Artists fundraising for each other’s mental wellness at Selby Arts hub

By Edward Tsumele

Artists have experienced probably one of the worst effects of the world pandemic as they could not perform, could not work and ultimately did not earn an income in the main as they depend on people attending shows in person. 

Crowds regulations during the hard lockdown implemented from March 2020, going into 2021, did not allow a certain number of people  gathering for whatever reason. As a result a number of artists suffered severely, with no income for basic essentials like food, school fees for their children and basically to go by. Some lost homes, cars and other investments they had worked for in their entire career as a result.

It is against this background of difficulties faced by artist that a group of them have come together to do something about it.

It is in this context that Stargazer Gallery presents Coming Home, a group exhibition of artists’ work in support of the Charity for Arts initiative founded by a collective of musicians, media practitioners, and visual artists in efforts to raise awareness about the need for mental health (and other issues) awareness within the creative industry.  

“Coming Home is a supplication to the Supreme Being for Self and  Oohers to return to stillness and our embryonic state in tune with our first home – the soil – Mother Earth. The premise of this show is based on the effects that the world is suffering due to a disconnect with Humanity, nature, and Self. Coming Homeis inspired by Alice Walker’s paraphrase Ugandan Poet Okotp’Bitek’s great poem In Search of Our Mothers Garden:

“O, my clanswomen 

Let us cry together!

Come, 

Let us mourn the death of our mother,

The death of a Queen

The ash that was produced 

By a great fire!

O, this homestead is utterly dead

Close the gates

With lacari thorns,

For our mother

The creator of the Stool is lost 

And all the young women 

Have perished in the wilderness!”

Coming Home, beckons us to lament and release the effects of the past two years of COVID-19. It fortifies the hope – above all – and assures us that with all our perished brothers and sister,thenarrative has not yet culminated for all young women (men and others). Coming Home illustrates the notion of creative suffering by highlighting that art exists in spite of patriarchy, affliction, depression, and death. If we dare to tend to Our Mothers’Gardens we may just find ourselves on the path of Coming Home (to self, healing, and restoration).,” a stament from the artist states.

Visual Artists on show: are as follows: 

• Percy Maimela

• LazyhoundCoka

• Samson Mnisi

• James Thomas

• Johan Nissen (Denmark)

• Malcolm Jiyane

• Neo Ramushu

• KamoheloMasemola

• Speakers: 

• Khethiwe Ngcobo – Film Producer

• LekgethoMakola – Director of the Javett Art Centre (University of Pretoria)

Performers:

• Tubatsi Moloi from Urban Village

• Malcolm Jiyane 

• Refiloe Rantsieng 

• Reggie Teys

• Dillaman Watts (Zambia)

• Bjorn Vido (Demark)

.Coming Home has three openings as follows:  25, 26, 27 March 2022 running till April  25, 2922, “The Opening is this Friday. Saturday and Sunday, we have events around the exhibition such as performances, a fashion show, and a music sound bath session,” the organizes add,.