Among the exceptional, singular and, yes, occasionally awful, artworks in the permanent collection of the South African National Gallery, one work stands out as truly enigmatic.

It is an untitled paper installation principally composed of repurposed cement packaging that Moshekwa Langa found on the streets of KwaMhlanga, the short-lived capital of the KwaNdebele homeland, shortly after finishing high school in 1993

This canonical work appears on the must-see exhibition surveying Langa’s category-resistant practice at A4 Arts Foundation in Cape Town. Titled How to Make a Book, it declares its purpose — there is an in-depth publication on the artist in the works.

The works on show at A4 span the period 1995 to 2018. There are a half-dozen pieces from the 1990s, when Langa emerged — self-taught, fully formed and fax-enabled — on the local art scene. They include Dor, a speculative flag made for a 1998 exhibition in Rotterdam, Holland, as well as his untitled paper installation from 1995.

Three wires running obliquely across the central gallery of A4 display about 20 unbleached fragments of irregularly shaped paper that Langa recycled from discarded cement packaging.

“First you invent the country; then, if you can, an economy,” wrote American journalist Joseph Lelyveld in 1985 of KwaNdebele, a proxy state being built in a hurry. 

Read the full article here: https://mg.co.za/friday/2024-11-04-the-sculptures-where-nothing-is-true-and-everything-is-permitted/ 

The materia born from artistic landscapes, both present and past, is one of our greatest sources of admiration. ART THEMES is our irreverent tribute to the messaging that lies within these bodies of work. This bi-monthly digital review, curated according to thematic concepts, uses common interests and themes to collate the work of great artists – as we make unusual and intriguing connections across ambiguous and clarified perspectives, literal and figurative alike. 

Enter August’s theme: Hibernation. The sentiment of hibernation is aptly woven together by poet Chen Chen, who gives his take on the notion: “Yes– give yourself the time. To mull things over. Ruminate. To chew, yes. To hibernate, let things sit fallow. To follow intuitions. To study. To read, reread. To experiment wildly, experiment carefully. To care. To care about your mind, heart, belly and your every toe. To care about and for your language. To language your care.”

Each winter seems to have the profound ability to cause a ripple of introspection, to retreat into oneself, to take stock. It is both a physiological response to the change in natural surroundings, but also an emotional and psychological reaction. We are all affected instinctually, saving resources in various silos of our lives. Employing a hibernation tactic, mindset or practice feels unavoidable but is also nothing to deter from – each season has its glory. These artists represent some sort of coming inside, shielding, recovering, going within, cocooning towards what we hope is the warmth we seek, towards the betterment of self through hibernation.

 Read the full article here: https://ceconline.co.za/art-themes-theme-one-hibernation/ 

Cape Town-based ceramic artist Githan Coopoo is in the throes of art directing a fashion show for his friend and collaborator, the LVMH prize winning designer Sindiso Khumalo. He has much to say about the experience. “People like to think that Cape Town is beautiful because of the mountains and the landscape, but it’s what the land has been through that matters,” he exclaims, leaping from his seat to gesture towards the panorama.  

Read the full article here: https://www.ft.com/content/4fc684c4-93a7-4937-b918-32cab4b8d80d 

Groot Gat, the exhibition to mark Lady Skollie’s win as this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Arts, debuts in June 2023 at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, South Africa.

Lady Skollie discusses how in this body of work the hole or cave becomes a metaphor for tackling the complexity of Brown identities in South Africa. Groot Gat is on view in Makhanda until 2 July. The body of work will tour across the country – bringing powerful art and important ideas to diverse communities.

AMAKA speaks with the exhibitors and curators of the Tomorrows/Today section of the fair. 

The 10th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) will take place from the 17th - the 19th of February 2023 in the Mother City, which attracts history mixed with memory and desire.

Read the full article here: https://amaka.studio/explore/articles/investec-cape-town-art-fair

Visual artists across the globe, and specifically in Africa, have over the years reimagined their African identity, creating narratives that include all facets of life. Historically, sexuality, queerness, and gender expression were seen as 'un-African'. While it is still illegal to be LGBTQ+ in many African countries, there is a growing visibility of LGBTQ+ identities in the creative arts, pushing conversations that in the past were seen as taboo, but for self-taught jewellery designer and sculptor Githan Coopoo, he describes his art as obnoxious, queer and necessary.

Read the full article here: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/484/235446.html 

Summer holidays present lazy days by the pool. South African artists have been depicting this scene and others that offer an escape from reality. 

Read the full article here: https://editorial.latitudes.online/blog/posts/the-great-escape-can-art-offer-a-respite-from-reality/ 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2022 STANDARD BANK YOUNG ARTIST AWARD WINNERS

Receiving a Standard Bank Young Artist Award is a pinnacle point: this is one of the most prestigious prizes offered to South African artists under the age of 35. This year’s winners join the ranks of a stellar collective that have become household names over the last four decades. Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are cherished as national treasures, and many have gone on to find new audiences on the African continent and achieve international acclaim.

Art from the private collection of late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen fetched over $1.6 billion this week to become the largest single-owner sale in auction history.

Works by Georges Seurat, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Gustav Klimt all sold for over $100 million across a record-shattering two nights at Christie's in New York.

Spanning 500 years of art history, art from Allen's collection was offered on Wednesday and Thursday, with all proceeds going to philanthropic causes, the auction house said. Christie's had initially estimated that the 150-plus works would sell for a combined $1 billion, but the landmark sum was exceeded even before the conclusion of day one.

Read the full article here: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/paul-allen-collection-christies-auction-record/index.html