The
Department of Arts and Culture and the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown –
commissioners and curators respectively of the 2013 South African Pavilion – have
announced the theme and some of the artists that will represent South Africa at
the 55th
La Biennale di Venezia.
Curator
of this exhibition, Brenton Maart, gives context for their choices: “To
understand how and why histories continue to impact on the world today,
contemporary South African artists are turning to the archive, and the
chronicles of history here become the building blocks for creative action.
Working with archives in a creative ways allows the artist to create work with
the potential to (de)construct ideologies, and thus change the course of our
contemporary world. In South Africa, specifically, artists may therefore be
seen as activists in the evolution of democracy, and it is this evolution that
is explored in Imaginary
Fact: Contemporary South African Art and the Archive.”
“The voices contained in this exhibition are as rich and
varied as those of the citizens of our country. They are bold and they are
brave. Some are already celebrated internationally, some are beginning to make
their voices heard. All are immensely talented and, as a nation, we are proud
of them and of the opportunity to showcase them to the world.” said Minister of
Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile.
The following artists have been contracted so far, to appear
as part of the exhibition: Joanne Bloch, Wim Botha, Kay Hassan, David Koloane,
Gerhard Marx, Maj a Marx and Philip Miller, Sam Nhlengethwa, Johannes Phokela,
Cameron Platter, Andrew Putter, Penny Siopis and Sue Williamson. Some of the
work represented will draw from the oeuvre of these artists, while some will be
commissioned specifically for this exhibition.
“The painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, film,
electronic and performance work on exhibition are as representative of the
diversity of concerns as of the kinds of archive they access. The curatorial
concept – artists who use materials of the past to comment on the contemporary
– is poised as an assessment to show where South Africa is, and how far it has
come, as the country approaches its 20th anniversary of constitutional
freedom.” explains curator Brenton Maart.
“The exhibition is about the protection and preservation of
our national heritage and the symbols and artifacts of that heritage.” said
Mashatile. “It is also about using the arts to question and challenge our
reading of the past, to reach a new understanding of it and to craft a new and
inclusive narrative for our country. We have no doubt that those who will be representing us at this
year’s Venice Biennale, will do so with pride and distinction. ‘
The
55th International Art Exhibition will take place in Venice from June 1 to November
24 2013. The title chosen by Exhibition Director Massimiliano Gioni for the
55th Biennale is Il Palazzo
Enciclopedico / The Encyclopaedic Palace.
The
National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The National Lottery
Distribution Trust Fund, Eastern Cape Government, Department of Arts and
Culture, City Press and M Net.
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