Ndebele Fertility Doll

Early twentieth century

Glass beads, sinew, wood

H: 9 1/2" W: 7"

Ndebele beaded fertility dolls are given to young girls when they attend initiation school. The doll is cared for and cherished until the woman's first pregnancy. According to custom, the child figure must be given away, sold or destroyed after the birth of the owner's third child, as it is considered unwise to keep the doll any longer.

Fertility dolls also play a significant role in courtship. A doll is placed outside the home of a prospective bride by her suitor, indicating his intention of a marriage proposal.

The doll pictured here presents a particularly fine example due to its age, condition and lovely beaded coiffure and front apron.


Jacaranda Tribal.com

New Acquisitions at Jacaranda Tribal

A beautiful new group of African antiques is now available at Jacaranda Tribal. Ranging from snuff gourds to masks and implements of war, our diverse range of new acquisitions offer a wealth of gorgeous textures and forms from across the African continent. South African works predominate in the assemblage, joined by objects representing cultures from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, and the Congo. Seen below are a selection of this season's offerings. The full range of new acquisitions in on view at our website (link below).

Ibibio ekpo society mask

Nigeria - Early 20th century

Kota knife with sheath

 Congo - Late 19th or early 20th century

Shield

Ethiopia - 20th century

Ndebele fertility doll

South Africa - Early 20th century

Zulu beadwork panel

South Africa - Late 19th or early 20th century

Zulu beaded neckpiece

South Africa - Late 19th or early 20th century

Nyakusa pot

Tanzania or Zambia - 20th century

Visit us on the web for more details on our new acquisitions and much, much more.

Happy holidays!

New Acquisitions at Jacaranda Tribal!

Jacaranda Tribal is now featuring our newest acquisitions on the gallery website. The new objects are a remarkable survey of artworks that have been produced in the southern region of Africa. Highlights from the selection include a rare and early zebra shield made by the Shangaan peoples of South Africa. The thirty-eight inch high shield is made of zebra hide, which is found on east African shields but rarely seen further south.

Also featured are a variety of South African pipes, which range from beautifully beaded Xhosa pipes to a rare Xhosa wood pipe with figurative lead onlay ornamentation. An exquisite 19th century Zulu horn pipe features elegant carving in the classic amasumpa decoration.

Vessels include a small wooden bowl which depicts three ducks in the various stages of diving below the water surface. The bowl was most likely used for food storage by members of the Lozi tribe of Zambia. A lidded South Sotho pot is an extraordinary example of the elegant wood and pokerwork craftsmanship of the Lesotho carvers.

Visit www.jacarandatribal.com to view all of the new acquisitions.

Photo: Rare 19th Century Zebra Hide Shield, Shangaan, South Africa

South Sotho Pot with Lid - Lesotho

Xhosa Wood Pipe with Lead Onlay - South Africa

Zulu Horn Pipe - South Africa

Christie's Interior Sale features fine Nguni Pipes

Christie's London "Interior: Masters & Makers" sale concluded today, fetching nearly £300,000. The auction featured 132 lots from the pipe collection of British appliance magnate, Trevor Barton.

A circa 17th century Sinhalese Ivory Double-Pipe Case sold for £51,650 at the Unusual Smoking Pipe sale, far surpassing the £8,000 - £12,000 presale estimate. The work was the sale's top lot.

Ivory pipe cases, Austrian Meerschaum pipes, and 18th century tobacco figures were among the top lots. 

A large Austrian Meerschaum Pipe (circa 1875) sold for £7,500. The ivory pipe, carved as the head of a young lady carrying a porte-monnaie and wearing an elaborate wrist corsage, was projected to sell for £2,000 - £3,000. William Bragge's drawings of his rare pipe collection, expected to sell for £2,000 - £4,000 failed to find a buyer. 

The sale was from the collection of renowned "Pipe Man," Trevor Barton. Owning what was arguably the finest, most wide-ranging collection of pipes and smoking memorabilia in the world, Barton was a familiar figure in the stalls of the Portobello and Bermondsey markets of London. 

Barton's pipes come from all over the globe and reflect over fifty years of passionate pipe collecting and a lifetime of a travel. He was a leading member of the exclusive "Academie Internationale de la Pipe."

Several fine Nguni pipes from Southern Africa were included in the sale. Dating from 19th century, the works were finely inlaid with lead and depict objects such as clocks, cannons and trains. Others featured more traditional subjects, carved human figures. 

Results from the sale can be found at Christie's website, www.christies.com

Source: Christie's London

Photo courtesy of Christie's London

Africa meets Africa - Ndebele Women designing Identity

An Ndebele Resource!

Africa meets Africa: Ndebele Women designing Identity focuses on the history and visual cultural expression of the Ndzundza and Manala Ndebele.

In this project, the authors explore the knowledge contained in the sophisticated design landscape of Ndebele women, which has informed their homestead design beadwork and has informed their homestead design, beadwork and painting. They look at the design language as art, but also in terms of the history and heritage that produced it. Going one step further, they also mathematically explore the elegant symmetry and proportion of Ndebele design.

A fifty-two minute documentary film by Guy Spiller (script by Andre Croucamp) introduces Zimbabwean Ndebele speaker Siphiwe Khumalo, who comes across Ndebele painting for the first time in Johannesburg, and then investigates the people who make the colorful designs. She talks with to such academics as Ndebele historian Dr. Sekibakiba Peter Lekhgoathi of the History Department of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Professor Peter Rich, who studied Ndebele homestead architecture. Siphiwe undertakes a journey to rural KwaMahlanga, Mabhoko and the surrounding area, to the homes of the master painters Esther Mahlangu and Francinah Ndemande, as well as attends contemporary Ndebele cultural festivals. Finally, she interviews Mathematician Dr. Chonat Getz, who explores the remarkable symmetry and proportion in the design language that Nbebele women use in their homestead architecture and painting.

