Bongani meets Cape Art Curators

Bongani...My Cape Workshop Experience:
An artitle called: “from Curation to Non-Curation”
By Bongani Mkhonza (A Curator I have never became)
01July 2008

Art curator-ship according to an oxford dictionary means a practice of being in charge of the art collection in a museum. Recently, in the first wave of our post-modern times, the practice of curator-ship has been re-defined as the art of putting exhibitions together. During this wave, there has been a lot of development in the art curatorial practice. We have witnessed the world recognition of African Curators like Simon Njami and many more. We have witnessed African curated exhibitions making headlines in Europe.
Also with these developments came a big hype about this kind of practice called art curator-ship. A lot of Artists and art Critics started calling themselves curators, a lot of exhibitions took for granted the great works by artists while praising the Curator that put the exhibition together, and through such experiences, the Curators became the superiors of art while the artists are overlooked as just the minor producers of art.

As an Artist and an Educationist having observed this, firstly I also wanted to become a Curator, but how does one becomes a Curator? In South Africa, there are no formal educational Institutions that produce Curators. When I saw an opportunity on the Internet to be trained to become the Young Cape Curator, I grabbed it with both hands, I applied for the opportunity, 28 art people from different backgrounds were short-listed, and I was amongst the five that were successful. At the end of this exercise we have to curate and produce an exhibition called Cape 09 in May 2009.

In January 2008 we attended our first session of training under the supervision of Gabi Ngcobo who was a Research Officer for Cape Africa Platform at a time. I want to dwell on my experiences on our second part of training that we just conducted during the last two weeks of June 2008.

When I arrived at Cape Town, I was picked up by Robert Weineck who is one of the founders of Cape Africa while it was called the Trans-Cape but he resigned later on. He is now back as the Young Cape Curator’s Co-ordinator. He took me from the airport to this exotic old dingy Hotel called Kimberly Hotel on Roeland Drive. On our arrival we met up with Andrew Lamprecht who is a famous Cape contemporary Artist and also a lecturer at Michaelis, who I was told that he lives there. On the following day we met the critic called Melvin Minaar who took us for a long session on art reporting and critical writing. Throughout his session, Melvin continually dismissing ‘the practice of curation’ even was questioning the term ‘curator’ itself. Also accusing Curators of using what he referred as ‘Curators Bubble’. According to Melvin this is a senseless ‘Jargon’ that Curators use to show their intelligence while excluding the very same audience that they are trying to rich out to. After that Robert Sloon which is a pseudo name for Chad who owns the Art Heat blogspot took us for another session. Sloon started off by encouraging us as Cape Young Curators to come up with new ways of taking art to the general members of the public.
According to Sloon, contemporary art practice should move beyond gallery and museum spaces. He showed us different moves of ‘pimping our blogs’ (to make our art blogspots more accessible and more appealing).
By the end of this first day I was feeling a bit angry as I have noticed through the two sessions that while I thought that finally I will become a curator, the practice of the first wave art curation is dying an early death.

Other than other sessions we had, we had to visit the Parliament Collection with the Curator Rayder Becker. Outside the Pailiament we were greeted by a lot of men in black suits and a lot of big German cars. It looked very seriously political. We had to bring our proof of identity and we went through several security checks before we were finally admitted inside the Parliament. One of the biggest challenges Rayder is facing is trying to hold on to the first wave of curation, having to curate the Colonial Collection in a new Parliament walls. Rayder repeatedly asking us as Young Curators: How does one curate the art that is seen to be representing the old regime in a new dispensation? How do we as Young Curators feel should be done with her rich but seen as old Collection. Through-out Rayder’s session I sensed a lot of tension and frustration simple because of the newly presented pressures of representation. It was like Rayder as a curator has assumed the baggage of having to explain herself over and over in trying to justify her curation practices.
Amongst the highlights were Andrew Lamprecht’s lectures on the development of Biennales, their successes and failures. And Brendon Bassey: Hear without fear, where we had to build our own musical instruments ‘that collects unnoticed noise’. It made us aware of different noises and sounds out there that we are not even aware of when engaging with public spaces. Not to mention a 4h00 am session 2666 studios where we watch Christian Nerf and his cohorts escaping to Robben Island with a self made boat which was later taken to Gugulethu (Gugulective) to be destroyed.

Lastly, one of the most effective sessions was with Paul Jorgenson and Monique Schiess. They are both coordinators of the Burning man which is a festival like gathering that happens at the middle of the Karoo desert about 300 kilometres north of Cape Town. This is a contemporary concept where people from all over the world come together for a week, built their sculptures made out of organic materials like wood, paper and glass them burn them at the last days of their stay. It is completely not commercial or buttering, which means that you are not allowed to sell or buy anything. It is based on the fundamental principles of gifting. It deals with issues of environment and communal society. This event is totally against the traditional ways of ‘curation’ and it put more emphases on making the artwork of that moment it time and destroy in order to re create the better one. These ideas are in contrast with ideas of making art work for commercial reasons. It also differs with looking at art as a commodity that art collectors and museums to collect and encourages making art for art sake.

