August 17, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
THOUGH Charles Nkosi is an accomplished artist with years of experience, he remained unknown outside of his hometown of Soweto.
On Wednesday, 16 August, however, that changed and his dedication finally bore fruit when a catalogue documenting some of his work was launched at Museum Africa in Newtown. Entitled Tribute To Courage, the catalogue contains the work of Nkosi and 24 other "independent and self-sustaining artists" from the sprawling township.
The catalogue, which grew out of an exhibition of the same title held last year as part of the Road to Arts Alive programme, pays tribute to the resilience of the artists, all over the age of 40.
Attending the launch was the mayoral committee member for community development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, and the City's director of arts, culture and heritage services, Steven Sack, who initiated the project.
Sack said the launch of the catalogue heralded the "kick-off of a season of creative activity". "I hope it will open doors for the participating artists, not just locally but internationally as well," he said.
"This catalogue tells a wealth of stories. As you page through it you will see Soweto reflected in the artworks. Rows of familiar-looking houses, commuters on a train, people selling fruit and mielies, children playing or collecting scrap, each with their own story to tell."
Artists include those with formal training as well as the self-taught. Eric Mbatha and Monty Mahobe attended an art school, while Percy Konqobe, a sangoma, learnt from a friend and only paints when he has a dream.
Exhibition curator Belinda Hlaka said it took three months to put together the catalogue and the exhibition.
"Many township artists have contributed to the arts in South Africa without receiving the credit they deserve. Few have been able to crack the mainstream market. The exhibition, Tribute To Courage, presented by The Messengers Workshop from July to September 2005 at Uncle Tom's Hall in Soweto, honoured these individuals."
The artists are presented with catelogues Artwork by Charles Nkosi
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
The exhibition presented an opportunity for these lesser-known, though no less deserving artists, to present their work to a public audience and the catalogue will serve to document the artists and their images, according to Hlaka.
Mayathula-Khoza said the catalogue was worth celebrating. She said most artists in the community struggle to survive and the catalogue and exhibition will hopefully address some of the challenges of poverty.
"However, in the past few years, the City's arts and culture initiatives have begun to achieve the City's vision to eradicate poverty and create a world-class city where all residents can benefit from economic growth and job creation."
At the end of the ceremony, Nkosi and four of his colleagues present were presented with 20 copies of catalogues each to use to market their work.
"Successfully documenting our work in a catalogue is proof enough that we are as capable as any other established or well-known artist. We plan to hold more exhibitions in Soweto so that we get recognised," said Nkosi.
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