Suzette Bell-Roberts takes us through ‘Ecospheres’ and talks to Clive Kellner to learn more about the exhibition’s curation and development.
Rebecca Potterton, The Other Side of Dreaming (2024). Mural.
Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation embarks on its new three-year research theme called “Worldmaking” with an exhibition titled ‘Ecospheres’. The exhibition comprises three sub-areas or Atmospheres: Water: Narrative and Myth Making; Air: Migration and Kin; and Earth: Indigenous Knowledge and Extraction.
The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it. – Richard Attenborough
The Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF) introduces a new three-year theme, “Worldmaking,” which delves into environmental, sustainability, architecture, habitat, and biotechnology concepts. This theme is significant as it explores how we, as a society, shape and are shaped by the world around us. JCAF employs a unique hybrid approach, blending academic research, art, and technology to curate exhibitions based on thematic frameworks. Each theme evolves over three years, with new sub-themes enhancing the immersive experience for visitors. “Our ethos is to cultivate a profound appreciation for art through innovative research and technology,” explains Clive Kellner, Executive Director of JCAF.
The current exhibition, ‘Ecospheres’, is a comprehensive exploration of ecology—encompassing the environment, climate, and the natural world—through the concept of ‘making with’ (living with). This concept emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things and the need for humans to coexist harmoniously with the natural world. It is divided into three sections or Atmospheres based on water, air, and earth elements, each offering a unique perspective on our relationship with the natural world.
View of exhibition entrance, showing Rebecca Potterton, The Other Side of Dreaming (2024) (left); and Wolff Architects, Reading Room (2024) (right); with Ernesto Neto, Um dia todos fomos peixes (One day we were all fish) (2017) in the background. Photo Graham De Lacy.
Stepping into the exhibition is a truly immersive experience, beginning with the rich scent of spices that fills the air. A large-scale mural by Rebecca Potterton sets the stage, inspired by the intricate interactions of water, air, and earth ecosystems. Potterton’s work delves into the complexity and diversity of nature, posing a central question for the exhibition: How can we live with nature? The mural depicts a balanced environment while alluding to the absences caused by resource extraction and human mismanagement. It frames the exhibition by highlighting the need to protect and care for nature, urging viewers to reflect on our environmental impact and contemplate more harmonious ways to coexist with the natural world.
As you approach the exhibition, your attention is immediately captured by Ernesto Neto’s mesmerizing large-scale installation titled Um dia todos fomos peixes (One day we were all fish). This piece ushers you into the first thematic atmosphere of “Water.” The installation features intricate, interwoven forms of blue netting that cradle sacks of spices, creating a visual tapestry reminiscent of a vast network of roots, soil, and subterranean life. The blue netting evokes the sensation of delving into an underwater world, where the ecosystem’s delicate balance is both seen and felt. The interplay of textures and colours within the netting conjures images of a rich, hidden world teeming with life, subtly suggesting the complex interconnections between various elements of the natural environment. As you move through this immersive installation, you are enveloped in a surreal, dreamlike landscape that mirrors the depths of an oceanic realm. The experience is visually stunning and deeply enchanting, drawing you into a contemplative exploration of the natural world’s hidden dimensions.
Installation view showing Ernesto Neto, Um dia todos fomos peixes (One day we were all fish) (2017). © Ernesto Neto. Photo: Graham De Lacy.
Continuing the theme, Rithika Merchant’s tryptic, highly detailed painting Transtidal in the next room depicts the river-based Bede community, an ethnic group of Bangladesh. Traditionally, they live, travel, and earn their living on the river, water informing their folklore and cosmology, understanding the world through the environment. This is a common thread throughout the exhibition.
Installation view Zizipho Poswa, uNa’kaMzingisi (Mzingisi’s Mother) (2024). © Zizipho Poswa. Photo: Graham De Lacy.
In the centre of the room stands Zizipho Poswa’s large-scale ceramic pot, uNa’kaMzingisi (Mzingisi’s Mother), reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf. African women traditionally use clay vessels to carry water from the river to the homestead. Her work pays homage to women’s life-sustaining roles in traditional and contemporary life. Bronwyn Katz’s striking horizontal curtain of woven copper wire spans the entire facing wall. Entitled Kai tus tu (Great rain rain), the work metaphorically refers to a traditional prayer for rain in a remote, arid region of South Africa. It speaks of land restitution, the possibility of living in reciprocity with our environments, and the potential of rain as a blessing and cleansing force.
