of World War 2.
Yet anyone who has had the good
fortune of seeing one or both of
her TRANSIent (2008) and 1 in
11 000 000 Chances (2006/2007)
exhibitions which have shown at
the Bell-Roberts gallery in Cape
Town and Gallery Momo in Johan-
nesburg, might not be surprised at
Photo: David Bloomer
the success this Michaelis 2000
Masters graduate has achieved.
She has no time to rest on her lau-
rels though, her next solo exhibition
in San Francisco is coming up, and
she says she has only five weeks
to recreate a new version of what is
her largest and most arresting work:
a 3m x 3m installation consisting
of 159 hand made, hand cut paper
kites supported by bamboo sticks
and string.
She also exudes a sense that she
is looking forward to having these
international showings behind her.
Not because she may be able to
relax thereafter but because, after
years of producing an outstanding
body of work from investigating the
Helderberg tragedy, she is ready
to move on. Already there are a
few works ready for San Francisco
that are moving away, conceptually
if not technically, from this theme.
‘Carbon Cloud’ is one. Made of
cutout carbon paper, its conception
derives from the pattern formed by
a global map of computer servers.
But Lyndi is reticent when it comes
to talking about a line of enquiry
that she herself has not quite
formulated yet.
Suffice to say, like the symbolic
Chinese act of letting a kite go to fly
free following the death of a loved
one, Lyndi seems about ready to let
go of the cord that has bound her
to the Helderberg thus far. She’ll fly
far, I’m sure.

