Artlogic is pleased to announce its Special Projects Programme for 2014. Special Projects is an annual programme of curated shows that take place alongside Gallery, Young Gallery and Art Platform booth exhibits.
Dialogues with Masters: Visual Perspectives on Two Decades of Democracy.
Presented by Grolsch.
A celebration of twenty years of democracy, Dialogues with Masters, curated by Thembinkosi Goniwe, invites ten contemporary artists to respond to seminal works of South African masters. In conversation with iconic artworks by revered names in South African art history, like Gerard Sekoto and Ernest Mancoba; contemporary artists such as Georgina Gratrix and Matshepo Matoba will respond through their own practice in an exploration of meaning and entrenched modes of thinking. The results of this investigation will be unveiled in a dedicated booth at the Fair.
Thembinkosi Goniwe. Photo credit: Malcolm Phafane. Taken from http://www.fnbjoburgartfair.co.za/thembinkosi-goniwe
Participating Artists: Georgina Gratrix, Blessing Ngobeni, Matshepo Matoba, Ziyanda Majozi, Asanda Kupa, Kanya Mehlo, Philiswa Lila, Themba Shibase, Jill Trappler Sipho Hlati.
“The Grolsch brand is defined by a culture of craftsmanship, heritage and creativity- traits that we certainly have in common with the FNB Joburg Art Fair. We’re thrilled to be part of the festival of creativity that is the Art Fair. Artistic expression mirrors the vibrant spirit of independence that is at the heart of the Grolsch identity, and the FNB Art Fair is an exemplar of exactly that. We’re excited by the possibilities that the collaboration offers.” Grolsch Marketing Manager Vika Shipalana
Fabricate: A Handspring Puppet Company Retrospective
Presented by Rand Merchant Bank
The FNB Joburg Art Fair is proud to host the return of the Handspring Puppet Company to South Africa, in retrospective exhibition. Fabricate, celebrates the Company’s rich history of puppet and theatre-making. Situated in the main area of the Fair, the show brings together beloved characters from well-known productions. “Viewers are encouraged to regard these well-travelled figures as fundamentally different from sculptures. Though apparently ‘dead’ now, they are in fact beings with active past lives – some going back decades. They have all travelled widely and have played their role as the ‘emotional prostheses’ of their puppeteers and their scriptwriters.” Basil Jones, co-founder and executive producer of Handspring Puppet Company
Taken from http://10and5.com/2014/07/15/best-of-the-national-arts-festival-2014/.
Peregrinate: Field notes on time travel and space
Presented by the Goethe Institut
Traversing Soweto streets, backyards in Nairobi, dusty Jordanian alleys, Peregrinate invites viewers to consider the intimate politics of home and belonging, as well as the possibilities inherent in dislocation, or a lack of anchoring, and the routes one takes to find a way. Sub-titled ‘field notes on time travel and space’, the exhibition examines notions of spatial politics, the economics of time and travel, and the kinds of access granted to travellers. Peregrinate features the work of three photographers: South Africans Thabiso Sekgala and Musa Nxumalo, and Kenyan Mimi Cherono Ng’ok. The exhibition explores the concept of photography as a common method of investigation, discovery and representation – an act of wandering undertaken by the photographer as traveller and explorer. Jointly curated by the featured photographers, this exhibition is the final stage for the three participants as part of the Goethe-Institut portfolio workshop, the Photographers Master Class. Initiated in 2008 by the Goethe-Institut and Simon Njami, the Master Class provides a critical platform for emerging photographers from around the continent.
Chemu, 2008. Mimi Cherono Ng’ok. Taken from http://africasacountry.com.
Ponte City
Presented by the Goethe Institut
Ponte City building is an iconic structure in Johannesburg’s skyline that has long been a symbol for the city itself. South African photographer, Mikhael Subotzky and British artist Patrick Waterhouse combine photography, historical archives, found objects, and interviews to create a body of work that spans the pre-history of the building, its spectacular decline, and the recent attempts at its transformation. The work has culminated in the production of a book, of which the Goethe-Institut has been a proud supporter and is pleased to be involved in its release at the 2014 FNB Joburg Art Fair. The book will be launched with an installation of some of the works at Ponte City itself, with a panel discussion and book-signing.
Ponte City, Johannesburg. Taken from http://www.joburg.org.za.
Presented by the Goethe Institut
The Goethe-Institut is launching a publication at the FNB Joburg Art Fair with a panel discussion that features some of the contributors to the book and participants in the Master Class programme.
Just Ask!, edited by Simon Njami, is conceived as an introduction to contemporary African photography, and more broadly, a reflection of contemporary practice. There is also a focus on some of the African photographers that participated in the Photographers Master Class. The richly illustrated publication is accompanied by essays by renowned authors, curators and art critics.
Working Title: Create, Curate, Collect: A Portrait in Three Parts
Presented by Artlogic
Acclaimed curator and artist Gabi Ncgobo will confront the arts industry by bringing three vital elements into conversation with each other at this year’s Art Fair. The project will see an artist (Megan Mace), a curator (Gabi Ncgobo) and a collector (Dawood Petersen) in a three-way conversation which will be screened over the days of the Fair.
“Often, emphasis has been placed on the conversation-driven-relationship between the artist and the curator. Rarely does this conversation become threeway to include a collector. What could such a conversation lead to?” Gabi Ncgobo
Gabi Ncgobo. Taken from http://curatorsintl.org.
Lagos Photo Festival: Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction
Presented by Pirelli
Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction, presented at the FNB Joburg Art Fair with the support of Pirelli, includes a selection of artists exhibited in this year’s upcoming edition of the LagosPhoto Festival. Launched in 2010, LagosPhoto is the first and only international arts festival of photography in Nigeria. In its fifth year, it focuses on conceptual practices and performative strategies that expand traditional photographic practices. This project proudly presents artists: Patrick Willocq, Cristina De Middel, Genevieve Aken, Karl Ohiri, Namsa Lemba and Ike Ohiri
Taken from http://www.contemporaryand.com/.
Anthea Moys: The Artist is Arm Wrestling
For the 2014 FNB Joburg Art Fair, the award-winning performance artist Anthea Moys will challenge artists, security guards, curators, cleaners, volunteers, organizers and members of the general public to a test of strength, as she takes on all-comers in the ancient discipline of arm wrestling.
“The Artist is Arm Wrestling” is a playful re-imagining of the Marina Abramović work “The Artist is Present” (2010) – a 736-hour and 30-minute performance piece during which the artist sat immobile in MOMA’s atrium while members of the public were invited to take turns sitting opposite her. Some participants wept, others fled, whilst others stood their ground and held her gaze.
Anthea Moys arm wrestling in Geneva. Taken from https://www.behance.net/gallery.