The sixty-four page book (in full color), designed by Anina Kruger, unpacks the history of the Ndzundza and Manala Ndebele in more depth.

The book is available for purchase on Africa Meets Africa website, www.africameetsafrica.co.za.

The Africa meets Africa Project explores the southern African cultural heritage in the belief that educators and students in South African schools can find solutions to contemporary learning problems in the knowledge and skills contained in familiar forms of cultural expression around them. This integrated approach to learning serves all of South Africa's educators, as current curriculum statements call for a process of holistic learning - and specifically for an engagement with the cultural context of learning areas such as the Arts, Mathematics, Language and History.

South African Photographs: David Goldbatt at The Jewish Museum

In congruence with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, Jacaranda Tribal reminds its readers to begin the New Year by visiting the must-see David Goldblatt exhibition ending soon at The Jewish Museum in Manhattan.

David Goldblatt (b. 1930) is one of South Africa's most highly regarded photographers. As both a citizen and photographer, he was witness to apartheid's infiltration into every aspect of South African life. The exhibition includes 150 black and white photographs by Goldblatt that focus on South Africa's human landscape in the apartheid and post-apartheid eras. Very precise captions written by the artist accompany each photo in order to convey context and critical information about the image. His photos do not look at the large events or the public face of violence; rather they focus on the world of ordinary people and the minutiae of everyday life, illuminating the depth of injustice and the character of the people who imposed it and who struggled against it. Goldblatt's Jewish identity is germane to his work. The anti-Semitism that he frequently experienced made him especially sensitive to the deep humiliation and discrimination suffered by blacks under apartheid, informing his artistic vision as well as his attitude toward his country.

South African Photographs: David Goldblatt is presented simultaneously with South African Projections: Films by William Kentridge. The exhibition is on display until September 19th at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street.

Source: The Jewish Museum Website

Image: "The farmer's son with his nursemaid, on the farm in Heimweeberg, near Nietverdiend in the Marico Bushveld. Transvaal (North-West Province)" 1964

William Kentridge, the South African artist drawing apartheid

One of South Africa's best-known artists, William Kentridge makes unsettling work about apartheid -- and he is now making a name for himself internationally.

Kentridge's art, which has chronicled South Africa's shift from an apartheid to a post-apartheid society, evokes the tensions and memories of the former regime and reflects the inequalities of modern life.

His work is inspired by a love-hate relationship with the gritty realism of his home city Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial capital.

His body of work defines a generation and, as such, is some of the most sought after and expensive South African art, collected by major institutions around the world.

His work is multidisciplinary, and includes films and drawings, puppet shows and theatre. He has been shown at The Louvre in Paris, and recently finished directing an opera for New York's Metropolitan Opera.

"The Nose," by Russian composer Shoshtakovich was performed to much acclaim earlier this year and showcased Kentridge's knack of incorporating sculptural an filmic elements into stage direction.

His personal and social commentary on South Africa's problems can make for uncomfortable viewing, but, for Kentridge, it's crucial.

"For that not to be in the work would be a surprise or an avoidance, or a pretense that it's not there," he told CNN.

Many of Kentridge's pieces portray the plight of the powerless and oppressed in South Africa. A recurring character in his work is Soho Eckstein, a fat cat South African property tycoon, who he refers to as his "alter-ego," and downtrodden black workers turn up again and again.

Kentridge's style is also distinctive: His stark, bold charcoal drawings are characterized by frenetic bold black strokes.

He also transforms many of his drawings into short animated films, using an idiosyncratic technique known as "stop-action animation."

He will draw, erase and rework the same piece many times. Before he erases each version, he photographs it. Each photograph becomes a scene in the animated short film.

He says his art is a constant work in progress and he rarely knows what the finished product will be. "You gradually arrive at the image, rather than know in advance and simply put it down," Kentridge said.

Born to a prominent Jewish family of lawyers in South Africa, 54-year-old Kentridge studied political science and African studies before training under the renowned mime artist, Jacques Lecoq in Paris in the 1970s.

He displayed his feelings about the two cities wryly in the title of his first animated film, "Johannesburg -- Second Greatest City After Paris."

"This is where I've lived for 55 years," he said, explaining how the city inspires him. "[It] is a city that deconstructs itself the whole time, it's busy erasing itself the way you erase a drawing."

He admits to wondering why he has decided to make the city home.

"There's certain sections of the city you drive down and think, why on earth do I choose to spend my days in this part of the world," he said.

"And there are other days when you see extraordinary things and you think, this is remarkable."

Source: www.cnn.com

By: Robyn Curnow

South Africa's Booming Art Market

In recent years, African artists have seen their work increase in value as they attract global investors.

South Africa, in particular, has seen a significant rise in prices paid out for major works, according to Strauss and Co, a Johannesburg auction house selling 20th Century art.
Prices for major South African art are estimated to have increased by over 500 percent in the past five to 10 years, according to the auction house.

In recent years a new world record was set for a still-life by a South African artist when a stunning piece by Irma Stern sold for more than one million dollars.

Only halfway through the year, Strauss and Co. says it has already earned more from sales this year than in the whole of 2009.

Among the beneficiaries is Johannesburg-based William Kentridge, who is perhaps the closest the African art world has to a rock star.

