A new exhibition at the Bird Street Gallery is drawing a line under the colonial histories of Makhanda and Gqeberha over the National Arts Festival (NAF).
The university’s department of visual arts, in the faculty of humanities, presents “land/lines”, curated by visual arts lecturer Jonathan van der Walt and University of Pretoria museum curator Uthando Baduza.
Their cross-gallery exhibition, now on at the Bird Street Gallery and simultaneously in the Atherstone Gallery in the 1820 Settlers Monument in Makhanda, emphasises the historical, geographical, cultural and spiritual significance of the Eastern Cape.
The innovative exhibitions feature 42 artworks, with two works by each artist or collective, one in each of the two colonial sites-turned-galleries, as part of the National Art Festival’s 2024 main curated programme.
Media include painting, photography, textile art, video and sculpture from 26 contributors.
Visitors should bring a cellphone or a device with data on, as each piece has a QR code that can be scanned to give a fascinating insight into the artist’s creative rationale.
“The premise of the ‘land/lines’ cross-gallery exhibition is to emphasise the depth of the province by placing its landscape as the backdrop for contemporary reflexive engagement,” Van der Walt said.
“The Eastern Cape is a uniquely rich socio-historical site of indescribable cultural conflict, migration, dispossession and resistance.
“It is a living land that has breathed life into rituals and bled for beliefs.”
He said the idea germinated several years ago to host a decolonial exhibition in the Bird Street building.
“I’ve always known it was a colonial residence, and wanted to bring to light alternate narratives in that space that also heighten the work itself.
“I wanted to conceptualise a landline, or point of communication, between Bird Street and another colonial building.”
When he started to collaborate with Baduza, and discovered they shared similar feelings about the power of art to challenge colonial histories, they decided to use the 1820 Settlers Monument as the second colonial building.
In addition to various military and historical anniversaries, 2024 also marks the 120th anniversary of Rhodes University, the 50th anniversary of the festival, and 30 years of democracy in SA.
Van der Walt and Baduza invited artists to draw from, draw on, and re-draw the physical and metaphorical landlines between the two cities.
“The curation was more on curating artists and their voices as opposed to specific artworks,” Van der Walt said.
“It’s been an exciting challenge. Some artists have made a series, with half in Bird Street and half at the monument.
“Others have made a sculptural piece for Bird Street, and a video for the monument, so there’s a variety of different approaches.
“Cedric Nunn has photographed sites that were previous battlegrounds and significant burial sites during the frontier wars, but in a contemporary setting.”
Another submission came from a collective of five: Nomalanga Mkhize, Nii Botchway, Raquel Adriaan, Melathisi Ncityana and Palesa Moss.
The exhibition is also an interuniversity project, with some Rhodes lecturers invited to contribute.
“Christine Dixie looks back at colonial heritage, and Sikhumbuzo Makandula works in video and performance,” Van der Walt said.
Visitors can enjoy provocative installations by Andrieta Wentzel and Philiswa Lila, photography by Tim Hopwood, Karl Schoemaker and Andrew MacKenzie, and fine art by Bretten-Anne Moolman and Grettel Osorio Hernández
Other contributors include Lungiswa Gqunta, Abongile Sidzumo, Bentley van Wyk, Brunn Kramer, Garth Erasmus, Isabel Mertz, Jessica Staple, Kader Abdulla, Ludwe Mgolombane and Professor Pieter Binsbergen.
The exhibition is open from 9am to 5pm until Sunday.
Baduza and Van der Walt will host curator walkabouts at 10am on Saturday in Gqeberha, and at 2pm in Makhanda.
HeraldLIVE
Exhibition draws line under colonial histories of Makhanda, Gqeberha
Image: GILLIAN MCAINSH
A new exhibition at the Bird Street Gallery is drawing a line under the colonial histories of Makhanda and Gqeberha over the National Arts Festival (NAF).
The university’s department of visual arts, in the faculty of humanities, presents “land/lines”, curated by visual arts lecturer Jonathan van der Walt and University of Pretoria museum curator Uthando Baduza.
Their cross-gallery exhibition, now on at the Bird Street Gallery and simultaneously in the Atherstone Gallery in the 1820 Settlers Monument in Makhanda, emphasises the historical, geographical, cultural and spiritual significance of the Eastern Cape.
The innovative exhibitions feature 42 artworks, with two works by each artist or collective, one in each of the two colonial sites-turned-galleries, as part of the National Art Festival’s 2024 main curated programme.
Media include painting, photography, textile art, video and sculpture from 26 contributors.
Visitors should bring a cellphone or a device with data on, as each piece has a QR code that can be scanned to give a fascinating insight into the artist’s creative rationale.
“The premise of the ‘land/lines’ cross-gallery exhibition is to emphasise the depth of the province by placing its landscape as the backdrop for contemporary reflexive engagement,” Van der Walt said.
“The Eastern Cape is a uniquely rich socio-historical site of indescribable cultural conflict, migration, dispossession and resistance.
“It is a living land that has breathed life into rituals and bled for beliefs.”
He said the idea germinated several years ago to host a decolonial exhibition in the Bird Street building.
“I’ve always known it was a colonial residence, and wanted to bring to light alternate narratives in that space that also heighten the work itself.
“I wanted to conceptualise a landline, or point of communication, between Bird Street and another colonial building.”
When he started to collaborate with Baduza, and discovered they shared similar feelings about the power of art to challenge colonial histories, they decided to use the 1820 Settlers Monument as the second colonial building.
In addition to various military and historical anniversaries, 2024 also marks the 120th anniversary of Rhodes University, the 50th anniversary of the festival, and 30 years of democracy in SA.
Van der Walt and Baduza invited artists to draw from, draw on, and re-draw the physical and metaphorical landlines between the two cities.
“The curation was more on curating artists and their voices as opposed to specific artworks,” Van der Walt said.
“It’s been an exciting challenge. Some artists have made a series, with half in Bird Street and half at the monument.
“Others have made a sculptural piece for Bird Street, and a video for the monument, so there’s a variety of different approaches.
“Cedric Nunn has photographed sites that were previous battlegrounds and significant burial sites during the frontier wars, but in a contemporary setting.”
Another submission came from a collective of five: Nomalanga Mkhize, Nii Botchway, Raquel Adriaan, Melathisi Ncityana and Palesa Moss.
The exhibition is also an interuniversity project, with some Rhodes lecturers invited to contribute.
“Christine Dixie looks back at colonial heritage, and Sikhumbuzo Makandula works in video and performance,” Van der Walt said.
Visitors can enjoy provocative installations by Andrieta Wentzel and Philiswa Lila, photography by Tim Hopwood, Karl Schoemaker and Andrew MacKenzie, and fine art by Bretten-Anne Moolman and Grettel Osorio Hernández
Other contributors include Lungiswa Gqunta, Abongile Sidzumo, Bentley van Wyk, Brunn Kramer, Garth Erasmus, Isabel Mertz, Jessica Staple, Kader Abdulla, Ludwe Mgolombane and Professor Pieter Binsbergen.
The exhibition is open from 9am to 5pm until Sunday.
Baduza and Van der Walt will host curator walkabouts at 10am on Saturday in Gqeberha, and at 2pm in Makhanda.
HeraldLIVE
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