Fusion:

An exhibition by Sue Akerman, Bruce Attwood and Gill Gerhardt

Sue Akerman, Bruce Attwood and Gill Gerhardt

• Main Exhibition Room
• Closes Sunday 24 February 2013 at 17h00

Fusion is the result of collaboration between three well-known KwaZulu-Natal artists. Sue Akerman is an innovative fibre artist, Bruce Attwood does unusual woodwork and Gill Gerhardt creates unique decorative designs. The artists say that three simple rules guided their working sessions:

• The effort had to be playful and fun. Any pompous, pedantic inclinations would spend time in the sin bin.
• If they really didn't like something someone else had done, they had to be honest, but also had to give positive feedback for possible change.
• They had to commit to the work. The load was huge, but it was the only way to turn the fantasy into reality.

All three would brainstorm, with Bruce beginning the skeleton of the design and then handing it back to Sue or Gill. Some pieces travelled backwards and forwards between the three artists several times before they were declared 'finished'.

With each completed piece, the trio found they had new courage and trust to work more extensively on each other's original work. Preconceived perceptions of what is considered 'correct' were broken down.

The artists declared:

"We had begun to work on the very edge of the so-called 'art piece' – digging into it and finding the form and texture, light and shadow that we needed to enhance our work."

The result is a number of outrageously different 'furniture' pieces, made from several kinds of wood by Bruce, and embellished with fibres, beads, wire, sand blasted glass panels and other interesting materials by Sue and Gill.

Fabulous Picture Show 2012

A FOTAG Fundraising Auction

• Main Exhibition Room
• Opens Sunday 25 November at 11h00
• On view every day from 10h00 to 16h00, including Monday 26 November
• Auction on Friday 30 November 18h00 for 18h30
• View artworks on Facebook FOTAG group

It is time for one of the most anticipated annual events in Pietermaritzburg when over two hundred original art works will be auctioned at the FOTAG Fabulous Picture Show on Friday 30 November at the Tatham Art Gallery.

Paintings and original artworks donated by well-known and aspiring KwaZulu-Natal artists are up for grabs. Not only will these works beautify and personalise your home, living and office space but also make ideal and unique festive gifts at reasonable prices.

In order to secure one of these gems it is necessary to register and place your bids during gallery opening hours, between the official opening Sunday 25 November at 11h00 and the final auction on Friday 30 at 18h00. The Tatham Art Gallery, normally closed on Mondays, will also be open on Monday 26th November. A gallery or FOTAG representative will be at hand between 10h00 and 16h00 each day to assist those wishing to place their bid. In addition the new Café Tatham on the first floor at the Tatham Art Gallery will be open.

Well known KZN architect, art historian and fervent gallery supporter Robert Brusse will be responsible for the live auction of items that breach the R1000 bid. Wine and snacks will add to the festive occasion that the Final Friday auction become in previous years.

Secure parking is available in the Tatham Grounds (Church St side) as well in the City Hall Councillor’s parking behind the City Hall. An exhibition of the art works acquired by FOTAG with funds raised from sales from previous Fabulous Picture Shows (now in its third year) will be on exhibition in the foyer.

All artworks for auction are viewable online at the Facebook FOTAG group and FOTAG Page offering opportunity to view and discuss well in advance. A proxy bids system is available on request for those who can not attend on the Final Friday auction.

All funds raised form the Fabulous Picture Show go toward acquisition of new art works for the Tatham Art Gallery’s permanent collection, rated as one of the finest and most culturally inclusive in South Africa.

Yesterday's News - Tomorrow's Promise

MACS Quilt Challenge Exhibition

• Schreiner Gallery
• Closes Sunday 10 February 2013 at 17h00

The first round of this unusual exhibition was a challenge by the Midlands Arts and Crafts Society (MACS) to artists and crafters to make a 'quilt' with a difference. The Gallery invited MACS to repeat the challenge in order to hang the results in the Schreiner Gallery. Once again, members of the creative community were invited to enter A4 size 'quilts' made from unusual materials along the same theme: Yesterday's News - Tomorrow's Promise.

Office Politics – Scenes from the Sinking Ship

A Solo Exhibition by Faye Spencer

• Schreiner Gallery
• Opens Thursday 11 October 2012 at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 02 December 2012 at 17h00

Faye Spencer is a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Centre for Visual Art in Pietermaritzburg. Faye explains that this body of work comprises paintings, drawings and prints that explore the power-plays and idiosyncrasies of the working world. She believes that, given the considerable amount of time most people spend at work, the absurd, peculiar and sometimes humorous engagements that occur in the office space are worth reflecting on.

Animal forms (principally canine and partly domesticated) play a metaphorical role in the artworks and are used to explore both the darker side of human interaction (violent, aggressive, suspicious) and the apparently docile (trained, performative, blindly obedient). These characteristics (and character flaws) are evident in abundance in office space and corporate environments – situations wherein protagonists with differing agendas are obliged to interact and co-operate.

Vivid colour and aggressively worked surfaces are key features of many of the paintings and contribute to the central narrative contained therein. The artist has also included a number of drawings and prints in the exhibition.