ART PIG
Alex Dodd
With all the gloom and doom
surrounding the global eco-
nomic crisis, edgy speculations
pre the April election and constant
deluges raining down over grizzly,
sodden Jozi you’d be forgiven for
feeling like the four horsemen of
the apocalypse might just be gal-
loping down Commissioner Street
one of these dark days.
As ever, the elixir and the raison
d’etre in the face of all the morbid-
ity mongering is to be discovered
in elegant white suburban cubes,
urban warehouses, loft-style
studios and industrial parking lots
where this city’s undying aesthetes
are busy conjuring a parallel
universe based on the limitless
fertility of thought and the practice
of making, crafting, creating and
dreaming untold fantasies into
existence. It seems to me, there
are two things to be excited about
now: Obama and art. And, seeing
as this is not the Huffington Post,
I’ll focus on the latter.
Joburg’s art circuit kicked back into
action this year with the packed
launch of the Robyn Penn and Al-
exandra Makhlouf show at Brodie/
Stevenson. And I don’t think I’m
alone in wishing I was the proud
owner of one of Penn’s haunting
sky-filled Joburg cityscapes. Now
there’s a girl who knows how to
paint. ‘The poignant and iconic
architectural structures which
mark the Johannesburg cityscape,
loom in my memory and fill my
canvasses as vague remembered
forms from the sublime vantage
point of my childhood home. They
are distant in time, yet present,’
writes Penn. ‘They are in time but
also exist outside of time because
they are built and preserved to be
physically insusceptible to time’s
ravages.’
Next was the launch of the Joburg
Art Fair at Artlogic’s loft-style
offices between the Atlas Studios
and the sci-fi gas tower in Milpark.
Again the spirit seemed to one of
upbeat solidarity in rugged times,
as Artlogic’s gung-ho impresario
Ross Douglas announced plans
for the second fair, due to unfold
at the Sandton Convention Centre
from 3-5 April. This year’s event
promises to be a more hybrid crea-
ture, combining art, design and
lifestyle, and showcasing the best
of contemporary visual culture the
continent has to offer.
In addition to the 25 leading local
and international galleries that
have signed up to participate,
Tumelo Mosaka (of the Brooklyn
Museum in New York) will be
curating a selection of moving
image work from countries in the
What and who is fanning the bonfire in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town
Global South, and the gordonscha-
chatcollection will be presenting
Security, a unique installation by
internationally acclaimed South
African artist Jane Alexander,
originally commissioned for the
27th São Paulo Biennale.
The crowd of night revellers broke
into a round of applause when
Douglas announced that last
year’s specially featured artist,
Robin Rhode, has been chosen by
BMW Berlin to launch the new Z5
‘art car’. ‘It’s all very James Bond
and we’re excited about Robin
Rhode going to great heights,’ said
Douglas.
And speaking of things turbo-
charged, Marcus Neustetter and
Stephen Hobbs of the Trinity
Session seem to have entered this
new year firing on all cylinders.
They have closed down their
Premises gallery at the Civic
Theatre to focus their energies
on the public art terrain and
recently relocated their offices to
join spaces like the Rooke Gallery,
the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios
and the Lilian Street Studios in the
Newtown/Fordsburg art hub.
In a frenzied build up to the World
Cup 2010 soccer action, there is a
huge amount of public art activity
on the go. ‘The Joburg Develop-
ment Agency appointed us a public
artwork commissioning agents
and, by the end of May, we will
have completed approximately R4-
million’s worth of public art spend
in the Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville,
including a big tract of land in
front of the taxi rank near Queen
Elizabeth Bridge,’ says Hobbs.
The Trinity Session’s collabora-
tive approach to the relationship
between art and the community,
involves building a platform of in-
teraction between artists and soci-
ety that can give rise to democratic
expression in public space. ‘Some
of the most iconic pieces are by
the Artist Proof Studio [Hillbrow
orientation sculpture], Winston
Luthuli & Spaza Art [Constitution
Hill gateway], Maja Marx & 2610
South Architects [Houghton Drive
gateway], Marco Cianfanelli [Pieter
Roos Park] and Nkosana Ngobese
[Yeoville Library], with each artist
or collective creating a feature
artwork in a specific location,’
says Neustetter. It’s fast-talking,
fresh-thinking creative livewires
like Hobbs and Neustetter who
have the power to refocus our
thinking from the dispiriting issues
of crime and grime to look anew
and see Johannesburg as a city of
the future.
A public artwork by Marco Cian-
fanelli commissioned for Pieter
Roos Park by the Trinity Session
Fanning the Flames
THE ART
COWBOY
Peter Machen