Detail of Bronwyn Katz, Kai tus tu (Great rain rain) (2023). © Bronwyn Katz. Photo: Brendon Bell-Roberts
The second-atmosphere room, “Air”, introduces photographs by Michael Tsegaye that depict Ethiopian desert landscapes enveloped in dense fog, with blurred distances that provoke the question: How do you represent air? His work, Afar II, aims to capture recurring drought’s environmental and social impact. Filling a blue-painted wall and hanging salon style is an installation of paintings entitled Time Flies by Sutapa Biswas. She paints both real and imaginary birds. The birds’ migratory patterns mirror human migration and the diasporas of those escaping the turbulence and violence of colonialism. Jonah Sack’s satirical line drawings in Thunderstorm Typology and the sculptural piece Cloud Tower delve into the complex relationships between people and their environments, emphasizing the delicate balance between threat and comfort. The meticulously placed spotlight casts illusionary shadows on the sculpture, inviting viewers to engage more intimately with this whimsical and thought-provoking artwork.
Jonah Sack, Cloud Tower (2023). © Jonah Sack. Photo: Brendon Bell-Roberts
The last atmosphere room, “Earth,” poignantly reminds us of the importance of soil, an essential component of our planet’s ecosystem. Land serves dual purposes: it supports agricultural activities and provides habitats for life. Issues such as land ownership, colonialist displacement of Indigenous communities, resource extraction, and the destruction of environments that offer no benefit to local communities in the name of capitalism are central concerns.
Historically, explorers, imperialists and geographers alike have belittled the Indigenous ‘Other’, seeing them as barriers to accessing natural resources and expanding western control. The white, heterosexual, Christian, European male was presented as the embodiment of scientific reason, relegating Indigenous knowledges – and indeed lives – to the margins. – Eleanor Luxton
Seeds from the Streets to the Seas, a collaborative sound installation by food activist and artist Zayaan Khan and musician Coila-Leah Enderstein, tells the story of a seed’s journey from its origin to the sea in Morocco, exploring the profound idea of seeds as a connection. As Zayaan Khan eloquently states, “Seed is our land, heritage, and future.” Under the sound veil, visitors can listen to the narration of the seed’s journey, immersing themselves in its compelling story.
The next room features Karikpo Pipeline, a 5-channel video installation by Zina Saro-Wiwa, featuring Karikpo dancers performing a masquerade on derelict oil pipelines in the Niger Delta. This work explores the connections between humans and their environment, highlighting the complex factors shaping the cultural values of Ogoniland, Nigeria. It questions whether the region’s identity is best represented by its culture or external disaster narratives, examining stewardship of the land and the nature of true power.
On a brick wall in the same room is an installation by Mater Iniciativa displayed on a backdrop of earthy colour. Mater Iniciativa is an interdisciplinary network of collaborators who deeply understand ingredients, nature, and cultures. Its core work involves crafting culinary concepts that embody identity and uphold societal and environmental values. Mater Iniciativa fosters ongoing learning, experimentation, and intercultural dialogue. Its mission is to ignite creativity and evoke emotions through artistic presentations while preserving the rich multicultural diversity of the communities it works with. Alejandra Ortiz de Zevallos Rodrigo presents Khipuy, an extensive knotted work created with women weavers from K’acllaraccay in Maras, Cusco. This piece blends ancient techniques like “q’eswa” (twisting) with traditional spinning and dyeing methods. Inspired by the nearby Moray archaeological site, Isabella Celis’s Muyus Seeds (Semillas círculo) draws on Moray’s narratives, depicting it as both a seed and a ceremonial space for water.
Detail of Mater Iniciativa, Ecosistemas Mater (2024). Photo: Graham De Lacy.
Bigo Project presents Territorio (Territory), reimagining the Mater Table as a symbol of Peru’s mega diversity. This piece combines sculpture and design, with its surface and undulating edges reflecting vast topography and highlighting the region’s natural products at various scales. Virgilio Martinez’s Alturas Mater (Mater Altitudes) explores Peru’s topography through verticality, structuring ecosystems from below sea level to Andean mountaintops. His eight culinary compositions capture diverse landscapes and local ingredients at different elevations. Finally, Earthen, crafted by Peruvian artists commissioned by Mater, highlights how food and its vessels can tell rich stories by manipulating mud and clay.
