Fred Clark and Math Room
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Transcript of Fred Clark and Math Room
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PAGE 30 Monday, 30 April 2012
Arts & Culture
Scott Smith
ALTHOUGH it wasnt the San Bushmenor Africa that originally inspired FredClarkes search for what he considers tobe something more pu re than moderncivilisation, it is the people of westernBotswana and their art which he hasused a s his medium to bri ng the mes -sage to city folk, who may have justforgotten what it is like to be a hunter-gatherer.
Clarke, who lives and works in Joburg,says that the time of preserving the Sanpeople as a primitive culture is overand the time for respectful and equalinclusion is now.
The result within the Arts on Mainspace of brick, mortar and steel is anarray of colourful prints and black andwhite sketche s, all with their own depthand representation of where they, theSan, come from what they feel, andhow they see themselves in the broaderworld.
Clarke reminds me that the eightartists who are part of this show are
the rst generation after the last of thehunter-gatherers and much of theirwork is a reference of their life andan exploration of what art is for them.Showing this kind of work in such a far
away place helps illustrate the impor-tance of how this art deals with theirchanging life.
The art was gathered from residentartists in a place called Kuru Art Cen-tre. A rough, tir ed plac e like the wildwest says Clarke, in Dkar, westernBotswana.
A lot of the artists are the elder womenin the group, but there is one particularyounger artist, Jan John, who stands outfrom the rest. There isnt much else upthere for them, said Clarke.
It is an honour to include these art-ists as contemporaries.
When asked to elabor ate, he said: Asa culture they are ancient and I want to
bring that life into the contemporar ynow. It is all about dialogue. It is not aretrospective show, it is about what ishappening now.
And to an extent Clarke does pullthat o. The Math Room space is fullof natural light, with cement and stoneoors and rusting beams of steel meldnicely with the wooden frame and thesurprisingly gifted and ne artwork ondisplay.
The visuals are decidedly Africanand, if you look a little closer, you ndinuences of Christianity, a residue fromthe missionar ies who run the art centre.
But if you look a little deeper, you see thehistory and the longing for their historyof the ancient culture that is theirs.
Clarke is quick to point out that Africanexhibitions have too much connotation ofcharity this show is just about the work,and what it means to the artist.
View it at the Math Room at the A rtson Main complex, east of Joburg, justshy of the rising sun.
While the exhibition runs only fora short time, from April 14 to May 6,Clarke says the response has been posi-
tive, with many a chara cter passi ngthrough the exhibition and comment-ing on the depth of the pieces.
The majority of the sale proceeds goto the artist and the ar t centre.
The San artwork is complementedby the work of Soweto artists BonganiKhumalo, Lehlohonolo Mkhasibe andVirginia Ramovha.
Watch a video interview of the artistsonline.
[email protected] @s_p_s
HUNTER-GATHERER METAMORPHISIS: Fred Clarke exhibitionEQUAL INCLUSION: Uplifting the San people. Pictures: SCOTT SMITH
Revitalising old cultureA young artist taps into the age old traditions of ourancestors and shares all at a new exhibition
City celebrationJoburgs youth come out to playZintle Makeng
SCORES of youth and hip hop lov-ers descended on Henry Nxumaloand decked it out for Joburgs biggestannual hip hop event when Newtowncommemorated Freedom Day with the6th Back to the City h ip hop festival in
and around OST (otherwise known asthe Ritual Stores).
A day of live music, street art, break-dancing, skateboarding, lm, streetfashion, gaming and more this was aspectacle not to be missed. Performersincluded a mix of both undergroundand commercial artists, including
Zubz, Tuks, Pro, HHP, Zakwe, Ltido,Morale, Kanyi, Dot Com, J Stash andKwesta. DJs on the decks were C-Live,DJ Kenzhero and DJ Raiko to name afew. Growing in leaps and bounds, welook forward to the next Back to theCity festival.
[email protected] EYE VIEW: Festival goers took to the scaffolding to get the perfect view of all theactivities.
WATCH THIS: The crowds were spellbound asdancers showed off their agility.
ROCK SOLID RAP: Rappers take centre stage to get the crowdapplauding.
PICTURES PRONTO: A gratti artist decorates a wall during the celebration of Freedom Day.Pictures: ELVIS NTOMBELA
FLYING HIGH: A rapt audience watches a dancer pull off a somersault
GREAT SHOW: Youngsters, who came in their masses, cheer for their favourites.
AIRBORNE: An artist has a go at stage diving.