He is one of Africa's most commercially successful artists and his work is in demand around the globe.

But he acknowledged that the market for contemporary art is small. "A lot of work gets sold to institutions and wealthy patronizing collectors -- patrons of the art," Kentridge told CNN.

"The number of people that actually seriously collect, and are interested, and travel to exhibitions, and are knowledgeable about it is tiny. But they form the bulk of the collectors of contemporary art."

In South Africa the pool of people buying serious art is even smaller. Most are white businesspeople. The country's emerging black middle class and wealthy have not yet started buying South African contemporary art in the same way the newly monied classes snapped up art in China and India.

Ross Douglas organizes the Johannesburg Art Fair. He told CNN, "What we saw in China and India was that they suddenly got very rich and they started buying contemporary art at the same time the international art market started buying it. And one supported the other.

"In Africa there is very little local buying of contemporary art and that's why artists go abroad. But that will change, slowly."

There are signs that change is already happening. Young South African artists like Lawrence Lemaoana and Mary Sibanda earn a living from their art, which didn't happen five years ago.

"As an artist you have to work extra hard," said Sibanda. "You have to keep reinventing yourself because you can't keep showing the same thing over and over again."

They rely on galleries and the Johannesburg Art Fair -- the only major art fair in Africa -- to introduce their work to South Africans.

Lemaoana told CNN, "It is a great platform for introducing the normal public into walking into a gallery. Because one of the things we struggle with in South Africa is the idea of culture, and how culture is limited to a few people.

"I think it's an interesting way of inviting Joe Soap to walk in and maybe buy an artwork."
Before the economic meltdown, South African corporations such as big banks or mobile phone companies were the main investors in local art.

But gallery owners say those companies have cut back in the past two years, reasoning it might be difficult to explain to shareholders why they were buying art in the middle of the global credit crunch.

Those sentiments have been echoed in global art capitals such as New York and London.

"There was a huge bubble of extraordinary prices being paid for contemporary work, and that took a knock," said Kentridge.

"It was astonishing how short that was. I think what happens when you have the crash in the art market the way you had in the late 1980s.

"There was a period in which it was very easy for galleries to survive and make money and do well; it's much harder now."

But at the top end of the market at least, things seem to be picking up. Which could be good news for those who were early investors in mid-20th century South African art.

Source: CNN
By: Robyn Curnow

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Art Auction

The art community is not left out of the spirit of this year’s World Cup. The 2010 Fine Art, an art auction that will be a visual celebration of the FIFA World Cup, will serve not only as a platform to celebrate Africa and African culture, but also other cultures of the world through contemporary art, as the World Cup berths on African soil for the first time in the 80-year history of the international tournament.

With 160 artists from the 32 countries participating in the mundial, the art auction will feature five Nigerian artists, including: Toyin Omolowo, Portus Ojomo, Toyin Loye, Osi Adu, and Ugochukwu Nzewi. They will, alongside other artists from other participating countries, give art collectors and football fans the opportunity to keep a piece of history as captured in their art. The art auction will be divided into two collections – 2010 International Fine Art; and 2010 African Fine Art. Works to be displayed by the Nigerians are: ‘The Keeper’ by Osi Audu; ‘FootballUniting the World’ by Toyin Omolowo; ‘Victory’ by Portus Ojomo; ‘Football is One World’ by Toyin Loye; and ‘Soccer Field’ by Ugochukwu Nzewi.

Toyin Omolowo noted that the essence of his painting, ‘Football Uniting the World’, was to express the development of modern civilisation. “Love, peace, and happiness are the thrilling messages to the people of the beautiful world through the game of soccer,” he said.

Omolowo’s painting depicts images of six FIFA continental zones characterised by a medley of colours representing the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North/Central America and Caribbean, Oceania, and South America.

“My work is also a vision of revitalisation, which has arrived in form of motif layers at the background indicating the bright side of African soil; as well as the round leather game called ‘Football’ that has fascinated the people and invariably becoming the cynosure of the world.”

Craig Mark, the Managing Director of 2010 Fine Arts, the official licensed products of the 2010 World Cup said, “The 2010 World Cup is an opportunity to bring the world to Africa and take Africa to the world – through Art. In addition to combining the creative talents of 160 of the world’s leading contemporary artists into one exceptional international collection, 2010 Fine Art also provides African artists with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to market their talents to international audiences through the platform of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

Toyin Omolowo, a multimedia visual artist, was born in Lagos. He studied Art at the Yaba College of Technology between 1984 and 1990. His art experience since 1990 covers painting, textile Art, graphics, and metal sculpture.

Toyin Loye was born in Ijebu Ijesa, Osun State, in 1959. He went to the School of Arts and Science, Ile Ife, before going to the University of Ife, present day Obafemi Awolowo University. His art is believed to be a modern representation of ancient African art tradition. His works have featured in Europe, Japan, and Africa. He currently resides in the Netherlands.

Born in Ile-Ife, Portus Ojomo relocated to Europe, where he studied in the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later went on to study in Mexico and is referred to as an African monumental artist in Diaspora. He presently lives in Belgium.

Ugochukwu Nzewi was born in 1979 and studied Sculpture at the University of Nigeria Nsukka; he is a multi talented artist who expresses himself through sculpture, music and painting.

From each original work, 210 copies will be made in archival ink on cotton; with the number 210 being connected to the year 2010. The auction of the originals is scheduled for Johannesburg during the final games of the group stages.

