Artists Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaoana occupying galleries for the benefits of emerging artists and for public engagement

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

For some time now have heard about the project that the famous visual art couple Lawrence Lemaoana and Mary Sibande were doing, first at the Keys Art Mile in Rosebank, occupying gallery spaces where emerging artists work and n the process publicly showcase their process. After the completion of their projects the group of artists then have an opportunity to exhibit their completed work in a group exhibition.

When the information filtered through, that was enough to attract my interest, first of all because here are established artists who are engaging with fellow artists, not only offering them studio time (I am not sure if material is also offered), but also an exhibition space in a prime gallery that ordinarily is beyond access to them as independent and emerging artists not signed to any major gallery. Secondly, here is an opportunity for the public to walk in and witness artists at work, and after, which the same public have an opportunity to come back, if they wish, to see the very same work they would have seen during the process of creation, being exhibited.

I missed the Key Art Mile part of the process and exhibition, but a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to go to Smac Gallery in Parkhurst, and had an opportunity to witness a group of artists hard at work. They were focussed on their individual projects, and therefore I did not want to disturbed them, but had an opportunity to witness them hard at work, quietly. Seeing these artists hard at work, concentrating on their processes was good enough for me. I concluded that this indeed was an innovative work of making art accessible to the public, but also opening up opportunities for emerging artists to work in a suitable studio environment together with other artists, and hopefully they are able to give each other constructive feedback on each other’s work and process, and inevitably learn from each other to improve their practice.

“When they are done with their process, having completed their individual projects, they will then have a group exhibition here. What happens is that artists occupy a gallery space and work in it, after which they exhibit their works. This started at Art Mile where another group of artists were also given an opportunity to work and exhibit,” said curator and artist Mosa Kaiser. She until recently was a manger of the very same Smac Gallery where she and her colleagues were now working, creating work that was to be exhibited there. She left the gallery, she told me a few months earlier to work independently.

When I visited the gallery, I also found Sibande and Lemaoana busy at work, just like their colleagues. The space was indeed a hive of activity, preparing for the exhibition that was to take place there subsequently.

IN their own words here is how the two artists describe and define this important initiative:

“Occupying the Gallery by Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaoana hosted by LL Editions at SMAC Gallery, October – December 2023. The Occupying The Gallery project is an initiative initiated and launched by artists Mary bSibande and Lawrence Lemaoana. In “occupying the gallery” the project aims to transform gallery spaces into makeshift open studios for mentorship and artistic development. The occupied gallery opens its doors to nencourage and explore how peer and public engagement influences the process of creating art. Growing organically through the extensive professional networks of both artists, Mary and Lawrence, “occupying” seizes the opportunity of access and the existing momentum.

The first iteration of Occupying the Gallery took place at Keyes Art Mile, in partnership with Danger Gevaar Ingozi Studio. This collaboration led to the birth of “Bazobuya, Then Exhibition” which brought together a collective of artists that continues to evolve in its own ntrajectory. In this second iteration of Occupying the Gallery the project takes up residence in SMAC Gallery and partners with LL Editions, a fine art printing and lithography studio led by Master printer Leshoka Joe Legate.

Here, a new group of artists takes space and showcases works in progress as they use the gallery space for conceptualization, experimentation, and development. The public is invited to walk in and engage with the artists’ works at any stage of production. The gallery occupation will culminate in a final output of lithographs produced with LL Editions, which will be exhibited at SMAC Gallery. As this space is intended to provide emerging artists with a platform and accelerate their careers, all profits from the sale of artworks will go directly to the artists;

Participating Artists:

Mary Sibande
Lawrence Lemaoana
Londiwe Mtshali
Lungile Ngcobo
Mlondi Magubane
Mosa Anita Kaiser
Pamela ‘Sana King’ Mavuso
Sphatho Mzantsi
Tatenda Magaisa

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