October 7, 2003
By Bontle Moeng
DUTCH artist Rienke Enghardt has arrived in Johannesburg with her travelling show - The Hope Box.
The interactive exhibition, which represents the works of 150 artists from 22 countries and five continents, opened at the Johannesburg Art Gallery on 5 October and is on until 17 October.
The Hope Box is made up of four different art works: Weather Report, Hommage a Tran Trung Tin, Cadavre Exquis and Tigerpaws in the Fishglobe. Only Weather Report will be on show at the gallery.
Enghardt initiates each of the themes by producing a small creation on a piece of paper. This sheet then moves to the next artist, who adds something of their unique vision to the work. Once the pages are filled, they are placed on display, becoming part of an ever-growing artwork.
"It is a collaboration of works by artists who have never been in contact with one another," says Dutch artist Harry van der Woud, who also participated in the burgeoning work.
The work currently on display is Weather Report, a series of collaborative efforts in which different artists depict the four winds. Although Enghardt initiates the projects, by the time the pieces return to her they are very different, presenting "a more complete image of reality".
"Weather Report is a selection of works that started in 1991. I travel around the world and try to immerse myself in the local art scene. While I travel I make art pieces and, at the end of my trip, I leave a piece of that work behind. That is then extended by different artists."
Enghardt says Weather Report is "unpredictable and no one is in control of the work".
The artist cooperates with local artists during her tour, interviewing the people she meets and writing reports about her experiences that are then put on to a website.
Walter van Broekhuizen, a Dutch artist who first got involved with The Hope Box in 1991, when he contributed to pieces of art Enghardt had received from Australia.
"I was a bit nervous because, as an artist you make things for yourself, I had to work on something started by another artist. It is hard to work from someone else's work. The point is to find a solution. At the end the fragment should be a complete piece," says Van Broekhuizen.
The Hope Box artists include Diek Grobler, Greg Streak, Edith Pahl, Langa Magwa, Mbongeni Buthelezi, Titus Matiyane and Usha Seejarim.
Enghardt describes the work as "an artistic quest through the field of possibility, where roads meet and divide again in friendship, to create a wonderful and universal story of life".
Visitors to The Hope Box can interact with the display, which has been described as "a mondial, an interactive travelling art event".
"This event guarantees the audience will have a changed reaction towards art and life," says Enghardt. "The art form seems unusual, but it has a story to tell. It is a portrayal of people's emotions - all on paper."
The Hope Box Art Event is on at the Johannesburg Art Gallery until 17 October at 11am. The gallery, situated at Klein Street, Joubert Park, is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 5pm.
An official closing ceremony will be held at 5.30pm on 16 October and everyone is invited to attend.
For more information contact Brenton Maart on brentonm@joburg.org.za or 011 725 3130.
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