Who’s in Town?
Greatmore Studios was established in 1998 in response to a critical need for studio space and art-making facilities by the city’s artists ;it remains a space replete with history. In this September issue, TAG takes some time with Isky Gordan, a trustee of Greatmore Studios and Gill Walt to recall a history that has often remained silent. TAG mines their thoughts on progress made at Greatmore and hopes for future developments in the space.
TAG: Where does the story all begin?
Isky Gordan: Well it all began with one artist really, Sam Nhlengethwa (current co-director of Bag Factory) in the mid 90’s who along side David Cardy, and Robert Lorda converged to set up the Bag Factory. I was a trained doctor from South Africa living and working in the UK, but often returned home. I was interested in visual arts and fond of Sam’s work, a friendship soon developed that made links with the Thupelo Workshops emerging on Robben Island. Thupelo had already begun in the early 80’s by the efforts of Bill Ainslie and David Koloane and subsequently artists like Jill Trappler, Lionel Davis, Velile Soha and Garth Erasmus formed a strong team in Cape Town. They were searching for a site, an office to work from more efficiently; funding is often very marginal, and as a professional doctor, I could afford to purchase the house, 49 on Greatmore Street in Woodstock. Although there were some concerns with security we thought it was a well-located space close to the city and was in easy reach of Mitchell’s Plain the home to some of the artists. Robald bought the house next door,47 to form the further studios.
It was really payback time for me. I had been trained professionally in the country, and had succeeded in my career as a doctor in the UK.I saw the development of the arts in South Africa as oxygenating society.
TAG: Do you see a conflict of interests between the Bag Factory and Greatmore studios?
IG:I don’t think there is a conflict- pleasant competition is good. The only problems that arise are with funding. Inevitabily both organisations will appeal for money from similar funding streams.
TAG: What do you see as the future of Greatmore with relation to funding?
Gill Walt: Greatmore will always be an organization that demands funding. I am an academic and even when we embark on research projects we require funding from outside the institution. Greatmore Studios has proved itself, that it has a solid base, it can appeal for funding with complete confidence.
IG: Greatmore Studios is not a profit-orientated organisation. With an emphasis placed on transparency in the operations of projects, appropriate links can be made and strengthened with potential funders who are benefiting from boosts to the nations’ economy.
TAG: Greatmore celebrates it 10th anniversary in 2008, how far have we come, and what trajectory would you like to see it taking?
IG: We have come so far. The office is well organized; this is a professional organisation with programmes that work! We can’t put our feet up though. 2008 should see Greatmore expanding its studios to encompass 45 Greatmore Street… I see sadly an ethnic group missing at the studios- a pool of black female artists must be encouraged to become a part of the experience at Greatmore. A lot of black female artists are well trained but get caught up in craft and the priorities of raising their families -this makes applying for residencies almost seem impossible! Things don’t happen spontaneously, strategic efforts and research must be made to bridge this gap in the future.
Isky Gordan and Gill Walt return to South Africa and visit the Studios in Woodstock once a year. Over the past couple of years they have given Greatmore Studios full use of their guest lodge in which many visiting artists have come to know as ‘home’.
The process
TAG spoke to 3 artists preparing for the MOVEMENT exhibition opening Friday 22 September 2006, about the dynamics of their emerging work.
“I tried working with clothes, the different forms they assume, more or less in an ongoing experiment. Due to time constraints I don’t think my ideas came through effectively as I had planned, however I feel I have gained a very real and important experience during my residency, juggling several things in my career simultaneously…Beyond that my work looks at how dress conveys memory and movement and becomes a site of remembrance. I particularly work with old, worn cloths and have also produced narratives in pastel that will give an in road to how I conceptualise my existence. My pieces are individuated, but also resonate collective sentiments.”
Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, visiting artist from Nigeria
“I hope to exhibit finished works that I made during a recent Thupelo Workshop in Durban. The work is not linked with what I do normally, however it is important to me that it comes from where I was. The work developed numerous drawings with charcoal that I made during my brief trips to the market place, in Grey Street, where a throng of herb sellers, vendors selling their wares and crowds of passers-by converge in one area.”
Anthony Cawood, resident artist from Cape Town, South Africa
“During my experience at Greatmore Studios, I produced some works, and hope to finish most of them for the exhibition. I have enjoyed the time here and sharing a space has been a bit challenging at times, learning to accommodate another artist’s style of working. I did however enjoy the exchange of idea and the continuation of my artistic life…My works speaks about universal themes, about daily life and most of the work is open for viewers to put some of their own ideas on the canvas and get something out of it .I want my work to ask Why? and for viewers to answer those questions for themselves. The work open up rivers and gates of communication between people.”
