January 13, 2006
By Sipho Maduna
A SERIES of exhibitions, ranging from Modern International to South African art, is under way at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG).
Works by local and international artists are on display, from the gallery’s South African contemporary and international collections.
An exhibition of the works of several photographers that aims to expose the public to the gallery’s large collection, is open at present. Photographers in the exhibition include Peter McKenzie, Abrie Fourie, David Goldblatt, Santu Mofekeng and Jo Ractliffe. It closes on 27 February.
Pretoria-born Fourie focuses on images of urban South Africa. His photographs highlight the immediate context and overlooked beauties of the urban environment, and spark a contemplative mood in the viewer.
He has exhibited solo and in groups in the US, in New York and Columbia; in Europe, in Brussels and Antwerp; and in Tokyo. Fourie is a lecturer at the University of Tshwane and curator of the Outlet Gallery in Pretoria.
Vying Posie, meaning "going home", is the title of Peter McKenzie’s exhibition. The works encapsulate his personal and photographic journey back to the streets of working class Wentworth, in Durban.
He has worked as a photographer for the
Sunday Tribune newspaper, Afrapix Collective, which he co-founded, and
Drum magazine, where he was chief photographer. He was also facilitator and co-ordinator of the photojournalism department at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism.
McKenzie has published his work in France and in Guyana, in South America, and has curated a photographic exhibition at Photography Biennale in Bamako, in Mali.
Leading South African artist Norman Catherine is the focus of Now and Then, which runs from 29 January to 31 March. His works incorporate images of fantasy, humour, horror, satire and pain, and the exhibition covers about 35 years of his career.
Landscape across Time and Place opened on 8 November 2005, showing works from the gallery’s permanent collections. Included are works by artists Gregoire Boonzaier, Adolph Jentsch, Maggie Laubser, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, Maud Sumner, Pieter Wenning, Pieter Hugo Naude and Frans Oeder.
Together these works display a concentrated and representative range of the landscape genre. It is expected to run until the middle of the year.
Southern African Art showcases a selection of the JAG’s superb traditional southern African art. On display are rare Ndebele and Sotho child figures, robust seats with animal forms from northern Zimbabwe and a selection of carved wooden figures. The exhibition opened on 8 November 2005 and is expected to close towards the middle of the year.
Its Modern International collection is one of the JAG’s most popular. An exhibition featuring some of its works opened on 8 November 2005. Included are works by Wahl, Calder and Daly.
Art movements covered in the exhibition include minimalism, op art, abstract expressionism, pop art and surrealism.
In addition, curator Pitso Chinzama presents a selection of works from the JAG collections that hang on walls but that are more sculptural than two-dimensional in 32 Dimensional. This exhibition runs from 22 November to 27 February.
The exhibitions include a variety of media, like paintings, posters, sculptures and traditional objects such as wooden spoons.
The JAG, however, is not the only place with fascinating exhibitions on its diary. Kerri Evans is exhibiting her work at the Everard Read Gallery in Rosebank, from 26 January to 9 February. The artist focuses on appearance and the complex nature of individuals in a celebration of humanity.
"These works are studies through the human form of the people I begin to know," Evans said, explaining that she strove to express what was revealed in gesture, unconscious movement or just a quiet awareness, as well as what remained concealed.
"This image is reduced and simplified to an essence that reaffirms our common experience," she said.
Following Evans is an exhibition by Claude Jammet, from 17 February to 4 March. Jammet is described as always a foreigner and a visitor. Born to French parents in Zimbabwe, she lived in Kenya, India and Japan before settling in South Africa for many years.
She has an analytical eye and reports her findings to the viewer.
FOR more information on the JAG exhibitions, email
nessal@joburg.org.za. For education information, email
tshidisom@joburg.org.za.
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