Russell Scott’s photographic images adorn the next wall, showcasing over 250 indigenous plants from Southern Africa. Scott finds wonder and beauty in every dimension of a plant’s life, from its habitat to its growth and eventual decay. While his subjects come from across the country, many are sourced from the Highveld region, such as Boophane disticha. Some specimens were rescued from construction sites in Bryanston. In contrast, others, like the gracefully plumed Scilla natalensis and rosette-like Aloe aristata, were discovered in total, though deteriorated, bloom in a sack at the Faraday Muti Market in downtown Johannesburg.
Installation view showing Russell Scott, Botanical Portraits Unearthed (2008–17). © Russell Scott. Photo: Graham De Lacy.
he last room, lit with artificial lights mimicking natural light, features Insurgencias botánicas: Phaseolus lunatus (Botanical insurgencies: Phaseolus lunatus) by Ximena Garrido-Lecca. She cultivates a hydroponic garden of Phaseolus lunatus, a plant believed to have been used in symbolic communication by the Moche culture, a pre-Incan civilization known for its advanced irrigation systems. Reviving the Moche ceramist tradition, Garrido-Lecca creates a contemporary hydroponic system to grow this ancient plant. Additionally, she explores the ideogrammic logic of seed graphics, translating a chapter of the 1621 book Extirpación de la idolatría del Pirú by priest Pablo José Arriaga, which lists worship practices to be eliminated from Peruvian tradition.
Installation view showing Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Insurgencias botánicas: Phaseolus lunatus (Botanical insurgencies: Phaseolus lunatus) (2017). © Ximena Garrido-Lecca. Photo Graham De Lacy.
‘Ecospheres’ is a gateway to a deeper understanding of our relationship with the environment and the need for urgent action. Despite the profound human impact on ecosystems and geology during the Anthropocene era, humankind remains complacent during this environmental and social crisis. ‘Ecospheres’ play a valuable role in this discourse, challenging us to do our part in “making the world” a better place for all.
ART AFRICA spoke to Clive Kellner, Executive Director of Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF). The Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation is “an academic research institute, a platform for museum exhibitions and an innovative technology laboratory”. This non-collecting contemporary art foundation is located in Forest Town, Johannesburg, South Africa. JCAF’s ethos is to advance the appreciation of modern and contemporary art through producing, sharing and preserving knowledge.
ART AFRICA: The new three-year theme for the current and upcoming exhibitions, ‘Worldmaking,’ will cover environment, sustainability, architecture, habitat, and biotechnology through a trilogy of exhibitions: ‘Ecospheres’ (2024), ‘Structures’ (2025), and ‘Futures’ (2026). What are the key goals of these exhibitions, and how do they aim to address the challenges and opportunities in these areas?
Clive Kellner: JCAF has developed a model for exhibitions that is orientated according to a theme. Our first theme, Female Identities in the Global South, explored figuration in relation to modernism and contemporary artistic practice for three generations of women artists. Worldmaking takes as its point of departure the notion of the human in relation to the natural world, the built environment and the future, representing a shift from our first theme that focused on identity to that of locality. At this point in human history, given the urgency of global concerns about the future, climate, and sustainable living, we need to think about humanity in relation to the world we want to inhabit, share, and leave behind for future generations. As defined by Nelson Goodman, worldmaking refers” to the ways we collectively make the spaces we inhabit through symbolic practices”. As such, JCAF will present three exhibitions exploring this new theme over three years.
The current exhibition, ‘Ecospheres’, is inspired by the concept of Atmosphere spaces by museum director Alexander Dorner’s idea of atmosphere rooms. In what ways do the Atmospheres function as conceptual spaces that highlight and amplify the relationship between the artists, their artworks, and the themes of water, air, and earth?
In developing the curatorial concept for the ‘Ecospheres’ exhibition, JCAF undertook research related to the environment but also looked at what is current in relation to dealing with climate and the environment globally. The recurring idea is that of the Anthropocene. We decided to foreground an alternative concept in the ‘Ecospheres’ exhibition – that of the Symbiocene. Taken from’ symbiosis’, this term coined by Glen Albrecht implies living together with nature for mutual benefit. We envisage the exhibition as humanity’s responsibility to the environment as one of custodianship. In brief, the natural world is diverse, spectacular, complex and one that we should care for.