Children's Workshop with Faye Spencer

• Wednesday 17 October 2012 from 14h00 to 16h00

In this two hour workshop Faye will present a light and colourful activity for primary school children. The cost per child is R60, and booking is essential. For more information, phone Pinky at 033 392 2811 or Thulani at 033 392 2823.

Lunchtime Walkabout of her exhibition with Faye Spencer

• Thursday 18 October 2012 from 13h00 to 14h00

Faye will conduct a walkabout of her work in the Schreiner Gallery. There will be safe parking with a car guard available on the Church Street side of the Gallery.

Retinal Shift: Mikhael Subotzky

(Standard Bank Young Artist 2012)

• Main Exhibition Room
• Opens Thursday 20 September 2012 at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 11 November 2012 at 17h00

For this exhibition Mikhael Subotzky presents an entirely new body of work. Titled Retinal Shift, the exhibition will centre on a four-channel film installation which was produced specifically for the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, and the exhibition tour. Further photographic, video and installation works will complete the show.

Retinal Shift investigates the practice and mechanics of looking. The works in the show draw on archival portraits from the last century, found surveillance footage, and Subotzky's own photographs from various series that are re-contextualized. The opening work on the show is a self-portrait that Subotzky made with the assistance of an optometrist. High resolution images of his left and right retinas are placed side by side.

"I was fascinated by this encounter. At the moment that my retinas, my essential organs of seeing, were photographed, I was blinded by the apparatus that made the images."

Retinal Shift extends this motif of looking while not seeing – exploring it through Grahamstown's history, our contemporary surveillance society, and the artist's personal attempts to see.

The Young Artist Awards were started in 1981 by the National Arts Festival to acknowledge emerging, relatively young South African artists who have displayed an outstanding talent in their artistic endeavours. Standard Bank took over the sponsorship of the awards in 1984.

Walkabout of Retinal Shift

• Thursday 27 September from 13h00 to 14h00

The Tatham Art Gallery Education staff will conduct a walkabout of Mikhael Subotzky's exhibition, Retinal Shift. Safe parking with a car guard will be available on the Church Street side of the Gallery.

Lumo: A Solo Exhibition by Valerie Leigh

• Schreiner Gallery
• Opens Thursday 16 August at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 07 October at 17h00

Valerie Leigh explains that the works in this exhibition deal with two existing aspects of reality as she perceives it. Works framed in plain or stained wood refer to the everyday circumstances of human life – birth, death, family, generation, and the demands of daily life.

In contrast, those works that are framed in neon (lumo) painted frames deal with a dimension of glory that is co-existent, but as yet unrealized or unperceived. The artist has based this depiction of the further dimension on an article dealing with First Temple Worship (c.1012 BC). This article was written by a friend whose permission she has obtained to use it.

The artist says that her intention (apart from creating visual works) is to draw people's attention to the nature of everyday life and to assess the possibility of the glory in that which has been set aside and disregarded through custom. She wants to encourage people to consider with a perspective of greater depth the nature of the human condition.

Walkabout: Valerie Leigh - Lumo

• Wednesday 22 August from 14h30 to 15h30
• In this walkabout Valerie Leigh will reflect on the daily and spiritual elements that come to the fore in her exhibition.
• Safe parking with a car guard is available.
• For bookings, contact Thulani or Pinky at 033 392 2801.

Unfoldings

Paintings by Heather Gourlay-Conyngham

• Main Exhibition Room
• Opens Thursday 12 July at 18h00
• Closes Friday 07 September at 17h00

Painted within the last 20 years, the works on this show are all almost life-size depictions of people whom Heather has known personally, be they family members, friends or acquaintances. One such painting is her well-known portrait of King Goodwill Zwelithini, part of the Tatham Art Gallery Collection.

Balancing an art teaching career with raising a family, Heather has worked consistently on painting and drawing. While some of her works have been commissions, Heather's main focus has been her personal art, which constitutes this exhibition.

As Heather explains:

"These paintings not only mirror my own passage through time, but also reflect my personal development as an artist. Although the specific people whom I have chosen to paint may be seen as individuals, the manner in which they are depicted is intended to communicate more universal concepts. Broadly speaking, the underlying theme of all my work is 'the human condition' and is informed by my understanding of Art History, a consequence of many years of teaching the subject. While the seed from which my ideas grow is intuitive and emotional, its execution is more academic, methodical and cerebral, a process that could be considered in keeping with classical tradition."

For sales and prices contact Heather at lyric@mweb.co.za

Catalogue: Heather Gourlay-Conyngham

Catalogues are available at R75,00 (plus postage) from the Tatham Shop. Phone Mary or Zama at (033) 392-2828 or email mary.kleinenberg@msunduzi.gov.za

Celebrating Creativity:

Spotlight on Russell High

• Schreiner Gallery
• Opens Thursday 19 April at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 17 June at 17h00

Russell High has produced artworks that focus on recycling and environmental issues as part of their annual Matric Art Exhibition. Some of these creations have won the school prizes in both local and national art competitions. It is in this light that as a pilot project, the Gallery has awarded Russell High an opportunity to exhibit in the Schreiner Gallery as resident artists while working on current projects. This exhibition will run concurrently with the Midlands Matric Art Exhibition.

