(John
Muafangejo. Untitled 1974. With permission from the John Muafangejo Trust)
One of the highlights of the visual arts
component of the forthcoming National Arts Festival will be the extraordinary Impressions of Rorke’s Drift - The Jumuna
Collection.
Even as the nation marks South Africa’s
20th year of democracy and the completion of it fifth peaceful national
elections, the ugly past from which we have emerged must be remembered in order
to avoid repeating it – to paraphrase Santayana. Impressions of Rorke’s Drift is an excellent way to tap into and
explore this history of struggle and creation.
The artists who emerged from Rorke’s Drift
Arts and Craft Centre (1962-1982) are some of the most influential of South
African artists. But they, and the centre that offered these burgeoning talents
sanctuary and tutelage for two decades, survived a literally embattled
existence on the site of the iconic 1879 battlefield – black artists, telling
their stories to a local and an international audience, through the exchange of
art in a time of oppression and isolationism.
“Creatively and politically, Rorke’s Drift
was a twofold haven for black artists,” explains exhibition curator Thembinkosi
Goniwe, “Not only for the art training and processing of their thoughts and
aspirations, but also for developing a body of artworks that introduced them in
to the local and international art scene. Rorke’s Drift afforded black artists
a resourceful sanctuary to shape their careers and lives, encouraging artistic
thinking and crafting skills in a time when virtually the only other choice for
black people was hard larbour. In turn black artists exploited the opportunity
by producing works and some of them becoming professionals that promoted the
significance of Rorke’s Drift.”
Significant Rorke’s Drift Art and Craft
Centre ‘alumni’ include Sam Nhlengethwa, Pat Mautloa, John Muafangejo, Kay
Hassan, Dumisani Mabaso, Bongiwe Dhlomo, Azaria Mbatha, Paul Sibisi, Lionel
Davis and Sandile Zulu, among others. No complete formal archive of the
prodigious output of the centre’s artists exists but this collection, curated
by Goniwe, is drawn from the Jumuna family’s extensive private collection.
The exhibition offers the public the
unusual chance to see a significant body of work representing the Rorke’s Drift
legacy in a single exhibition, with a view to prompting dialogue on the impact
and importance of printing on South African art. In many ways, this collection
is partial political imprint, one that the apartheid authorities never intended
to exist, because of the centre’s vital role in training many black South
African artists who would otherwise have been denied the chance to practice and
hone their skills.
The exhibition showcases over 100 pieces
(mostly prints) from 17 artists, and a fascinating educational programme
accompanies the show, including input from experts within the print and art
sectors. The National Arts Festival runs from July 3 to 16 in Grahamstown.
For more information visit www.kizo.co.za
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