The !Kauru African
Contemporary Art project is in full
production for the 2014 exhibition that will open at the UNISA Art
Gallery on the 22th May 2014. This is the third year of this project
which aims to
stimulate conversations within Africa and internationally to facilitate a
change of perceptions about the continent through its contemporary art.
Through a series of talks, walkabouts,
lectures, seminars and other programmes aligned to the exhibition, the project
aims to sensitize and mobilize South African and African audiences as well as the
media, in the appreciation of contemporary African visual arts. Art is seen as
a means to promote inter Africa
/Diaspora cultural exchange in a direct and meaningful way.
Supported by the department of Arts and
Culture international department, !Kauru provides a platform for African
contemporary artists and cultural practioners to engage around a showcase of
contemporary art from the continent that will travel 5 regions of the African
continent. The strategy aims to incorporate all the regions of Africa over the
lifespan of the project, which began in 2012 with artists from the SADC region
and east Africa. The exhibition will
promote mid-career to established artists and will showcase the maturity and
exceptional wealth of talent to be found within the region.
According to Project Director, Tshepiso Mohlala of Back2Back
Experiential Marketing, “my vision is for this project to become a bi-annual
event which will showcase the artworks of top African contemporary visual
artists, starting with the SADC region, thereafter touring 4 regions of the
Africa continent. Ultimately the long term future plan will be to tour these
exhibitions internationally”, she says.
In 2014 the !Kauru African
Contemporary Art project celebrates 20 years of South African democracy through
the voices of artists across the African continent. Titled Rerouting
Dialogue 1994-2014, the exhibition will open at the prestigious UNISA Art Gallery on 22 May 2014. The exhibition provides a platform for artist’s to engage issues which
talk to who we are as Africans today. Attention is focused on our current
identities, informed by our rich histories, cultures and contemporary
experiences, which contribute to Africa as a dynamic continent.
The curatorial vision for Rerouting
Dialogue 1994-2014, is
according to !Kauru 2014 Curator Avitha Soonful “about unveiling the African
truth.” This exhibition celebrates the continent of Africa as an integral
player within the global village. More
than 18 artists from to SADC countries have been selected to take part in the
exhibition.
Artists
which will be in the 2014 exhibition include, Endale Desalengn from Ethiopia,
Patrick Rorke and Stephen Mashaobathe from Lesotho, M. Alpheus Mvula from
Namibia, Anesia Zefenias Filipe, Gemuce and Lourenco Dinis Pinto from
Mozambique and Mohau Modisakeng, Dian Victor and Churchill Madikida from South
Africa to name a few.
A Round
table discussion will be held on the 23rd of May as well as an
Artists Walkabout on the 24th at 9:30am-11:00am which will be open
to the public. Other events which surround the !Kauru Contemporary Art project
and the 2014 exhibition include the initiation of the prestigious African
Collectors club on the 30th of May. The collectors club aims to promote
African art and create a platform where African collectors can gain knowledge
of African art as an investment vehicle. Events which will be initiated in June
include a community outreach programme which allows underprivileged Art
students to interact with the !Kauru exhibition and take part in conversations
and a youth day celebration driven by the UNISA art department students.
GALLERY
TIMES
UNISA
GALLERY
10am – 4pm
Mondays - Fridays. Note:The gallery is not open on weekends.
or
UNISA Art
Gallery
Nana
Tshangana
012 441 5876
