The Art of Art Fairs

Art fairs seem to be emerging everywhere, which is a good thing. They are crucial for the art world, and even more so for the African art scene.

The FNB Joburg Art Fair, now in its 6th year, is one of the many significant art fairs that take place annually on the African continent. This year's fair took place at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg from September 27 to 29, 2013. As always, it was a great event, and it continues to grow each year.

The Ayanda Mabulu painting and the controversy surrounding it during the art fair marked a victory for freedom of expression and visual artists in general. The media was out in full force to inform the public about the censorship, and Ayanda captured the spotlight. Here are a few interesting media comments I read...

"Douglass and Labushagne decided this was too controversial for them and removed the painting. Really, what did they expect, for goodness’ sake............They claim they didn't want to offend any politicians who would be attending, because some of their funding comes from government. Well, there's the first problem. Art and governments don't mix. That's kinda the point of art. Government is by definition the establishment. Artists, also by definition, are anti-establishment. And so the two will always collide." Stephen Groote, Daily Maverick, 30 Sept 2013 <Link>

Another interesting article was on Business Day Live:

"....Nonetheless, it is understandable that Douglas expected a high-level backlash against a picture directly castigating President Jacob Zuma — as an individual or as a symbol of the state — in relation to the Marikana tragedy. The government’s inability to tolerate criticism has made politicians the last sacred cows. Crass treatment of the human body, profanity, religious iconoclasm and anything else that might offend the prudish viewer do not seem to fall into the same category; if they did, Mabulu’s other exhibited works would also have had to go......" Chris Thurman, BDLive, 3 Oct 2013 <Link>

These two interested me, amongst the whole lot that was over the press about this. l have two points to make though.

First, while I am glad for Ayanda and delighted by the victory for visual arts against censorship, I feel that the art world’s focus on this controversy was somewhat unfair. It overshadowed other great artworks that were part of the fair. This intense focus detracted from the attention that other important and powerful artworks deserved. There was little to no media focus on the exceptional pieces by artists such as Mohau Modisakeng, Ed Young, Nnenna Okore, Ayana V. Jackson, Mary Sibande, Norman Catherine, Valerie Belin, among others, whose work I found to be great and powerful.. (see pictures here)

Ayanda Mabulu, 'Yakhal'inkomo' (image courtesy of the writer)

Second, I stress the need for the artwork to come first and the message afterward. In other words, the artwork must be skillfully and well-executed, adhering to visual conventions such as perspective, composition, anatomy, and color. There is a thin line between artistically distorting elements and failing to depict them accurately, such as hands, feet, or human anatomy. Ultimately, it is the artwork that endures after all has been said and done. An important and powerful artwork must remain timeless. One that comes to mind is Picasso's Guernica, painted in 1937. This painting is a strong and powerful political statement, created as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It remains famous and widely acclaimed to this day.

 

 

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937 (image sourced from the internet)

This month l also look forward to the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair taking place at Somerset House in London from 16-20 October 2013, the Frieze London from 17 - 20 October 2013 and the Art For Me in Cape Town from 25 - 27 October 2013.

Links:

1-54.com

artforme.co.za

friezelondon.com