October 2, 2002
By Lucille Davie
NEXT time you take a drive through downtown Johannesburg you might be forgiven for thinking it's an art gallery. That's because it's the closest a big city is going to get to being an art gallery.
Jo'burg now has some 65 artworks on various buildings scattered around the CBD, and what a difference they have made to the look of the city.
If you drive into the city across the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, spot the huge Seopedi Motau picture on your right, entitled "Walkie Talkie", in Juta Street, Braamfontein. Then curve left with the bridge and the next artwork will grab your attention - JW van Bergen's landscape "Lesheba", over the railway lines. Over the bridge you'll notice Karin Preller's "Rienie & Petronella", just below a clock that has probably always been there, but was never noticeable until the artwork was placed below it.
Then take your pick - you can turn right into Jeppe Street and head down into Newtown and the Oriental Plaza, where you'll find half a dozen more artworks; or you can continue straight up Simmonds Street, and look either right or left - in fact you'll find it hard to drive - and you'll spot artworks everywhere.
The art is the product of two projects - JHB Art City, a national competition held mid-year, and a project sponsored by Cell C, which commissioned 35 works from Johannesburg artists.
Connectors by David Rossouw - 176a Market Street
For JHB Art City, 15 artworks were selected from work submitted by artists, together with 15 pieces from corporate collections.
You'll notice the Cell C artworks - they contain a "C" in one or other form, some very obvious, others not so obvious.
Lesley Perkes, who developed and managed the commissioned artworks, says that Cell C deliberately chose not to push their branding. "They didn't want the C in the works to be too overwhelming. Some artworks have a very obvious C, others have a more subtle C." Perkes feels that the result is "far more powerful branding than normal advertising".
Cell C is taking the project very seriously, and in the process sprucing up the city. You'll notice a number of painted red and white buildings dotted around the city. Cell C is painting one or more walls of selected buildings, and placing their logo on the buildings.
Partners in the Art City project were the City of Johannesburg, the Johannesburg Development Agency and the Johannesburg Inner City Business Coalition, supported by Business and Arts South Africa.
Meanwhile, another art and environment project, on the M1 (north and south of the city), adds to the city's art gallery. Ten billboards have been erected on bridges across the freeways, with the theme "Recycle your attitude".
So, enjoy your next downtown trip, but don't have an accident while spotting the art.
Some of the artworks on Jo'burg's buildings:
- From the Inside: Johannes Bukhali with parents - Sue Williamson (Turbine Hall)
- A Summer Day Soweto 2001 - Jurgen Schadeberg (Turbine Hall)
- Xenophobia - Artist Proof Studio (Turbine Hall)
- Children 2 - Lettie Gardiner (Oriental Plaza)
- On His Way - Nkoali Eausibius Nawa (Florence Transition Home, Kotze Street)
- The Dancers - Sandy Esau (Gandhi Square)
- Rienie and Petronella. Johannesburg 1950s - Karin Preller (The Fort, Constitution Hill)
- Leshaba 1 - JW van Bergen (Queen Elizabeth Bridge)
- Basketball - Robin Rhode BHP Billiton SA Ltd Art Collection (Rissik Street CNA Building)
- A Hawk in his Domain - Robert Hodgins Nedcor Art Collection (Investec Building, Harrison Street Bridge)
- Electrification of Soweto - Eli Kobeli Absa Art Collection (Oriental Plaza)
- Sunday afternoon at Initiation School - Zwelethu Mthethwa Standard Bank Art Collection (Electric Workshop)
- Bar: Protect and Save - Brett Murray Sasol Art Collection (Electric Workshop)
- Art City Logo (Harrison Street Bridge)
- Mosaic Mielie - Mervyn Dowman (43 Anderson Street)
- DNA - Ozor-Ejike Ezefuna 1(30 Anderson Street)
- Sky'sTheLimit - Mr Gogga (148 Bree Street)
- AfricanGoddess - Nicky Blumenfeld (266 Bree Street)
- Cellman - Christian Nerf & Kathryn Smith (220 Commissioner Street)
- Sea Moon - Usha Seejarim (217 Commissioner Street)
- Purple - Phillipa de Villiers (201 Commissioner Street)
- Quiet - Jennifer Ferguson (155 Commissioner Street)
- Hola7 Woman - Goodness Nhlengethwa (40 Commissioner Street)
- Cloud, Sexy, Connectors - David Rossouw (184 Bree and 176a Market Streets)
- Sound - Leslie Musikavanhu (30 End, Main Streets)
- Wire Sculpture - Lucky Jiyani (187 Market Street)
- Plastic Sea - David Andrew (255 Jeppe Street)
- Aloe - Erika Hibbert (69 Sauer Street)
- Walkie-talkie - Seopedi Motau (60 Juta Street)
- Roadworks - Thulani Dube, Nicky Blumenfeld (132 Main Street)
- Carving - Robert Lungupi, Brett Sher (147 Main Street)
- Construction - Arthur Kunene (158 Main Street)
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