Artists in Residence Programme

• Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 April from 10h00 - 14h00

Alana Leigh, art educator at Russell High and a group of learners will work in the Schreiner Gallery during these times. The artist in residence programme will feature senior art learners demonstrating a variety of skills and techniques, using recycled materials to make functional and decorative items. Members of the public are invited to come and interact with the students.

For booking contact Thulani or Pinky at 033 392 2801

Walkabout

• Wednesday 25 April from 14h00 - 15h00

As part of their exhibition, learners from Russell High and the art teacher, Alana Leigh, will talk about their various projects involving the use of recycled materials. The intention of the walkabout is to remind audiences to be environmentally conscious and to encourage creativity through recycling.

For booking contact Thulani or Pinky at 033 392 2801

Midlands Matric Art Exhibition 2012

• Main Exhibition Room
• Opens Thursday 19 April at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 03 June at 17h00

The annual Midlands Matric Art Exhibition showcases artworks made by last year's Matric art students from local schools. The exhibition has in the past inspired current Matric students in setting themes and finding new methods of manipulating their media and art making techniques. The Matric Exhibition also highlights the importance of process in making the end product. For this reason the exhibition includes learners' visual art diaries and other documentation.

Exhibition preparation schedule

• Delivery deadlines: Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 March 2012 between 10h00 and 16h00
• Selection: Wednesday 14 March 2012
• Collection of unselected work: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 March 2012 between 10h00 and 16h00

In a new development this year we have invited a school that has shown consistent improvement and creativity to mount their own art exhibition in the Schreiner Gallery alongside the Matric Art Exhibition. Click here for more information on Celebrating Creativity: Spotlight on Russell High

Terrence Patrick: Possibilities

• Schreiner Gallery
• Opens Sunday 19 February at 10h30 for 11h00
• Closes Sunday 08 April at 17h00

Terrence Patrick says: "This show will cover fairly recent work, mostly with allegorical content. The paintings and drawings reveal the artist's interest in the human condition and were selected to show a continuity of thematic intent. One of the factors that impacts on the interpretation of the allegories is the artist's personal concerns about spirituality, sexuality and morality in the modern context of secular multiculturalism informed as it is by popular media.

Most of the work is on a fairly small scale. The drawings are mixed media, pencil, charcoal, water colour and ink and some pastel. The paintings are also mixed on board or paper laid on board, oils, oil pastel, pastel, layers of glaze etc. Paintings and drawings are worked on concurrently, the one informing the other, the process always subjected to the idea which strives for transcendence."

Walkabout

• Sunday 19 February, 10h30 for 11h00

Terrence Patrick will conduct a walkabout of his exhibition and discuss his working methods and theories with the audience.

To book, please contact Thulani or Pinky at 033 392 2801

People, Prints and Process

Twenty-Five years at Caversham

• Main Exhibition Room
• Opens Thursday 09 February at 18h00
• Closes Sunday 08 April at 17h00

Twenty-five is a number with a history and a future. It invites us to review two and a half decades, interpret the past, examine the present and plan a future.

The Caversham Press, founded in 1985 by Malcolm Christian in KwaZulu-Natal, has a memorable history. This is being celebrated in an exhibition of over 100 works by more than 70 artists.

'People, Prints and Process – Twenty-Five years at Caversham' tells a remarkable story about the processes of human interaction and empowerment generated through collaborative work underpinned by exacting design and printing processes (etching, lithography, screen-print, linocut). The journey undertaken by Malcolm Christian was guided by his belief in human creativity, and summed up in the word 'masabelaneni' (let us share). Christian has shared his technical expertise and inventiveness with the artists who have visited Caversham. In 1985 most of them were formally trained artists; now they are largely black artists and students from KwaZulu-Natal who experience the joy of learning new visual communication skills from a dedicated teacher in the tranquil studios of rural Caversham.

Walkabout

• Wednesday 15 February from 14h30 - 15h30

Malcolm Christian will conduct a walkabout of the exhibition and explain the achievements of the centre in the last twenty-five years. The walkabout will allow the public to engage with him on the new role the centre has taken on through its outreach programmes such as 'Masabelaneni' (let us share) and 'Gabisa-Indlela' which was initiated by the late Gabisile Nkosi and Vulindlela Nyoni, former printmaking lecturer at the Centre for Visual Art at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Early in 2011 artists from this programme took part in an international prints exhibition in the USA.

Artists in Residence Programme

• Wednesday 15 February from 10h00 - 16h00
  Monotype printing
• Thursday 16 February from 10h00 - 16h00
  Lino printing: Interpreting a work on the exhibition
• Friday 17 February from 10h00 - 16h00
  Lino printing: Edition making

The artists from Caversham Press will conduct interactive workshops with not more than 10 participants. They will demonstrate various printmaking techniques and processes based on works on the exhibition. Participants have to bring with them protective clothes such as aprons, or an old T-shirt. Rubber or latex gloves are recommended. Printmaking materials will be provided.

Booking is essential. Contact Thulani or Pinky at 033 392 2801