Petros Ghebrehiwot visiting artist from Eritrea
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Reach an artist. Reach a community
Between the 23rd and the 30th September 2006, the artists at Greatmore Studios will converge to host a series of workshops that will form an internal “outreach” initiative. Embracing the notion that by equipping the artist, one broadens the scope from which they can teach others, artists in studio have encouraged each other to organise workshops that will expose one another to techniques and skills they have been unfamiliar with in the past. The initiative hopes to bridge the gap between knowledge and ignorance of certain artistic disciplines and dismantle notions of the isolated artist. The process promises to be fluid and loose and will include workshops on video editing, basic computer programming including use of PowerPoint and Photoshop, spinning, slipcasting, sculpting and print making amongst others. The project will be framed by the notion of ‘learn and teach by example’ a sentiment that characterises Thupelo workshops .The workshops will provide a site for rigorous exchange of ideas among artists. Artists are encouraged to reach out to underserved communities in the future with a more diverse pool of skills.
In conversation with Garth Erasmus
TAG caught up with Capetonian artist Garth Erasmus as he was making some final touches to recent work featured at an exhibition entitled Amajita in Conversation ,closing Friday 22nd September 2006 at the AVA. Garth Erasmus was one of the pioneers of the Thupelo workshops that emerged in the 80’s and serves as a committee member at Greatmore Studios.
TAG:We understand you recently arrived back from a Thupelo workshop in Durban. Fellow committee member Velile Soha, Madi Phala, Anthony Caword, accompanied you. What was your experience and what role did the Cape Town team serve?
Garth Erasmus: The workshops were in essence 3 working days with an exhibition that followed and were a response to a real need for an organised workshop in the region. It was encouraging to see a team of 20 young, Durban artists taking initiative. There was a lot of energy and the team from Cape Town merely offered expertise gained by participating in similar workshops in the past. The level of experimentation was high, as artists were exposed to other’s artistic techniques and encouraged to step out of their usual mode of operation.
TAG:What were some of the challenges that the team faced?
GE: The workshops are still so fresh in my mind…one has not had the time to reflect critically. Perhaps our greatest challenge was the physical working conditions .The workshops were held in town and bombardments by passers-by brought some distractions to the process. The challenge was to keep the momentum of the human spirit high. Some of these ‘distractions’ found expression in the work!
TAG: Are the pieces you are exhibiting here at Amajita in Conversation work subsequent of the workshop? Talk us through new developments in you art practice.
GE: Yes my flame pieces are work that emerged from the workshop and are my contribution to the conversation, ‘Look guys, I came back from a workshop and look what I did!’ I have always emphasised ‘improvisation’ in my work and some years ago I began incorporating sand as a new ‘medium’ in my work. Now I use fire in the process. I have a very strong ‘indigenous consciousness’ and I am concerned largely with my connection to the first nation, my Khoisan heritage and pre-colonial South Africa. My pieces explore identity in our post-apartheid nation, and are my attempts to ‘heal’ from past injustices and to make sense of a personal journey.
TAG: What was the curatorial brief? Why is an exhibition with an all ‘men of colour’ cast so important at this time in our history?
GE: With the rise in feminist rights universally, this is a conversation that needed to start. No strategy was mapped out. The exhibition is a fluid, informal dialogue between old friends who have worked the visual arena for over 20 years. It is also a multigenerational show with young artists like Kemang being featured.
TAG: You are an artist known for straddling your passion for music with fine art. Tell us a little of how that has found expression in a sound piece audible at the show entitled ‘Autobiographic’.
GE: I appropriated the metaphor of Amajita of converging experiences and decided to capture the raw sounds of people in transit in Bellville station, a vibrant place where four transport systems meet. I walked a ‘labyrinth’ for 56 minutes, and with a microphone in my bag recorded the unadulterated sounds of people moving through the station. Bellville is a very communal area where a lot of immigrants are and in a way I am commenting on rising xenophobic attacks in the area. The piece hopes to provide a comfortable space for people to dialogue.
TAG: Will we be expecting you at the next Thupelo workshop at Rorke’s Drift?
GE: I will definitely apply!
A Thupelo workshop, with will take place at Rorke's Drift, KwaZulu Natal from 11 to 26 November 2006 please visit www.greatmoreart.org for more details.
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IN THE LOOP...BEYOND GREATMORE STUDIOS
Of Want and Desire
The 4th of October 2006 marks the opening of a group exhibition entitled Of Want and Desire at the Joao Ferreira Gallery. Curated by resident artist to Greatmore Studios, Nadja Daehnke, the exhibition provides a tense dialogue between different understandings of, and approaches to sexuality. Among the featured artists are Vusi Beauchamp, Stuart Bird, Lien Botha, Liza Grobler, Nicholas Hales, Svea Josephy, Adrian Kraft, Dorothee Kreutzfeldt, Brenton Maart, Lesego Rampolokeng, Eric Rantisi, Leon Vermeulen.For more details contact The Joao Ferreira Gallery on 021 423 5403.
