INTERSECTIONS

Exhibition from the KZNSA Young Artist Project, Southern Africa, 2009

The Young Artist’s Project (YAP) is an initiative started by the KZNSA Gallery in 2002 as a direct response to the absence of an institutional platform in KwaZulu-Natal for experimental practice. Initially the project invited four artists annually to present a first solo exhibition in the KZNSA Electric Gallery. Each artist was commissioned to present a new work or, where applicable, to realise a new component in an existing project.

The motivation of YAP is to assist the artist financially in realising a concept and to fundraise for the covering of exhibition costs, thereby allowing the artist to remove financial concerns from the creative process. In addition to the exhibition, YAP aims to provide each participant with a catalogue of their exhibition which contextualises their work within a socio-political and art framework locally, nationally and internationally. A seminar concludes the cycle of exhibitions, where participants present their findings, and engage in discussions of their work with other curators, writers and academic researchers.

As an extension of the initial concept, the KZNSA, funding partner Pro Helvetica and dala – a local art/architecture organisation – have extend the borders and boundaries of the project and the gallery. The 2009 Young Artists Project aims to link emerging artists from countries that border South Africa in order to develop a series of interventions in public space. Four emerging creative practitioners - Lesotho (Retsepile Moholi), Botswana (Mojorosi Modisane), Mozambique (Idelio Vilanculos) and South Africa (Michele Silk) - were selected to participate in the project. These artists worked in residency at the KZNSA for a month.

The purpose of this artist-in-residency programme is to develop a cross-border public dialogue on cities, space and art for social change in southern Africa. The project is aimed at developing meaningful collaboration and public participation in the practice of art for urban transformation.

The starting point for the project has been to explore the notion of intersections. Intersections are physical, conceptual, psychological and philosophical spaces where people, ideas and objects interact. Intersections mark meeting points in our cities and lives, some fleeting, others profound. The idea here is to explore the concept of intersecting spaces in southern Africa. How does our socio-political and physical environment condition these relationships? Through this discussion, how can we develop meaningful intersections that promote more humane and liveable cities?

YAP 2009 is as much about process as it is about the eventual outcome. For the purpose of this project the studio, the canvas, the gallery will be in the streets of Durban. The documentation of the process and products is exhibited at the KZNSA. A catalogue has been produced as a record of the process.

Intersections runs at the KZNSA until September 27. The KZNSA is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood. More information on 031 277 1705, email: gallery@kznsagallery.co.za or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za