Artists often feel that they are
a hard-done-by bunch. But they
should all thank their lucky stars
they’re not a musician in Durban.
It’s a sentiment I’ve often qui-
etly expressed to myself as some
gifted musical talent gets ignored
or derided (usually the former) by
an audience more intent on other
things. And it was a sentiment that
rose to the surface once more
at the opening of the KZNSA
Member’s Exhibition a few weeks
ago where Musa Queen Njoko and
her band were performing their
radiant brand of afropop as part
of the evening’s entertainment.
Gallery audiences generally have
no problem staying silent for long
and dreary speeches (which is not
to say that all opening speeches
are long and dreary) and I thought
they might find it in themselves to
at least lower their voices. But no
such luck. In Durban, where there
is often so much cross-discipinary
creativity, audiences often tend
to be fairly segmented according
to their favoured media. And so
no-one bothered listening, instead
raising their voices to talk over the
gorgeous tunes.
Despite the rudeness to Njoko, the
opening was a hugely success-
ful event, emphasising what a
wonderful contemporary space the
KZNSA is, and moving it slightly
closer to my dream cultural centre,
London’s ICA, where film mixes
with music, art, dance and archi-
tecture, all in a beautiful social
blend, and with a damn fine bar
thrown in. And where people listen
to the music.
Local group shows always bring in
generous crowds – the presence
of all the artists and their mates
pretty much guarantees this
– but a substantial portion of the
crowd at the gallery were there
to view one of Andries Botha’s
famed wooden elephants, which
was spending a few weeks in the
KZNSA’s Nivea Gallery before
making its way to the lucky person
who commissioned it.
Botha’s elephants have achieved
something of a legendary status,
which is appropriate since their
scale, their construction – in fact
everything about them – has the
ethos and residue of legend. But
it’s also because so few people
have actually seen them. For
many this was a chance to witness
something which had hitherto
occupied small jpegs and mpegs
on the internet. This particular el-
ephant, measuring 2.2metres high,
the size of a female adolescent,
seemed to me more organic and
less structured than the versions
I’d seen in cyberspace but perhaps
that’s the nature of the real. The
public loved them, and I don’t think
I’ve ever seen an artist in Durban
so beleaguered by people eager to
discuss his or her work.
In the moments between, Botha
and I discussed briefly the power
of this work, how the experience
of being in its vicinity was primary
in comparison to any kind of intel-
lectual discourse about it. Which
led me to thinking about how so
much sculpture operates in a
different realm to two dimensional
art. Because we experience it in
fluid space and time – as opposed
to the contraction of space and
time that defines non-moving
flat imagery – the representa-
tional aspects of sculpture tends
to disappear into the visceral and
we stop asking “what does this
mean?” Of course, we know that
the wooden elephant is a copy
of a real elephant, but we ignore
that knowledge as we experience
this elephant in front of us, as we
move around it and our perspec-
tive changes. And I think we tend
to do the same thing even when
sculpture and installation drips with
cryptic meaning.
In the months that I have been
writing this column, I have devoted
a a perhaps disproportionate
number of column inches to
the work of public artist Doung
Jahangeer. And I’ll try to refrain
from mentioning him for at least
a few months after this. But first
I’ve got to pass on the news
that Jahangeer’s submission for
the large-scale public sculpture
outside the refurbished Ellis
Park Stadium was successfullly
selected from five of Southern Afri-
ca’s finest artists. The work, which
like Botha’s elephants, maintain
the primacy of experience over
discourse, will stretch twelve
metres into the air and occupy a
new pedestrian space between
Ellis Park and Jo’burg Stadium.
Its simple but structurally complex
design includes a giant globe at
its centre, through which people
will be able to walk , and on top
of which a young boy is flying two
kites and a young girl is kneeling
at a river which flies into the sky.
The finished work will no doubt be
breathtaking if Jahangeers’ models
and sketches are anything to go
by, the work’s charm and naked
sentiment offering up an antidote
to our cynical times.
Botha’s elephant
Finally, I’ve also mentioned
Richard Hart recently, referring to
his beautiful painting at the Big
Woods group show at ArtSpace
Durban several months ago. It
was Hart’s first showing of one of
his paintings in a formal gallery
space and the work earned a
full page in SAAT. In the months
since then, he has been painting
prolifically, and later this month he
will present his first solo show at
whatiftheworld in Cape Town. I’m