Source: 234next.com
By Obidike Okafor

MTN New Contemporaries Arts Awards – bigger and better

The fifth MTN New Contemporaries Arts Awards are almost upon us. Held every two years, this prestigious competition identifies four emerging South African artists as the new stars of the South African art world, and elects a winner among them. This year, for the first time, this acclaimed event will take place in Durban, at the KZNSA Gallery.

One of the MTN SA Foundation’s most renowned projects, the MTN New Contemporaries Award is a competition designed to promote talented, cutting-edge artists who have not yet received critical acclaim but who are positioned to be the next leaders in the art field.

Says Eunice Maluleke; Head of MTN SA Foundation: “The MTN SA New Contemporaries Award affirms our responsibility to encourage creative thinking outside the business arena and allows the opportunity for young South Africans to be heard. These awards are also aimed at promoting young artists who have not yet had the opportunity for appropriate exposure.”

The 2010 artists who’ll be going up against each other this year promises to be an exciting line-up and a peek at some of their proposals suggests that we can look forward to a diverse exhibition that mixes traditional and new media within a contemporary context, and that might variously be described as critical, socially-engaged or ironic. As has almost become ‘de rigueur’ for the New Contemporaries, performance could find a role too.

The nominated artists are Donna Kukama; Kemang Wa Luhelere; Mohau Modisakeng and Stuart Bird.

Identifying the four artists for the MTN New Contemporaries Award is something of a curatorial mission. The process starts with a national research project, undertaken by an appointed young curator who is a specialist in contemporary art.

The practice of selecting the curator is in itself a lengthy process, managed by the Arts and Culture Portfolio of the MTN Foundation. The enterprise calls upon previous curators, judges and peers in the industry to nominate a talented individual with proven expertise in contemporary art curation, and who is likely to make the most substantial contribution to capacity-building in the field.

This year, the role fell to Nontobeko Ntombela. It is her vision, which will elaborate months of research of emerging artists in all nine provinces of South Africa that will give the exhibition, which will be held in September – Heritage Month – its definitive flavor and intellectual under-pinning. Ntombela’s comment about the exhibition was, ‘We can look forward to an exciting, fresh exhibition of cutting edge ideas dealing with current contemporaries ideas. The artists in the show complement yet contradict each other’s works through their use of medium and the concepts. This show will surely be a good reflection of the current contemporary practice in South Africa. Formulating an exhibition narrative in the presentation of work will be quite exciting.

The MTN New Contemporaries Award is distinctly different from conventional art competitions in South Africa as it is entirely unsolicited by the artists it honours. The competition also discards old stereotypes about art and foregrounds our artists as a source of new ideas and media.

“The concept of the MTN SA New Contemporaries Award contributes to the preservation of South Africa’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. Held every two years, this year is different in that it is the fifth year running meaning that we have had ten years invested in the emerging contemporary art field,” continues Eunice.

Sculptors Create Unique South African Art

World Cup fans looking for a break from watching the art of soccer can slip out to see a different kind of artist at work in the heart of Natal Midlands, it's home to South Africa's most remarkable groups of artists

In this sculpting studio at the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains --winged elephants sit next to birds, sculpted lions and flying warthogs.

The artists here work tirelessly to perfect their pieces. Each one is hugely imaginative and all involve animals or references to life and nature in some way.

Victor Shabalala is one of Ardmore studio's most accomplished sculptors. His work is exhibited in Christie's of London, and sold internationally.

Petros Gumbi has been sculpting with Ardmore since 1999. Gumbi previously bagged groceries at the supermarket, but he has clearly found his calling with clay.

After the pieces are painted with painstaking attention to detail, they are glazed and fired, before finding their way to a showroom, gallery or shop.

Mark Read is the owner of a upscale gallery in Johannesburg. Read has has exhibited Ardmore pieces in his gallery and says he is a big fan of their work.

Ardmore pieces are now sold in stores in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as exhibited around the world.

Source: Ebru News

Local South African Art in Full Flower at Major Sale

Irma Stern's still lifes will take pride of place, and sculpture gets a showing, writes Christina Kennedy.

Stephen N Welz says there is an interesting conundrum about South African art on auction.

Welz, who heads up fine art auction house Strauss & Co, says: "It is easier to sell a R1-million painting than a run-of-the-mill R10000 painting - unless the latter is a remarkable example of the artist's work. The lower market is feeling the pinch, but you'll find that those who could afford to pay R1-million can still afford to pay that."

This would suggest that entry-level collectors could pick up some bargains at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead on May 24, if they have the cash available. That is when Strauss & Co's next fine art auction takes places. Welz describes it as "undoubtedly the largest number of major paintings to come on to the market for a long time".

A selection of prime Irma Stern still lifes from different periods of the artist's career will take pride of place. Still Life with Gladioli and Fruit is estimated to fetch R4.5-million, and Welz says Still Life With Dahlias and Fruitcould set a collector back R6-million.

Also going under the hammer is JH Pierneef's 1949 painting Barberton, which should fetch up to R1-million. "It's one of Pierneef's more painterly landscapes," says Welz.

There are also a number of works by the likes of Alexis Preller, Maggie Laubser, Maurice van Essche and Maud Sumner up for auction, with Welz advising that Sumner is an "underpriced" South African artist whose work should make a sound investment - especially her The Thames at Sunset. Preller's major work, The Flower King is a noteworthy addition to the auction palette.

Other major artists whose work can be snapped up are William Kentridge, Colbert Mashile, Robert Hodgins, Helen Sebidi and Gregoire Boonzaier.

