July 20, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
THERE will be a walkabout of Dungamanzi/Stirring Waters, an exhibition of Tsonga and Shangaan artwork, with curators Nessa Leibhammer, Natalie Knight and Billy Makhubele at the Johannesburg Art Gallery on Saturday, 21 July.
The two-phase walkabout starts at 1pm; its second leg is to take place on Thursday, 2 August. The show closes on Sunday, 19 August. Saturday's walkabout takes half-an-hour, with the curators guiding visitors through the exhibition and talking about the history of the objects on display.
About 30 visitors are expected, and they will get a chance to ask questions.
According to Leibhammer, the curator of the southern African traditional collection at the gallery, there has been "enormous support" of Dungamanzi/Stirring Waters since it opened.
Venus Makhubele's beaded textile work The Lord is my Shepherd
She describes it as the first exhibition comprehensively to celebrate and showcase Tsonga and Shangaan art, with some of South Africa's finest heritage objects on show.
The innovative exhibition portrays the richness of the Makhubele family's creativity and, the curator affirms, "[it also] brings awareness of the high degree of artistic skill in Limpopo province and surrounding regions".
During the dark days of apartheid, Leibhammer explains, the voices of artists who created traditional artworks were absent from museum and gallery displays. "With the input of artist Billy Makhubele this exhibition and its accompanying catalogue create a living archive."
Most of the objects on display come from the personal collection of Billy Makhubele, a prominent Tsonga craftsman, and his family. These include multi-coloured sangoma and diviner outfits, headrests from the southern sub-continent, contemporary beadwork, snuff containers and some ncheka, or fabric wraps, that are still used in dances by Tsonga and Shangaan women.
Accompanying the exhibition is a full-colour catalogue published by the Wits University Press; it has been divided into four sections and explores the history of the Tsonga and Shangaan people. There is also a personal history of the Makhubele family.
It includes 12 essays written by art collectors, researchers and academics, among them Anitra Nettleton, Billy Makhubele, Enos Sikhauli, Isak Niehaus, Jean-Marie Dederen, Karel Nel, Khwezi Gule, Natalie Knight, and Leibhammer.
Towards the end of the exhibition, two workshops will be held that members of a women's organisation in Diepsloot and teachers from Alexandra are expected to attend.
The first will focus on adult education and the needs of unemployed women. Helene Smuts, an arts education consultant, will facilitate it. The second will focus on visual and cultural literacy skills. It will be integrated with visual arts and music.
Dungamanzi/Stirring Waters is at the Johannesburg Art Gallery until Sunday, 19 August.
The gallery is on King George Street in Johannesburg, next to Joubert Park. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. For exhibition enquiries call curator Nessa Leibhammer on 011 725 3130 or email nessal@joburg.org.za.
Booking for the walkabout on Saturday, 21 July is essential – call Tiny on 011 725 3184.
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