The launch of journal of art to remember at JCAF
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
Had it not been for the fact that the year has not yet ended and to predict this event as the arts event of the year would be premature especially because events that may upstage this may still happen without any fear of contradiction or hesitation.
Tempting though. Those who attended the event will attest to the fact that it became a high class event in Joburg ART Circles to the extent that it is bound to remain in our minds for quite a long time.
What about the captivating discussion during the symposium the great performance by Mandla Mlangeni and finally the exceptional performance by Berlin based South African arts that just demonstrated the close relationship between visual art and classical music. These two art forms are clearly related; influencing one another. At least the artists who practice these genres. There is no need to explain here as those of us who attend the event came out energised both spiritually and intellectually. The opportunity for ideas exchange provided by the event was also something to behold between artists and collectors between academics and curators between young and old in fact among all the people who attended the event.
The inaugural JCAF Journal: Interdisciplinary Knowledge from the South was launched on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 December 2023. My attendance was on Saturday.
The launch programme included a symposium with contributing authors Pamila Gupta, Helena Chávez Mac Gregor and artist Nandipha Mntambo, as well as a performance of Pictures Reframed by Robin Rhode and Qden Blaauw, and the jazz performance Elusive Dreams in Jozi by the Afrikan Freedom Principle, led by Mandla Mlangeni.
Pictures Reframed is a unique performance centred around Modest Mussorgsky’s classical piano suite, combining music and Rhode’s signature visuals. The performance will be presented in South Africa for the first time. Pictures Reframed will be performed by prodigy Qden Blaauw and will conclude with a brief Q&A between the artist and pianist.
Elusive Dreams in Jozi will explore the cacophony of rhythms, harmonies and melodies that invoke the spirit of the city affectionately known as Jozi. From the interlocking sounds of the mbira, to the call and response chants of isicathamiya, the sounds of Johannesburg have been kneaded by a propulsive energy struggling to be defined by a singular character.
The journal will be available in early 2024 – in an online digital format and a limited edition print version that will be distributed to select institutions – reflects on JCAF’s curatorial programme and research initiatives over the past three years. The first research theme, Female Identities in the Global South (2020–2022), focused on exhibiting only women artists as a way of amplifying the voices of those historically underrepresented in museum collections and exhibitions across the globe.
From contemporary artists exploring identity and exile, to artists of the 1960s and 1970s pushing the boundaries of experiential art, and modernist icons who paved the way for other women artists, histories of women across the Global South, were mapped out over the course of the three-year programme.
“Since our launch in 2020, the exhibitions, lectures and publications at JCAF have focused on the contribution of women artists, architects and intellectuals; the historicising of contemporary practice and the foregrounding of the Global South as an epistemological framework for questions of identity within the multicultural context of South Africa,” comments Clive Kellner, Executive Director of JCAF. “The journal addresses and expands on those issues through contributions on specific artistic practices, reflections on postcoloniality and feminism, visual projects from architectural studios, photo essays, philosophical positionings and poetry.”
The publishing and launch of the JCAF Journal crystalises the three-year journey and brings the first research themeto an end.
About JCAF
JCAF is a foundation dedicated to research, technology and art. As a hybrid institution, JCAF combines an academic research institute, an innovative technology laboratory and a platform for museum-quality exhibitions. JCAF is a non-collecting foundation, which does not own art or house a private art collection. JCAF curates its programmes according to a three-year theme, the first being Female Identities in the Global South. Our ethos is to advance the appreciation of modern and contemporary art through the production, sharing and preservation of knowledge.
One of the unique aspects of JCAF is its approach to exhibitions, which proposes a personal encounter between the visitor and the artwork. Our aim is to slow down the experience of looking at and engaging with art, so as to instil an approach to viewing art that is reflective rather than consumerist. This is supported by an app that utilises beacon location technology (BLE) to push contextual content about the artist and artwork to a viewer’s mobile device. In addition to the BLE technology, the foundation has a touchscreen in which visitors can explore information about the building and organisation history, our research and previous exhibitions.
Events at JCAF are free but booking is required in order to reserve your place. Seating is limited.