Shared studio spaces in downtown Jozi and surrounds For emerging artists who do not yet have access to the stables of big-name commercial galleries, making art can be a lonely career often with very little return and restricted options for affordable studio space. So Jozi has seen a quite recent rise in unused buildings and […]
Walter Oltmann’s exhibition Armour and Lace: a Bestiary at Goodman Gallery I’ve taken a very welcome enforced break after a hip-replacement just over 4 weeks ago. A week of lots of sleeping and binge-watching Britbox. being waited on hand and foot (literally) by the wonderful Liz at Lancaster team: Thank you Mr. T, Thandie and Catherine. It’s […]
The doyen of contemporary South African art in Johannesburg is the Goodman Gallery. Started by Linda Givon in 1966 it provided a stable for critically informed , contemporary artists in a time of Apartheid repression and then cultural isolation.
Down the rabbit hole of “Word Woes“ Here I am at the beginning of 2022 about to start writing about curator Hélène Smuts’ walkabout of Willem Boshoff’s exhibition Word Woes at the Javett Art Centre in late 2021. After one sentence I already feel like Alice disappearing down the rabbit hole. This not in the original […]
Showcasing African art I first visited the Javett Art Centre in Pretoria 2 months BC (Before Covid) in January 2020 (it seems like a previous lifetime?) What a treat it was too, as the opening exhibition, 101 Collecting Conversations: Signature works of a Century, included many iconic South African works which often formed the focus […]
You strike a woman, you strike a rock It is an understatement to say I am grateful to our investigative journos here in South Africa who have done such an extraordinary job in exposing so many of the shenanigans and shameless corruption and misuse of public funds. In the light of this and all the […]
To do before end Jan 22 If there is one outing/exhibition/event you do before end Jan 2022, it’s to make an appointment to visit the 2nd floor of Wits Art Museum. Small Editions is an exhibition of some 100 works of Jack Ginsberg’s 3500 odd artists’ books. International guests staying at Liz at Lancaster were […]
Johannesburg Contemporary Art Foundation [JCAF] Like many I mourned the forced closure of live exhibitions, movie screenings, theatre performances, tours and events during the various stages of Covid Lockdown. And because there wasn’t the usual dilemma of choices to be made from the multiple options in Jozi’s jam-packed and diverse schedule, I missed the few […]
A giant tree has fallen What a legacy Drew Lindsay has given Jozi. Apart from the deeply felt loss and sadness for his family, friends and colleagues, his passing has left a huge gaping hole in Jozi’s creative community. This gentle giant of a man who embraced all with his wide smile, his quirky humour, […]
JCAF [Johannesburg Contemporary Art Foundation] 1, Durris St Forest Town. The current exhibition at JCAF is the 2nd in a programme of 3 year-long exhibitions around the theme of the Global South. Booking is by appointment only on their website or info@jcaf.org.za +27 (0) 10 900 2204. For more on the building and the institution. […]