13 - 27 February
Featuring works by Bernie Searle, Billy Mandindi, Willie Bester, Wonder Marthinus, Madi Phala, Pierre Fouche, Nandipha Mutambo, Dathini Mzayiya and Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi.
Milestones are very resonant symbols. They tell us how far we have come and how far we have still to travel.
This exhibition featured the work of nine artists associated with Greatmore Studios since the studios foundation in 1998. In the context of the exhibition, the artists themselves are milestones. Each one helped us to retrace the evolution of Greatmore Studios and consider the direction it might go in the future.
The artists who have passed through act as milestones in another way too in that they point the way back to Greatmore, spreading the reputation of the studios throughout South Africa and further afield, to Europe and the USA. Greatmore's physical location is a little off the beaten track, on a residential street in Lower Woodstock. But there isn't a gallerist or artist in Cape Town who hasn't heard of the studios. It has attained near-legendary status as a crossroads and meeting place for artists.
From Greatmore's beginnings, the input of already-established artists heralded its status as an important incubator for the next generation of South African artists. Greatmore provided (and still provides) much-needed studio space for mid-career artists. Collaboration, exchange of ideas and mentoring are actively encouraged. The enduring impact of Greatmore's influence can be seen in the careers of the artists whose work features in Milestones.
Eight of the participating artists have had or currently have studios at Greatmore. One of them, Willie Bester, has not. However, in 2009 Bester donated his Johnny Walker People's Choice prize totalling R100,000 to the studios. The act represents the generosity of established artists in sustaining Greatmore and fostering the next generation of artists, and, as such, truly embodies the ethos of the studios.
Show curator and Greatmore director Kate Tarratt Cross acknowledges the difficulty of selecting just nine artists for the exhibition when so many more have contributed to Greatmore's success. However, she explains that the nine artists chosen reflect Greatmore's journey to this point and showcase the studios diversity. She hopes that this exhibition will be the first in a series of curated exhibitions featuring Greatmore's alumni.
The exhibition was well attended and spectators were enthusiastic when they heard that this will be the first of a series of Milestone Exhibitions.
(Written by Eithne Owens)