A fascinating feature of the auction is a number of sculptures by a loose association of artists known as the Amadlozi Group - Edoardo Villa, Cecil Skotnes, Sydney Kumalo, Giuseppe Cattaneo and Cecily Sash.

Amadlozi - meaning "spirit of the ancestors" - held their first exhibition, co-curated by art dealer Egon Guenther, in his Johannesburg gallery in October 1963. The exhibition also toured Italy, but they never exhibited again together as the Amadlozi Group. Despite this, the influence of these pioneering artists' on the development of South African art is regarded as profound.

Welz talks about the "last-chance syndrome" of auctions, when a collector who has been waiting years for a particular work will "beg, borrow or steal" the money to purchase it. "Most art collectors buy with their hearts," he says. "The investment aspect is there, but is relatively low."

He says that "in the 40 years I've been in the industry, South African art has held up remarkably well, and now people who had confidence in it are reaping the rewards. "

Source: www.timeslive.co.za

By: Christina Kennedy

After French Restitution of Maori Heads, African Sacred Artifacts Next?

A mummified Maori warrior head at the Rouen museum, in France, finally returns home to New Zealand after more than 200 years. This unexpected decision also concerns 15 other heads in several museums across France. The issue was triggered by a bill that was originally passed by the French Senate in June 2009 and adopted Thursday, April 29, by the majority in the National Assembly. It came into effect on Tuesday. But could this new legislation revolutionize the landscape in what concerns the restitution of African cultural assets?

Eight years after the passage of a bill that saw the handing over of the remains of Saartje Baartman, a.k.a. the Hottentot Venus, to South Africa the adoption of a new French law by an overwhelming majority could encourage the debate on the restitution of cultural property.
Thursday, April 29, members of the National Assembly voted en masse to adopt a bill that seeks the return of 15 mummified Maori heads, dotted around several French museums, back to New Zealand.

Proposed by Catherine Morin-Desailly, centrist Senator of Rouen, the bill was accepted by the Senate last June (2009) without amendment, by all present.

And the solemn vote that took place Tuesday, May 4, marks a point of no return towards a final adoption of the bill, with 457 MPs in favor and a meager 8 against.

The decision comes as a total surprise, considering that a request for the return of one of the Maori heads, at the Rouen Museum, had been rejected by the French authorities some three years ago, after some enthusiasts argued that other collections could be affected.

But is this the end of the road for countries seeking the return of their cultural property?

Although uncertain, Abdoulaye Camara, former president of the Museum of African Art in Dakar believes that "it’s a huge leap forward. Before this law, European museums did not want to hear about restitution. Now they are beginning to consider it. This can set into motion the issue of restitution of African cultural property."

It is a complex bill that only concerns human remains for now. Human remains that some museum officials have said could have been products of murders perpetrated in the search for exotic collector items in Europe in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

But "can humans be considered a collector’s item?" Asks Mr. Camara. The answer is yes. And it is precisely on this point that this new legislation could be considered as being revolutionary.
It seeks to "reactivate" a procedure to downgrade public collections deemed "inalienable". The procedure is expected to allow for the return home of many human remains exhibited as exotic oddities, more often than not, within the confines of Western museums.

"The ordinary mind can hardly fathom how these human remains could have stayed without burial, and far from their homeland," says an outraged Abdoulaye Camara.

And the French National Assembly (Parliamentary) Relations Minister Henri de Raincourt agrees: "From a ritual showing the respect of a tribe and family toward their dead, the mummified heads became the object of a particularly barbaric trade due to the curiosity of travelers and European collectors".

This piece of law therefore answers an ethical question that has been ignored for a long time. These human remains, which on the one hand are regarded as collectors’ items or pieces of art by Western art enthusiasts, and sacred by their own people on the other hand, can finally enjoy their long overdue homecoming and burial.

The preserved Maori head in Rouen was offered by an individual in 1875. Several cities around Europe, including Geneva, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Copenhagen have already responded positively to New Zealand’s request for restitution.

Last year, The Netherlands gave back the head of King Badu Bonsu II, beheaded in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) 171 years ago by the Dutch, to Ghana. His head had been preserved in formalin and kept in the reserves of a medical center.

In 2002, France gave the body of Saartjie Baartman back to South Africa. After her death, the South African woman’s corpse was cast in plaster and dissected, nicknamed The Hottentot Venus and displayed at the Museum of Mankind (Musée de l’Homme) in Paris.

"There are some things which are above art and which should remain sacred," Catherine Morin-Desailly told the Associated Press.

Source: afrik.com

By: Alicia Koch, Patrick K. Johnsson

Soccer Art From Fifa 2010

(Jackson Hlungwane, Hand of God, 1989. Wood. 88.5 x 55 cm. )

(Gerard Bhengu, A Goal, 1926. Pencil and watercolour on paper. 21.3 x 33.2 cm.)

(William Kentridge, Bicycle Kick, 2009. Official FIFA art poster. 100 x 70 cm.)

This (football) flagship exhibition, will showcase a range of artworks that respond to the global phenomenon of soccer and the passion it evokes. The exhibition, which runs from 1 June to 17 July 2010, focuses on the African continent, with a significant South African component and, of course, the enthusiastic support for the South African national team is featured prominently.

Artworks are drawn from the Standard Bank African Art Collection and from other South African collections, as well as loans from international sources and several specifically commissioned works. Designed to showcase the full spectrum of cultural manifestations of the love of soccer, the exhibition includes makarapas (crafted soccer helmets), vuvuzelas (embellished soccer trumpets), commercially produced soccer merchandise (such as clothing and taxi bumper stickers) as well as personal tributes created by adoring fans and fine art by internationally acclaimed artists.