EXPERIENCE IT
OPPORTUNITIES IN RESIDENCY, COMPETITIONS & EXHBITION OPPORTUNITIES
Greatmore Studios’ revolving Visiting Artists Programme calls for applications
Our studios situated in Woodstock are committed to the development of the arts, and are calling for applications for artists from across the world for places available in our Visiting Artist Residency Programme. The programme will provide an opportunity for successful artists to spend three months in Cape Town, South Africa, developing new work, and working towards a collaborative exhibition at the end of their stay. Interested candidates are asked to send a curriculum vita, appropriate identification, images of recent artwork, a personal statement and relevant references to artmore@mweb.co.za. For more information visit www.greatmoreart.org .
Bag Factory invites artists to apply for International Residency in Johannesburg
The Bag Factory in Johannesburg, a sister organisation to Greatmore Studios invites mature and independent artists to submit applications to be considered for an international residency. The residency programme at the Bag Factory allows artists from around the world to spend a period of three months working in a collective of artists' studios. The programme offers artists a unique opportunity to interact with other local artists, expand their network internationally and to experience a climate of cultural diversity. For further details visit http://www.bagfactoryart.org.za/.
Artistic residency opportunities in Argentina
Residencia Corazón/The Heart Residency invites mature international artists, between the ages of 25 and 50, to apply for a residency programme in Argentina. The residency offers artists a personalized, free and independent artistic exchange where artists will enjoy the experience of traveling, creating and broadening their artistic network internationally. Artists will be asked to exhibit work towards the end of their residency in La Plata and Buenos Aires. Studio space, gallery space, accomodation and management services will be provided. Interested candidates are asked to send 15 images, a curriculam vita and a text stating the reason for interest in the exchange as well as relevant references. Visit www.residenciacorazon.com.ar for more information or e-mail JuanPablo Ferrer at residenciacorazon@hotmail.com or juampaferrer@hotmail.com
The Taipei Artist Village invites artists to participate in an international exchange in Taiwan
The Taipei Artist Village (TAV) invites artists from various levels of professional development to participate in an international residency, that sees artists from across Taiwan and around the world converging in an intercultural encounter. Residencies range from four to twelve weeks long and artists are selected based on the quality of their work, capacity to work across disciplines, and their interest in interacting with the general public in Taipei City. Full subsidy residencies are available to six successful international applicants and artists will be provided with free accommodation and studio space. There are two self-financed residencies also available. To obtain an application form and find out more about what to include in the application package, please visit http://www.artistvillage.org/en_artist_apply.htm. Only applications received by post will be accepted at The Taipei Artist Village, No. 7, Beiping East Road, Taipei 10053, Taiwan. Taipei Artist Village. Applications sent by DHL are recommended to meet the deadline. For further enquires email artistvillage@artistvillage.org. Applications close 22 September 2006.
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Call for applications for position of executive manager at Africa Centre
The Africa Centre, an organisation outside of Cape Town, that celebrates visual and performance cultures across the continent, is seeking an Executive Manager to focus on strategic, day-to-day direction of the organisation. The portfolio will include developing and meeting strategic objectives, developing new and innovative programmes and managing expenditure to ensure programme delivery. Applicants should display a strong understanding of political, social, educational and economic factors that influence African arts, culture and heritage. Strong knowledge of new and varied approaches to art curation, performance, representation and exhibition are encouraged. Candidates should hold a BA degree, and three years of senior management experience in a field with a cultural directive. CV’s can be forwarded to Heidi Newton-King via email to heidink@mweb.co.za. Deadline for entries is 20 October 2006.
Artists for Mercy calls for volunteers
Artists for Mercy is a team of, compassionate and motivated individuals, young artists, volunteers, students and established performing and visual artists who through online broadcasts seek to inspire youth to develop their musical talents through education opportunities. The initiative invites artists from various disciplines to participate in their projects. For more information email Ben Jaremko at benn@gaiaslap.com or visit http://groups.takingitglobal.org/GAIASLAP
Greatmore Studios calls for submission of applications for residency programme
30th September 2006 marks the deadline for artists to submit applications for residency at Greatmore Studios commencing January 2007 through to December 2007. All current resident artists are kindly asked to reapply for studio space. Applications should be accompanied by a curriculum vita, images (photographs or slides) of recent artwork, a motivational letter, a letter of reference and a copy of ID or passport .All particulars can be sent to artmore@mweb.co.za. For any queries contact André Barnard on 021 447 9699.
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