lucky enough to have seen most
of the paintings and just thinking
about them puts a broad and
serene smile on my face. Almost
movingly surreal, the painting all
feature women carrying a variety
of animals in the pouches of their
dresses, some of which were
Richard Hart: Squirrel
designed by much-loved Durban
designer Amanda Laird Cherry. If
you’re anywhere near Cape Town
on the 25th of Feb, don’t miss the
unveiling of this fresh new talent.
Alex Emsley
THE ARTFUL
VIEWER
Melvyn Minnaar
Money is Eating Art
Money is dangerous. Make that
‘money’ as metaphor for greed,
singular symbol of status - and, in-
creasingly in the world of creativity,
the only thing that matters. From
international auction houses to
so-called art fairs, from art school
class rooms to gallerists’ offices,
the famous song from Cabaret is
reinvented and blaring: “money,
money, money makes the (art)
world go round”. And it is steadily
getting louder in local art circles.
But what goes around, comes
around (as Justin Timberlake
sang), and it is dangerous. For art.
The international shift to re-posi-
tion art value in terms of monetary
appeal (the only thing that those
with far too much, easily earned,
understand about culture), more or
less invented by cunning advertis-
ing mogul Saatchi, has clearly
turned the South African art scene
on as well.
Nowadays, virtually the only
issue discussed about an artist
is the highest price achieved for
her/his work. An artist’s status is
confirmed not by admission to
an important, authoritative public
(and this is important) collection or
museum, but what has been paid
at auction, fair or fancy gallery.
Kentridge at so many dollars; Du-
mas at so many euro’s - look how
famous; they must be good!
Many commentators have been
warning how this scenario is
eroding expertise and advancing
formulistic art production. An art
world, ruled by big bucks, where
there are no more challenges
for invention and creativity, no
more chances to experiment, be
adventurous and outrageous, will
soon become stiflingly stuffy. A lot
of us would rather read books and
poems, I suspect.
Hopefully the present global
economic downturn may have cor-
rective affect, but don’t hold your
breath. The mega rich still have
plenty and, as a very interesting
article by Ben Lewis and Jonathan
Ford recently in Prospect maga-
zine pointed out, the international
art market (where stuffed sharks
and other one-liners trade) is the
most unregulated, speculative
money market of all. They suggest
that art dealing at that level is a
pretty murky business. (But then
as the Kebble saga showed, artists
don’t mind a little moneyed dirt.)
Meanwhile South African gallerists
and dealers are nervously wringing
their hands. And, while packing
for the next Joburg Art Fair, just
wondering whether they’ve pitched
the price of so-and-so right. (Note:
not whether so-and-so should be
shown at all because of the work.)
To demonstrate the danger of
money and art in cahoots, a local
vignette:
A friend, a dog-lover and also a
sensibility for new art, was taken
in by a series of dog photographs
at a local gallery. The bright young
thing that produced the pictures,
had only recently finished at a
local art school. Quite extraordi-
nary and eye-catching the budding
photographer was onto a good, if
one-liner theme, but it was clearly
only the start of things.
Dog and art-loving friend was quite
taken aback when a single print
of the debuting artist, out of an
edition of seven, was to be had for
R22 000 plus Vat. This was clearly
no deal. (The poetic, but all too
reasonable question is whether
the young artist will ever win back
the enthusiasm for his work lost by
greed?)
But let’s hope the collapse of ram-
pant capitalism brings some sanity.
Art and money simply don’t make
a happy couple. Not for invention
and originality, nor for outrage and
challenge.
Robert Sloon gave the connec-
tion on his Artheat website, but
it is worth repeating. The sneaky
American artist Sean Landers was
asked to respond to the current
international art market crash. Art
is not money, he wrote, and when
the two get too close together,
money takes over and makes art
into itself.
Let’s hope his enthusiasm swings
this way as well: “I’m looking
forward to seeing some art. Art
unfettered by the market frankly.
I’m looking forward to visiting a few
art colleges and not seeing blatant
careerism in each studio and art
dealers stalking every hallway. I’m
looking forward to seeing young
and established galleries showing
weird young artists with nothing to
lose, making art that they know no
one will ever buy, and in the proc-
ess fearlessly stumbling onto the
next big thing, whatever the hell
that turns out to be.”
May our money-eyed gallerists,
artist and fair-goers also see the
light. Otherwise art is gonna be
chewed up.
 OPENING EXHIBITION
red black and white
ART WORKS BY
STRIJDOM VAN DER MERWE
7 FEB – 7 MAR 2009
EXPLORING LINES