Other components of the show are local cartoons from the popular press such as Super Strikers, in-depth analyses such as BBC’s History of soccer: The Beautiful Game starring soccer legend Pele, and photographic essays, for example, a feature on African soccer audiences by Nigerian filmmaker and photographer Andrew Dosunmu. Historical and contemporary artworks are included, from a Zulu staff commemorating Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey, to a commissioned sculpture by Johannes Maswanganyi.

The exhibition title is drawn from the traditional South African celebratory cry on a goal being scored. The exhibition is curated by Fiona Rankin-Smith of the Wits Art Museum, and will be accompanied by a catalogue of images and essays.

Source: blogs.timeslive.co.za

South African Art, Its Masters And The Politics Of Social Change


By Deri Jenkins, from blackafrica.net



South African art, its masters, world renowned paintings and grass roots artists alike have all been shaped to some extent by the politics of social change over the past century. Artistic practice in much of South Africa has been affected by official policies of racial segregation, wars, economic and political migration, and an infinite number of marginal influences that combine to form the creative identity of the artist and their choice of subject. In the early years of British colonial rule great masters such as Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886 -1957) were exiled in Holland due to the Anglo-Boer Wars. Undoubtedly artists such as him evolved their creative genius through painting and education abroad. These skills and influences were then adopted by other South African painters when these old masters returned from their exile.


The exchange of ideas between European colonial artists and their native black counterparts was not just a one-way process. Although missionaries, patrons and educators exposed African artists to western artistic practices, so too did many white South African modernists adopt African aesthetic elements and collaborate with like minded black South African artists. Walter Battiss (1906 -1982), Alexis Preller (1911-1975), and many other South African artists united to form The New Group. These artists explored an unconventional modern art whose foundation was centred about the integration of African and European aesthetics. They also organised exhibitions celebrating the paintings of black South African artists such as Gerard Sekoto (1913 – 1993). This social trend continued throughout the early 1900s, until the Era of apartheid that began in 1948.


During apartheid, artistic practice and the subject matter of paintings in South Africa took a radical shift. African art in general could be considered as activist art, always provoking reactionary attitudes in those that view it. Much of the artwork produced in this era is anything but passive in its visual impact or political message, its purpose was social change! Although artists played a prominent role in the resistance movement, politically minded artists such as Michael Maapola (1964 – present) were persecuted, and black artists work was rarely exhibited. Much township art was destroyed by security forces, leaving a significant gap in the nation’s cultural legacy. Louis Khela Maqhubela (1939 – present) whose paintings are a combination of abstract figures, symbolism, and genre scenes of everyday life, continued to exhibit his work during apartheid. Artistic protest took the global stage at the height of sanctions and the cultural boycott. A French based association called Artists of the World against Apartheid launched a global appeal for artists to contribute to a collection of anti-apartheid paintings. This significant fusion of works is perhaps South Africa’s single most valuable international art collection once estimated at over 13 Million Rand. The end of apartheid in 1990 saw the home-coming of the collection, and the full integration of South African artists into international artistic community following elimination of the United Nations cultural boycott.


South African Paintings Achieve Records For Established Art Masters


Apartheid undoubtedly inspired a lot of influential art in South Africa. The liberating voices of artists did much to capture the attitudes and opinions of people during this time. The cultural value of these works is indisputably priceless, however what of the monetary value? Has South African art seen a progressive increase in value since the end of apartheid? Can South African Masters set records at auction like their European counterparts have been doing in recent years?


The South African art market would indeed seem to be following world trends, South African paintings have been realising fabulous prices. The art market is booming on a global level and South Africa is no exception. In 2007, Bonhams of London established their first-ever auction solely devoted to South African art. It saw over $2,000,000 worth of art being auctioned, the sale included works by major South African masters. It is a valuable indication therefore about the position of modern South African art internationally, and that these paintings are no longer of interest only to the domestic art market.


Irma Stern’s The Tomato Picker was knocked down for $310,000 against the catalogue pre-sale estimate of $160,000-$240,000. Sekoto’s Wash Day achieved a hammer price of $140,000, and Alexis Preller’s Portrait of a Girl fetched $64,000, more than double the upper pre-sale estimate of $30,000. Walter Battiss’ portrait of his wife, artist Grace Anderson, was bid at four times the higher estimate, fetching $20,000. Jentsch also sold well with a top hammer price of $64,000 for The Namib Desert.


Gerard Sekoto’s works seem to be at the crest of the wave that has propelled contemporary South African art into the leading edge of the global art market, seeing a 300% rise in recent years. Sekoto’s self portrait shattered previous world auction records for the artist and fetched an amazing $246,900. Given this current trend 2008 should be an exciting year for contemporary South African art. Private buyers, collectors and museum and gallery curators from the USA, Europe and beyond have all registered serious interest in Bonhams’ forthcoming sales in 2008.


The Evolution – Nurturing The New South African Art Masters


Who will be the masters of tomorrow?


It is evident that artistic practice in South Africa has been affected by racial segregation, wars, and political migration, but what of the artists themselves? Apart from rendering future influences in creative style and expression through their paintings, what else have they done to nurture the next promising generations of South African masters?


Gerard Sekoto has been described as: “South Africa’s pioneer of urban black art and social realism”. Following his death in 1993, The Gerard Sekoto Foundation was formed. It was Sekoto’s expressed wish that his Estate should be used to uplift art education for young South African children. He knew that formal art education was not offered in schools during the apartheid era, and The Foundation goes some way to rectify the wrongs of the past. South Africa will someday celebrate its new masters, due to the efforts of institutions such as The Foundation, The National Arts Council and workshops run by Thupelo. However let’s not just dream of the future, what of the present day?