The exhibition comprises three sub-areas or Atmospheres: Water: Narrative & Myth Making; Air: Migration & Kin; and Earth: Indigenous Knowledge & Extraction. These ‘Atmospheres’ within the exhibition represent areas where the formal and conceptual, political and scientific meet, loosely tied together through the terms water, air and earth. The artworks grouped in these sections embody – whether directly or indirectly – the sub-theme. For example, in Water, Rithika Merchant’s triptych Transtidal (2022) depicts the Bede community in Bangladesh, which historically lived amongst water tributaries and evoked their rich symbolism through exquisite painting. Artworks are conceptually linked in this section through narrative, folklore, and myth, and oral tradition, poetry, and storytelling are intrinsic to each. Moreover, the artworks here are linked to the sub-theme of water as follows: Ernesto Neto’s installation Um dia todos fomos peixes (One day we were all fish) (2017) evokes the idea of being under the ocean; Merchant’s painting symbolises a community living amidst water; Zizipho Poswa’s uNa’kaMzingisi (Mzingisi’s Mother) (2024) is a vessel traditionally used to carry water and Bronwyn Katz’s installation Kai tus tu (Great rain rain) (2023) is a rain curtain.
Installation view of ATMOSPHERE 1. Water: Narrative and Myth Making, from left: Rithika Merchant, Transtidal (2022); Zizipho Poswa, uNa’kaMzingisi (Mzingisi’s Mother) (2024); Bronwyn Katz, Kai tus tu (Great rain rain) (2023). Photo: Graham De Lacy.
What role do artists and creators play in envisioning and promoting a harmonious relationship between humans and the environment? Can you elaborate on the selection process for the artworks included in each Atmosphere? What criteria were used to choose pieces that best represent the exhibition’s themes?
Donna Haraway speaks of ‘making with’, the idea that nothing makes itself. And so, even with artists, they make in relation to something or for someone. Artists are able to tell stories (visually) that can convey a better and more humane world. Art can inspire others to act to become more aware and, through exhibitions such as ‘Ecospheres’, to revisit their relationship to the environment and consider their place within the larger ecosystem and what actions need to be taken or adjusted in relation to the natural world.
Initially, we undergo an intensive research process where JCAF commissions academic research on the theme and topic of the exhibitions. This research provides a critical framework that drives the curatorial selection of the artworks, underpinned by rigorous research around artists and exhibitions in a symbiotic act of trying and testing various artworks in different combinations and scenarios until something begins to emerge. It’s dualistic in the sense that although there is a conceptual and curatorial framework, it is not a question of illustrating the exhibition with artworks under the theme of water or air; instead, the process of looking at artists and artworks generates ideas and inspiration, which in turn informs the selection. It is also largely subjective. One could draw an analogy between the curator and an orchestra conductor who is composing different parts of the exhibition to form one larger symphony. Or, as someone once said, ‘as poems in space’.
What challenges did you face in curating an exhibition that spans such broad and critical themes as water, air, and earth? How were these challenges addressed?
I tend to think of challenges as opportunities. One of these was the opportunity to work with Mater Iniciativa – a research and project wing of Central Restaurant in Peru. I am now going to give away one of my curatorial strategies – I watched a series called Chef’s Table on Netflix, and was introduced to the extraordinary chef Virgilio Martinez, who created Central (awarded the world’s best restaurant in 2023). Central’s cuisine is based on the topography of Peru from which it sources local indigenous ingredients. We contacted Mater about participating in the exhibition, which resulted in me taking a curatorial research trip to Lima, the Andes and Amazon regions in Peru – becoming an integral part of our collaboration with Mater to produce their installation for the exhibition. The installation is a complex composite of their collaboration with other artists: Alejandra Ortiz Zevallos (Peru) and Isabella Celis Campos (Colombia), ceramics produced for Mater, photographs of dishes created by chef Virgilio Martinez and a table (by BIGO Projects) with various natural ingredients imported from Peru and coming from the Andes and Amazon. This collaboration took almost a year, with one of the challenges being importing the natural ingredients into South Africa, mitigated through research and following the required importation protocols.
Installation view showing Mater Iniciativa, Ecosistemas Mater (2024). Photo: Graham De Lacy
Can you provide examples of specific artworks or artists featured in the exhibition that particularly resonate with water, air, and earth?