Bosman’s Crossing, Stellenbosch

5A Distillery Road Tel 021 886 6281
www.redblackandwhite.co.za
Page 12 South African Art Times. February 2009

The South African

The
South African Enjoy the
Art Information South African
Directory 2009
Directory 2009
Art Times
Year 2008
Out by end February 09 In a beautiful bound copy
of all 11 beautiful editions

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Message to all Cape Town Printmakers The South African Print Gallery
Printmaking Studio available to share
24 hour key holder policy Old master & contemporary prints sought
large etching press, lovely studio, print and storage facilities
we are looking for your old master as well as new contemporary
Rosebank/Mowbray with security and wonderful view of mountan prints to sell through our new exclusively art print gallery
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66 Vineyard Road, Claremont van der Westhuizen
Ph: 021 671 6601
etchings
Email: carmel@global.co.za
Website: www.carmelart.co.za full selection on website

Michael Coulson chats with Stefan Welz about Strauss & Co, South African art auctions, as well as setting up shop in Cape Town and Johannesburg
Veteran art auctioneer and farmer
Stefan Welz is as happy as a boy
with a new train set. The first sale
catalogue for his new firm, Strauss
& Co, is going to bed with 165
lots and a gross estimated be-
tween R30m-R40m. The average
low estimate of about R190 000 is
the highest he’s ever known for an
auction of SA art.
Values range the full spectrum,
from R4 000-R6 000 to R4m-R6m,
the latter for an Irma Stern land-
scape, White House in Madeira.
There’s also what Welz claims is
internationally still the best-known,
and most reproduced, SA painting.
Frans Oerder’s still life
Magnolias was bought by the
New York Graphic Society (which
bought the artist’s Blossomtime
at the same time) and published
in 1939 as a print which for many
years was the biggest selling re-
production of any still life painting
in the world.
The great comeback
It came back home, bought by an
SA collector, in 1956 and is now
on offer with an estimate of R600
000-R900 000.
The gross may not be a record,
but Welz no longer sees size as a
virtue. “The old company just got
too big, and we had to drive sales
regardless of quality just to pay the
bills – the appetite was insatiable!
Also, I got bogged down in financ-
es and day-to-day management.
Now I’m back to doing what I enjoy
most: looking at pictures, finding
them, and persuading people to
buy them. It’s important for me to
believe in what I’m selling.”
While he denies that he wasn’t
proud of everything he sold at
Stephan Welz/Sotheby’s (now
increasingly known for brevity
and clarity, if not elegance, as
Swelco), the subtext is that some
work came dangerously close to
the margin. He stresses that price
and quality are not synonymous
– though Tretchikoff does feature
in Strauss’s first sale!
Busy as they have been assem-
bling their first Jo’burg fine art sale,
Welz and his new colleagues have
not been letting the grass grow un-
der their feet in other areas. Welz
confirms, with properly if barely
disguised glee, market rumours
that Strauss has poached three
top people from the Cape branch
of his old firm.
As we spoke, Strauss chairman
Conrad Strauss was actually
in Cape Town looking for new
premises, probably in the Clare-
mont/Newlands area. “I know
the trendy galleries are moving
to Woodstock,” says Welz, “but
it’s not ideal for us. We have a
different, somewhat older, clientele
– on both the buying and selling
side. They come from the southern
suburbs and, rightly or wrongly,
they’re not so keen to go into what
they see as less salubrious areas.”
Strauss plans to differentiate the
venues. “We’ll keep major art sales
in Johannesburg. We will include
art in Cape Town in the two sales
we plan each year, but it may be
lesser, more decorative items. On
the other hand, we’ll concentrate
on things like furniture, silverware
and ceramics in Cape Town, where
they have a more developed
market.
“After all, the Cape is where most
old Cape furniture comes from; it’s
the natural place to sell it.”
Strauss will also preview high-
lights of its first sale in Cape Town,
on February 17/18, in the Dolphin
Room at the Castle.
Is Welz worried about re-entering
the art market at a time when it’s
coming under huge strain inter-
nationally? Major auction houses
like Sotheby’s itself, Christie’s and
Bonham’s are frantically laying off
staff and slashing costs.
“Lesser work, of what one may
call decorative value, is what I
believe will suffer most. Its buyers
tended to be indiscriminate and
occasional.
“Also, people who bought in the
mid to late 1980s, when the mar-
ket was depressed, are becoming
sellers as they reach an age where
they’re scaling down and moving
into smaller properties.
“But the backbone of the market is
the true collector, who’s not after a
quick buck, knows what he wants,
and is prepared to wait for it. That
market may be affected, but I think
it will remain, and it’s what we
must focus on.
“The market may hold up better in
SA, but it can’t escape the trend.
In particular, second-rate works
from major artists may be hit.”
What concerns Welz more is that
the market is not broadening. “The
favoured names all appear in the
first edition of Esme Berman’s
book [Art & Artists of SA, published
in 1970]. That’s a limited supply:
where are the new names we
need desperately?
“And remember that the market for
SA art is still an SA market. The
Russian oligarchs aren’t buying it!
And it’s unattractive for an SA resi-
dent to buy abroad and repatriate
art: the extra costs can add 40% to
the hammer price.”
Sage words potential buyers will
do well to bear in mind.
Oh, by the way: Welz has decided
to resist a land claim on his farm
(“It’s completely frivolous”) and
Farmers Weekly chose one of his
animals as Cow of the Year. So
there’s no let-up in that side of his
life, either.
Page 14 South African Art Times. February 2009