Contemporary art emerging from South Africa is exciting in its breadth and expression. Any creative works to come from a nation with such a unique and varied history deserves unrestrained attention. One should not just think in terms of safari and wildlife paintings.

Although a commercially popular genre this does not come close to characterising the depth and variety of works currently been created by educated and professional artists in South Africa. Browse through our galleries and you may just stumble upon the next South African Master!

Showcasing South African Art to World Cup Visitors

Art graduate Riason Naidoo is proud to host an exhibition at the revamped Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town in time for the World Cup.

Naidoo, who is director of the newly revamped Iziko South African National Gal- lery in Cape Town, hopes to use indigenous art as a canvas to portray the history of the country and talent of local artists to visiting World Cup soccer fans.

The gallery re-opened last week, after a six-week revamp, to host a new exhibition celebrating one 100 years of South African art entitled: "1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective."

This is Naidoo's first project after being appointed as director of arts collections at Iziko in May 2009. Naidoo decided to embark on this project ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

"I thought the World Cup is our time and it will be imperative to showcase South African art during this times, especially with the large number of tourists who will be visiting our shores," he said.

"The context of the World Cup also allows for a reflection on the diversity, strength and uniqueness of our own art history."

Naidoo and his staff used the time when the gallery was closed to source an exhibition which reflects SA's contribution to art and offers a glimpse of future artistic talent.

Naidoo's passion for art began at a young age when he started drawing and painting. It was at the beginning of his high-school career at Woodhurst Secondary, Chatsworth, that he was encouraged to study art by a teacher who saw his unique artistic talent.

After studying architecture for three years, Naidoo decided to follow his dream and pursue his first love of art.

He graduated in Fine Arts from the University of the Wit- watersrand in 1995. He recently completed his MA in Fine Arts at the same university while working on various projects.

His studies and interest in art has taken him to many countries, including India and France after he was awarded two scholarships.

The first was at the University of Baroda in India in 1997. Naidoo said his travels in India helped him "grow as a person" and rated it as an interesting experience.

During this time he observed the difference in lifestyles of people living in India and South Africans of Indian origin.

"Our value system is different from theirs. India is very much centered on the person and not the material side of things, which I think is special," said Naidoo.

His second scholarship was at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Bordeaux in France in 2001. After his return from France, he coordinated art projects for the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS).

Naidoo was also the art director of the South Africa-Mali Project: Timbuktu Manuscripts from its launch in 2003 to its culmination at the inauguration of the new building in January 2009.

He was tasked with helping the Malian government conserve the historic manu- scripts, which are testimony to a history of scientific inquiry, the writing of poetry, intellectual discourse and philosophical reflection.

One of the projects closest to Naidoo's heart was the Ranjith Kally exhibition which he regards as one of the highlights of his career.

He managed a photographic exhibition on the themes of memory, identity and race politics based on the work of photographer Ranjith Kally in 2004 and The Indian in DRUM magazine in the 1950s that have been hosted in museums locally and in Mali, Austria, Spain and France.

"That was a special moment for me. I did everything myself. It was rewarding that Kally got the attention that he deserved. All the major galleries bought his collections which was great," said Naidoo.

He gathers inspiration for his exhibitions and paintings from wanting to start afresh and recreating history and work that has been done.

"For me it's about doing something new. I am preoccupied with representing South African art, especially bringing together neglected history which is driven by my activism," he said.

Aside from his love for art Naidoo takes time out to cook which he enjoys doing when he has time. He loves travel- ling and considers himself a world music lover.

He hopes to open up South African art to the world and is encouraged by what the national gallery currently has to offer.

"I want to open up our gallery to beyond our borders, especially to the Afri- can continent.

"I have worked in Africa and know the quality of African art and what we have to showcase. The national gallery has the richness in art to showcase work from other countries as well," said Naidoo.

Source: www.timeslive.co.za

By: Avashnee Moodley

South African Paul Emmanuel on Display at Smithsonian's Museum of African Art

South African artist Paul Emmanuel’s “Transitions,” an installation of five drawings and the critically acclaimed film 3SAI: A Rite of Passage, will open at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art May 12 and continue through Aug. 22. The exhibition, which debuted in 2008 at The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, addresses issues of identity, particularly those of a young white male living in post-apartheid South Africa. This is the first North American stop for the exhibition and video presentation. Both were very well received throughout South Africa, and the film has been featured in international film festivals where it garnered high praise.

The artist and exhibition organizer Les Cohn of Art Source South Africa will discuss “Transitions” Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. in the gallery. The program is free and open to the public.

“This provocative exhibition by Paul Emmanuel continues the tradition at the National Museum of African Art of showcasing the work of South African artists and attests to that country’s prominence as a dynamic center of outstanding contemporary art,” said Christine Mullen Kreamer, deputy director and chief curator. “In addition, the exhibition puts a spotlight on the wonderful art of drawing.”

“Transitions” comprises a series of five ostensibly “photographic” works which, when examined closely, reveal sensitively hand-drawn, photo-realist images on photographic paper. The works contemplate manhood and the transitions an individual goes through in society.



The adjacent video installation explores the liminal moments of transition, when a young man is either voluntarily or forced to let go of one identity and take on a new identity as property of the state. The 14-minute film documents the head shaving of new recruits at the Third South African Infantry Battalion (3SAI) in Kimberley, one of two South African military training camps that still perform the obligatory hair shaving of army recruits joining the South African National Defence Force.

