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Football may be the top choice of things to
do in Joburg this year, but the City and its partners are making sure its art
is also showcased.
THE 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will bring with it
hordes of visitors to Johannesburg, many of whom will be curious to know what
the City has to offer besides football.
There will be a video installation by renowned artist William Kentridge during the World Cup
To this end, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG),
together with the City's department of arts, culture and heritage, is organising
a series of exhibitions, multimedia installations and events showcasing
Africa's rich artistic culture.
The exhibitions, some of which will be run
in collaboration with embassies of countries taking part in the football
tournament, will take place at the JAG and various places around the city during
the event.
"There are four major events planned for
2010 at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. The main event will be an Afro-Cuban
exhibition called Without Masks," says Antoinette Murdoch, the gallery's chief
curator.
Opening on Africa Day, 25 May, Without
Masks is a collection of works by 25 contemporary Cuban artists, curated by
internationally renowned curator Orlando Hernandes. The collection, consisting
of 80 works, covers a relatively short period - from 1980, the date of the
oldest work, to 2009. However, the majority of the art was created after 1990.
"We have chosen this brief period of Cuban
art because in many ways it is in this interval when the treatment of Afro-Cuban
themes acquires new characteristics that remarkably contrast with relatively
stereotyped, idealised or picturesque nature predominant in former periods, particularly
during the entire 19th century and a good part of the 20th century," says
Hernandes in a statement.
The collection, he adds, may be considered
"in progress" in the sense that in the future, more works by artists of
different generations will be included.
At present, the artists included in Without
Masks use a variety of techniques, such as painting on canvas and wood,
watercolour, drawing, engraving (xylograving, silkscreen, collography),
collage, patchwork, installation, soft sculpture, photography, video installation
and video art.
Tracing history
Initiated in November 2007, it shows the
traces of Africa in Cuba's artistic culture, according to Hernandes. "The
exhibition has likewise intended since the beginning to propose itself as a
travelling event, emphasising in those regions inhabited by African population,
by peoples who belong to the African diaspora or communities of African
origin."
JAG is organising a series of exhibitions, multimedia installations and events showcasing Africa’s rich artistic culture
The artists, whom he describes as "varied",
explore two different themes: that of cultural and religious traditions of
Africa in Cuba, and that of the multiple problems related to the racial issue.
These are relevant themes considering that it the first time that the World Cup
is being held on African soil.
"These two great themes have been increased
by other totally infrequent or unusual aspects in this context, such as the
artistic representation of the political-military presence of Cuba in the wars
in Africa or the incorporation of new African figures and ritual traditions in
our religious practices due to the recent ‘Africanising' process or process of
reconnection with Africa that has been taking place in some religious circles
in Cuba."
Besides Without Masks, Murdoch says there will be a video installation by
renowned artist William Kentridge during the World Cup. The one-room show will
be run in partnership with the Goodman Gallery.
Also taking place during the same period is
an edited version of the Bamako African Photography Bienalle which took place
in November 2009. The exhibition, organised in conjunction with the French
Institute, runs in June and July.
The Goethe Institute will also partner with
the JAG to organise a media installation about football, either at the Drill
Hall or at the Spark Gallery. Called Harun Farocki's Deep Play, it is expected
to attract both football and art lovers alike.
The Spark Gallery in Orchards, in
partnership with the Brazilian embassy, will host a Brazilian Flag exhibition. It
will consist of various artists' interpretations of the South American country's
flag.
Neville Gabie and Elliot Brooke are also
expected to hold solo exhibitions during the World Cup at the same venue.
The popular Diski Striker vehicle from the James Hall Transport Museum
The City's arts, culture and heritage
department, in partnership with the James Hall Transport Museum, has several other
events planned in the run-up to the tournament, according to Sue Reddy, the
department's senior specialist: programmes.
Diski Striker
Already, together with the transport museum, it has held the 200 Days to 2010
road show around Johannesburg. Taking place on 22 November, on the road show
the popular Diski Striker vehicle drove through Sandton, Rosebank and the
Johannesburg CBD promoting the World Cup.
On 11 January, exactly 150 days before kick
off, the Diski Striker will begin visits to 12 Johannesburg malls. On the
visits, which will last four days, educational programmes will focus on the
tournament.
A parade is planned to mark 100 days to the
cup on Tuesday, 2 March in various areas of Johannesburg. Schools, groups,
institutions and clubs are encouraged to enter floats for the parades. They are
expected to run until the 50-day mark, when Vuvuzela Frenzy will be launched,
on 21 April.
During Vuvuzela Frenzy, Diski Striker and
scores of vuvuzela-blowing football fans will visit orphanages, old age homes
and places for the disabled. These visits will run until the Final Countdown on
Thursday, 10 June.
Then, at Promusica, the Basement will host
several jazz evenings during the event, according to Reddy.
"On top of this, Museum Africa will be
hosting the Africa Art Exhibition and the Joburg Theatre will be running the
football theatre production, Boys in the Photograph," Reddy says.
World Cup begins on 11 June and ends on 11
July.
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