design � books and catalogues � large format

graphics � archiving � installations � specialised
retouching � exhibition displays � digital scanning

w w w. s c a n s h o p . c o . z a angela@scanshop.co.za

The South African

Directory 2009

The most complete listing of South African art resources, infrastructure, financial and promotional opportunities for visual artists.

According to the new

South African Art Information Directory 2009

The SA Art Times covers 60% of the active art market - that’s just the art
infrastructure, the estimated 14 000* readers per month is another story

The South African Art Times has a 7 000 monthly print and national distribution run.

Advertise in the afforable, quality SA Art Times and get your message across

Full Page R 6 500 . Half Page R 4 400 . Quarter Page R 2 600 . Eighth of Page R 900
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Call Eugene now on 021 424 7732

E-mail sales@arttimes.co.za or see www.arttimes.co.za for more details

* 14 000 is a conservative estimate of the number of multi readers of The SA Art Times, many people tell us
that they read The Art Times a few times per month, including their art loving friends

Steve Kretzmann
Probably every adult in the
country has seen Pieter van
der Westhuizen’s work. At the
very least, a greeting card,
print or calendar displaying
his work can be found in
almost every South African
home.
But there will be no new art-
works to be produced by this
prolific artist, for his life ended
on the night of 30th Decem-
ber 2008, after some months
of ill-health.
After 77 years, most of it
spent producing paintings
and drawings in a wide
variety of mediums, he has
left South Africa with a wealth
of artwork which have vast
popular appeal. So popular,
in fact, that his agent of 12
years, Leonard Schneider, is
adamant that he is the most
sold South African artist to
date.
Van der Westhuizen’s 65th
birthday exhibition, which
Schneider said was the larg-
est solo exhibition to be held
in the country, was sold out.
And while many of the “hoi
polloi” did not consider him a
“great artist” or a “collectable
item”, said Schneider, van der
Westhuizen, like Tretchikoff,
has proving his critics wrong.
Works which sold for about
R15 000 12 years ago are
now being sold for over R100
000, said Schneider.
Even Irma Stern’s work, he
said, did not escalate as
rapidly in value.
He said van der Westhuizen’s
works, which “had no angst in
them”, held universal appeal
and had sold to people from
all corners of the globe. In
fact, van der Westhuizen’s
work is held in private and
corporate collections in 17
different countries.
His slightly naïve, lyrical por-
traits and landscapes, were
described by former president
FW de Klerk, as conveying
“love and compassion and a
common humanity”.
Those who knew him well say
he enjoyed what he did, and
he was not surprised that oth-
ers enjoyed it too. But neither
was he apparently much
bothered by his critics. After
all, galleries were hungry
for every piece of work he
produced.
in•fin•arT
Custom Picture Framers & Art Gallery
Wolfe Street • Chelsea • Wynberg • Tel: 021 761 2816 + Buitengracht Street • Cape Town • Tel: 021 423 2090
E-mail: gallery@infinart.co.za • web www.infinart.co.za
Obituary: Pieter van der Westhuizen 1931 - 2008
SA’s most popular artist painted a better world for himself
His work was “comforting
rather than confrontational”
said de Klerk, whose wife
Marike was an ardent admirer
of van der Westhuizen’s work.
Van der Westhuizen himself
admitted that he used art to
escape, rather than confront,
this world.
In one of the few references
to his childhood, he said:
“…[T]he world I found myself
in was not a comfortable
one... At around the age of
four I decided that this life
was not for me. I began creat-
ing another world for myself
- in pictures.”
Born in Pretoria on March 22,
1931, his mother died when
he was three and his father
put him in the care if his ma-