Through all these above experiences in trying to become a curator, I have realised that the ‘curation’ practice as we always knew it is long dead and the contemporary world needs new ways and methods of engage in a public discourse where art is relevant to the issues of today and our future.

Technology (like internet and blogspots) offers us unimaginable tools of interactions locally and globally. Gone are those days where only the elite group of art curators, scholars and academics controls the art, now art is our vehicle towards addressing global challenges instead of preoccupations with defending our pasts. Public art, re-intervention art and the use of other forms of art are the future of engaging with the wider public discourse.

PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING BLOGSPOTS:
artcontemporaycurator.blogspot.com
capeyoungcurators.blogspot.com
southafricannationalgallery.blogspot.com

By Bongani Mkhonza
An Artist, Writer and Educationist
bonganimkhonza@gmail.com

Cape Touching Moments by Bongani Mkhonza

SA 'contemporary art will turn the corner' despite challenges

Cape Town, South Africa

The Corner Gunk
c. 21st Century
Artist: Unknown
Art Review by: Bongani Mkhonza: Curator Cape Africa Platform
Education Officer: Durban Art Gallery
15 June 2008
Cape Africa: YCP



Key Words
The Corner; The Private Corner; Corner House; Cape Corner; Cornering; Black Corner.
African, European, Indian and many other cultures melted together into one rainbow culture (is this true?). The artwork titled “Corner Gunk” at the Alfred De Pass Gallery is presenting the new reality of our social issues and challenges while questioning our histories as South Africans. This artwork takes the shape of our national flag but in reverse. The black part being the dirty corner that continued to be ignored and un-cleaned while re-painting white walls for our visitors to see. The reversal of the national flag could be addressing a range of issues from social mockery to regression since the adoption of our new national flag. One has to be very close though in order to notice this dirty corner. It has to be lived, it has to be felt, before even starting to comment about it. The rainbow rhythm of South Africa… (What a touching moment).

In our national flag what does this black triangular corner represents? From modern art galleries to ancient rock art sites, from museums to cultural villages, from jazz clubs to open air festivals has such critical issues been addressed. Who is willing to do the dirty job? A contemporary artwork like this one presents an opportunity for us as South Africans to go through our back yards, do our critical introspections in order to arrive at the space bigger and lighter than the empty corner where emancipation means the continued re-negotiation of meanings. Where it is acceptable to differ or to be different. Thus presenting endless possibilities of the ways one can live, feel and experience our South African culture.


Bushman family, members of South Africa's most ancient culture - © South African tourism.


My newly constructed corner full of endless possibilities –

Keep on Hanging: Bongani

ArtHeat

ArtHeat

Art Contemporary Curator: Bongani: Young Curator meets with Casco Land Project

Art Contemporary Curator: Bongani: Young Curator meets with Casco Land Project

Young Curator meets with Casco Land Project

Young Curator

Today I had an interesting meeting with the group called Casco Land. According to them, Casco Land Project is aimed as an opportunity to rethink how the site/ public space might interact with the complex social, cultural and economic fabric of different cities in South Africa. They have worked with Cape Town and Jo'burg and now based in Durban. My interest as a Curator especially on this group is sparked by their objectives of revamping ignored public spaces into engaging interactional, functional and public friendly spaces. My aim as a young Curator is to take contemporary art to the people. I am interested on contemporary projects that are aiming on increasing artisting public awareness. As I am presently involved with Cape Africa Platform, forming partnerships with Casco Land Projects will assist me in understanding public spaces as created architectural landscapes. These concrete jungles serve a particular function to the society.

In South Africa people's social and economical movements are still confirned by these Apartheid architectural landscapes which were previously designed to discourage large public gatherings, public interactions and that were also designed to segragate and discreminate. Our new challenge in a new South Africa involves restructuring these public spaces. I will meet with this dynamic group to brainstorm and share ideas every Friday at 14h00 at Warwick Triangle, Durban, South Africa.

Article by Bongani Mkhonza

( Cape Young Curator and Da Artist)

Cape Africa Experience

I would like to take this moment and share with you my Cape Africa Experience.
When I arrived in Cape, for me it was a soothing feeling, Cape is seemed so relaxed yet there is so much going on. I find it a bit dramatic that the sun set are around eight in the evening. People are so warm it must be the warm weather effect, like they say: people from warm weathers are warm and people from cold weathers are cold.
I joined a group of three other colligues that I am asigned with to put together a Cape 09 Exhibition. We started brainstorming crazy ideas so to say, then we came up with a single voice: Cape 09 should be taken to people; it should be most exciting contemporary exhibition ever curated. I would like to thank the Cape Managers for giving us young curators such a great opportunity to curate Cape 09.
To be continued....
Bongani Mkhonza (Young Cape Africa Curator)