September 10, 2004
By Tammy O'Reilly
CLIVE Kellner claims to be a "Mr Fixit" and in just two months since his appointment as chief curator of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the place has recorded its highest attendance in 10 years.
The 36-year-old Kellner, who took over the reigns from Rochelle Keene in June this year, is passionate about the arts.
The highly competent curator - he has three art qualifications to his name - is a popular figure in art circles as curator, critic and fundraiser.
Joburg Art Gallery downstairs exhibition space
After completing a course in Fine Arts at Technikon Natal (now Durban Institute of Technology), Kellner says he "felt attracted to contemporary art" and decided to take it further, travelling to Amsterdam, where he received specialised curatorial training for 18 months.
However, his involvement over the years on a myriad of exhibitions has seen to it that his knowledge of the arts is not confined to just contemporary art.
Kellner speaks about his vision for the gallery, a key aspect of which is attracting a melting pot of audiences.
"We want to redefine the museum in relation to public and audiences. We need to build new audiences and attract a larger black audience," he says.
If July and August attendance figures are anything to go by, then his target of 100 000 people per annum seems attainable. "Five thousand for July and 8 000 for August," he points out.
Paramount to the progress of the gallery is it's re-imaging. "We need to re-image the museum in an African context, through the use of contemporary South African, modern and traditional African art. The exhibitions must reflect society and the issues that we face. That way people can identify with the art," says Kellner.
Whilst it is all well and good to attract various audiences through attaining and adapting the relevant exhibitions, Kellner notes that staff attitudes are also vital. "Change from within will affect the changes in audiences," he says.
Through its education programmes, Kellner hopes "to take art to the communities out there". Guided tours, walkabouts, seminars and art classes conducted by artists are all ways in which he hopes to achieve this.
Currently, 2 000 school children pass through the gallery doors each month.
The loaning of art to other galleries contributes to his other vision of getting exposure for local artists. "The gallery has an incredible amount of loans. It's vital for our artists to get out and be recognised for the work that they do."
Kellner has been involved in an impressive list of projects including Camouflage, a non-profit exhibition programme that ran from 1999 to 2001 in Parkwood, Johannesburg, of which he was co-director and which featured exchanges between African and local artists.
"I am passionate about art and the potential that it has to transform people's lives. It brings hope and upliftment and encourages various forms of cultures within our society."
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