ternal grandparents.
While van der Westhui-
zen said his grandmother
bestowed on him all the love
she could muster, they were
archetypal poor Afrikaaners
and she was a “battle-axe”
shaped by trying circum-
stances.
Leaving school after standard
eight to begin an apprentice-
ship at Iscor – a common fea-
ture of working class Afrikaan-
erdom – van der Westhuizen
said he continued to feel out
of place. But he managed
to eventually get his matric,
moved up to a white-collar job
at Iscor and settled in Cape
Town’s southern suburbs with
his attractive wife Lettie.
His day job limited his paint-
ing, but once his son Jan
finished his education, van
der Westhuizen resigned
and moved to Rawsonville,
where he worked full-time as
an artist.
They were happy years,
writes his friend Prof Jan van
Arkel in the book Pieter van
der Westhuizen, and in 1979
he got the opportunity to
study at the Nationale Hoger
Instituut voor Schone Kunster
in Belgium.
But not long after they re-
turned, Lettie died, suddenly
and unexpectedly.
Van Arkel said van der West-
huizen “was devastated”, and
spent days sitting under the
tree in the front yard, doing
nothing.
Escaping his memories, he
left Rawsonville for Hout Bay
and spent long periods of
time overseas.
He would often make
unplanned trips to Europe,
seemingly coming and going
on a whim. Van Arkel said
there was an occasion when
his son Jan wanted to know
how he could get hold of his
father. Van Arkel had to say
that he did not know where
he was nor when he would
be back.
He studied again in ’82 and
’85 at the Stedelijke Akad-
emie in Ghent and the Ryks
Centrum voor Grafiek in
Kasterlee, Belgium. In ’83
and ’85 he travelled to Japan
and studied wood-block
printing.
In 1984 he married a young
Israeli girl named Ofra, whom
he had initially employed to
produce prints for him.
The Israeli connection led to
trips there and an exhibition
with Marc Chagall, Yaacov
Agam and Ben Avram in
Madrid in ’88. A Chagallian in-
fluence can be seen in some
of his work thereafter.
But his marriage to Ofra
ended in divorce after seven
years. While it was a major
blow to him, his second
marriage gave him the gift of
his daughter Ma’ayan. He en-
joyed a close relationship with
her, attending her wedding
just ten days before his death.
But cupid had not exhausted
his quiver. In 1993 he mar-
ried Zebeth van Heerden, a
teacher in the small town of
Philadelphia, where he had
settled on the edge of the Pieter van der Westhuizen Photo:Thabo Stegman
Swartland.
Although Pieter suffered a
heart attack and subsequent
bouts of ill-health in what was
to be the final phase of his
life, the overall impression
gathered is that despite what
Rev Jan Mostert described as
his “sophistication”, he also
possessed an “utter simplic-
ity” which did not fetter him
with the melancholy which
often troubles creative minds.
He loved what he did, he was
successful at it, at the end of
his days he shared love with
a woman who provided stabil-
ity and companionship, and
he could look over far hori-
zons every day. It seems that
after an inauspicious start, he
finally found a comfortable
place in this world. Celebration Girl with red chicken
BERNARDI AUCTIONEERS
NAUDE, PIETER HUGO (SA 1868 - 1941)
“Washerwomen, Ceres”
Oil on panel (23.5 x 28.5cm)
SOUTH AFRICAN ART, AFRICANA & ART REFERENCE BOOKS, NUMISMATICS COLLECTION
MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2009
1271 Church Street East, Hatfield, Pretoria
Preview all the art & download a catalogue at: www.bernardi.co.za
Viewing: Thurs 5, Fri 6, Sat 7 & Sun 8 February 10:00am - 5:00pm
DECADE HIGHLIGHTS
from 10 Years of Collecting
for the Sanlam Art Collection

IArt Gallery 27 February – 12 March 2009

71 Loop Street Monday – Friday 09:00 – 18:00
Cape Town Saturday 10:00 – 14:00
Tel: 021 424 5150

For more information call the

Sanlam Art Collection
Tel: 021 947 3359 / 083 457 2699
www.sanlam.co.za
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