Each artwork resonates with water, air, or earth to varying degrees. In Air, the issue was how you represent air, a seemingly invisible substance. Michael Tsegaye’s photographs from Ethiopia depict two atmospheric qualities of air: in his series Ankober (2007), we see figures disappearing in the mist, and in Afar II (2023), he documents the impact of climate on a dust-blown landscape where Earth and sky blend. The air is also a habitat – a space in which birds migrate, echoing patterns of human migration in Sutapa Biswas’s constellation of bird paintings Time Flies (2004-2021), and finally, the playful and idiosyncratic Thunderstorm Typology (2020) and Cloud Tower (2023) of Jonah Sack.
Installation view of ATMOSPHERE 2. Air: Migration and Kin, from left: Michael Tsegaye, Ankober (2007) and Afar II (2023); Sutapa Biswas, Time Flies (2004–2021). Photo: Graham De Lacy.
The sub-section Earth tracks the idea of a seed as a concept: from the spoken word sound installation Seeds from the Streets to the Seas (2019) by Zayaan Khan and Coila-Leah Enderstein, to that of entire plants depicted in Russell Scott’s indigenous series Botanical Portraits Unearthed (2008-17), to extraction due to the negative impact and destruction of the oil pipeline in Ogoniland, Nigeria in Zina Saro-Wiwa’s video installation Karikpo Pipeline (2015), to seeds and plants as indigenous food sourced based on the topography of Peru in Mater Iniciativa’s Ecosistemas Mater (2024) and finally the hydroponic lima bean installation of Ximena Garrido-Lecca in which live plants are growing in the gallery. In this way, we see the evolution of the seed into a plant, through extraction into food and finally as a living plant.
Installation view of ATMOSPHERE 3. Earth: Indigenous Knowledge and Extraction, from left: Zina Saro-Wiwa, Karikpo Pipeline (2015); Mater Iniciativa, Ecosistemas Mater (2024); Russell Scott, Botanical Portraits Unearthed (2008–17). Photo: Graham De Lacy.
How do the layout and design of the Atmosphere spaces influence the viewer’s experience and understanding of the environmental themes presented?
At JCAF, each exhibition is considered based on a specific methodology, layout, and design. This scenography is the primary mechanism through which the audience experiences the artworks on display. So, for ‘Contemporary Female Identities in the Global South’ (2020), we created wooden floors and bridges connecting identities across the exhibition’s different parts. For ‘Liminal Identities in the Global South’ (2021), we enhanced the viewer experience of the five spaces by creating a kind of labyrinth. For ‘Ecospheres’, Dorner’s idea of ‘atmosphere rooms’ underpins the structure of the exhibition as three areas, each representing an aspect of the natural environment.
Colombian educator and artist Beatriz González referred to the interaction between individuals and art within a museum as a “great mystery.” How does JCAF aim to demystify this interaction and foster a deeper connection between visitors and artworks?
The idea at JCAF is not to demystify the experience of the visitor and artwork but rather to re-mystify it. I believe a lot has been lost in the white cube experience, where artworks are minimally hung and de-contextualised. As such, we aim to restore the awe and wonder of viewing artworks as a necessary and profound experience. This is supported through the curatorial selection and scenography of the design, including the lighting. All elements work together to contribute to a deeper engagement with the artworks and concepts of the exhibition.
Installation view showing Wolff Architects, Reading Room (2024). Photo: Graham De Lacy.
At JCAF, we created an exhibition viewing methodology in which no wall texts or labels exist in the exhibition. The first principle is that the viewer looks and ‘sees’ through a visual (and sound and smell) engagement with the artwork. Secondly, we train guides to engage with visitors throughout the exhibition in the form of a tour that is interactive and responsive. Thirdly, in our first theme, we presented a digital experience with an interactive app where information was pushed to a mobile device via Bluetooth beacons. We introduced a printed Reader and Reading Room for Ecospheres to accompany the exhibition. The Reader provides additional content on the exhibition and environmental issues, whilst the Reading Room, designed by Wolff Architects, was specially commissioned as a space for contemplation and discussion, where visitors can sit and engage with the Reader after viewing the exhibition.
The exhibition will be on view until the 7th of December, 2024. For more information, please visit Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation.