For the artist, such observed moments raise questions about what one actually witnesses in such rites of passage and how these and similar “rituals” help to form and perpetuate identities and belief systems throughout history. Why is one so powerfully drawn to and transfixed by these dramatic spectacles of subtle change and moments of suspended possibility and impossibility?

A graduate of South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand in 1993, Emmanuel was the first recipient of the prestigious Ampersand Fellowship, which recognizes emerging South African artists and supports a residency in New York. He was born in Zambia and lives and works in Johannesburg.

Of “Transitions,” the artist has said, “The production of this body of work is a love affair with concept and surface.”

South Africa’s Iziko Re-Opens with New Exhibition

After being closed to the public since 1 March 2010, the Iziko South African National Gallery re-opened its door on Thursday, April 15th.

The much anticipated exhibition, 1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective, will offer a fresh look at a century of South African art, curated by Riason Naidoo, Director of Arts Collections at Iziko.

The exhibition “1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective,” curated by Riason Naidoo, newly appointed Director of Arts Collections at Iziko, provides insight into the soul of our nation, spanning the length and breadth of this country, from the hilltops near the Union Buildings to the townships of Cape Town. The exhibition showcases the history and diversity of modern and contemporary South African art, from the formation of the Union of South Africa a century ago, to the present.

It starts with the period under British colonialism - when the idea of a modern South African state had parallel developments in the art world - which began to articulate a unique identity in relation to the rest of the world.

The exhibition has two primary aims: to show the Gallery’s permanent collection as well as a reflective selection of art from around the country. While the exhibition aims to showcase prominent artists and art works, many of the loans also offer exposure of some less known artists and pieces. It simultaneously endeavours to reflect on important moments in South African history during the last century.

Audiences can look forward to modern gems and rare treasures by Gerard Sekoto, Irma Stern, George Pemba, Maggie Laubser, Gerard Bhengu, Durant Sihlali, Dumile Feni and Jane Alexander’s Butcher Boys. The exhibition acknowledges important developments in local art history such as Polly Street, Rorke’s Drift, DRUM Magazine, Resistance Art, and the rise of South Africa’s energetic contemporary art scene with contemporary pieces by artists such as Nandipha Mntambo, Stuart Bird and Nicholas Hlobo.

While reflecting on art from around the country over this period, it is also important that we take cognisance of the dangers of nationalism. One of the most traumatic events since the new democracy came into being has been the sporadic xenophobic attacks in 2008, which left many bodies in its wake and thousands mentally scarred. With this in mind, we have also included the exhibition US, curated by Bettina Malcomess and Simon Njami. Artists such as Justin Brett, Frances Goodman and Donna Kukama are some of the featured young artists that give expression to this issue, which allows the overall exhibition to include a whole new generation of emerging artists and bring the making of art in this country over the last century full circle.

1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective is a must-see exhibition which coincides with the expression of a new vision for the National Gallery under director, Riason Naidoo. “The new vision - one that is more inclusive of the audiences we appeal to, more critical in the selection of our exhibitions and in the work that we acquire for our collections, more diverse in the people that make up our committees and in the staff that we hire and more inclusive on a national level – will facilitate and enhance the representation and relevance of the gallery as well as putting it at the forefront of change,” says Naidoo.

Jacaranda Tribal Features Ndebele Beadwork this April

A culture inflicted with a history of strife and conflict, the Ndebele of South Africa have used the art form of beading as a means of expression. Known as ukupothela in the tribe’s native tongue, this beadwork is intricate with small white, black and brightly colored beads weaved together to create trains, capes, aprons, dolls and even containers.



Since the mid-20th Century the beadwork of Ndebele has won International fame and recognition. Mainly part of the female ceremonial clothing, the beads are sown onto skins and canvas. Smaller objects, such as necklaces, arm and neck rings and headbands, are also produced with the beads and are worn during rituals and even weddings.

The following images are from the Smithsonian Institution’s online image collection and they picture Ndebele Women creating beadwork.

To see the featured Ndebele Beadwork from Jacaranda Tribal, visit the exhibition’s page.


SPace. Currencies in Contemporary African Art.

Source: Times Live, South Africa

In May, SPace a contemporary African art exhibition at Museum Africa will be opened. Curators Thembinkosi Goniwe and Melissa Mboweni presented their curatorial concept to a group of interested parties in mid-March.

It should be an exiting exhibition. Paul Mashatile, deputy minister of arts and culture has said that “we are encouraged that this will be done by Africans themselves telling their stories, reflecting on their own personal experiences, proudly reaffirming the saying that: nothing about us, without us.”

Goniwe explained how SPace which will embody “two notions, space and pace, which signify sites/contexts and tempos/energies that are part of societal make up… Our preoccupation is with ideas, experiences and practices of contemporary African artists, curators and intellectuals.”
And he says, “Art also provides moments for engaging with profound human qualities such intimacy, beauty and pleasure.”

With these qualities in mind, will curators have to censor the exhibition.

One of the confirmed artists exhibiting at SPace is Nandipha Mntambo. Not long ago we heard about her, other women artists and the Department of Arts and Culture. At a Constitution Hill exhibition in August last year Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana walked out, calling the work “immoral”.

The presentation of the exhibition was the wrong place to be asking about censorship – Goniwe said so. But it was hard not to wonder as the Department of Arts and Culture has endorsed this exhibition.

Nevertheless, this could prove to be a compelling exhibition starting the 11th of May.