Natalie de Morney’s solo exhibition opening, RE-CONNECTIONS

Sculptor and ceramicist, Natalie de Morney, opened her first solo exhibition curated by Els van Mourik on the 20th of the April. At the RE-CONNECTIONS opening, Natalie guided visitors through an artist walk-through and shared her creative journey that shaped the curls in her solo exhibition.

The curated exhibition is a designated space to honour her ancestors, to remember her San ancestry lineage, and to create an opportunity for people to explore their ancestral roots. In different ancestral traditions, objects and symbols are displayed to embody the ancestors’ energy. Her installation of 400 ceramic curls carry an energetic signature, which connects with our sense of history and imagination, and gives us the parts of (our) history that may have been lost.

RE-CONNECTIONS is on show at 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub until the 2nd of June.

THE NEW VANGUARD – a moving perspective

The 20th of April’s exhibition opening gathered artists and art-enthusiasts in a space of new voices. The seven emerging artists spoke in turn about their exhibited artworks, their processes and inspirations.

Andrea Moses, Joy Mwali, Kay Inga Lokwe, Khumo Rasebitse, Nomfundo Mohlala, Thembeka Heidi Sincuba, and Zita Oranje.

After THE NEW VANGUARD exhibitions – LABYRINTHINE in 2020 and DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE in 2021, Berman Contemporary is pleased to announce the third edition of our emerging and early career artist's programme. We are supporting a new generation of artists who are at the beginning of their careers and who face a multitude of barriers at this formative stage. The professional support we give will help them to promote their work, better establish their careers, and expand their visibility.

THE NEW VANGUARD – a moving perspective is on show at 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub until the 2nd of June.

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York

From the 1st to the 4th of May Berman Contemporary took part in the tenth edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. In the heart of Manhattan at the Starrett-Lehigh Building we boasted the talents of Athenkosi Kwinana, Cow Mash and Hazel Mphande. It has been an honour to bring the work of South African female artists to New York City.

The Berman Contemporary booth was voted one of the best booths at the fair by ARTnews, an American art magazine based in New York City. Read The Best Booths at 1-54 New York, From Leaf Assemblages to Invented Archaeological Finds.

The digital arts page 10 and 5 also highlighted our 1-54 artists and their work in their article South African Female Artists Shine At New York Art Fair.

We thank everyone who made their way to the 1-54 New York to share in the fair’s commitment to showcasing the richness and diversity of contemporary African art on a global stage.

To view the artworks that were exhibited at the fair and learn about the artist visit our Artsy Viewing Room.

Chrisél Attewell’s Tankwa Residency

For two weeks during the month of April, Chrisél Attewell was part of the 2024 Tankwa Artscape residency. Attewell was part of a group of 12 local and international visual artists, filmmakers, performers, and musicians who joined the residency program. The residency is centred around engagement with the arid semi-desert landscape of the Tankwa Karoo. Attewell reflects on her time there:

“The landscape of the Tankwa is truly unique. From arrival, it feels as if you have landed on an alien planet. The earth here is scattered with black volcanic stones, with skies so large you feel dwarfed. My sense of scale and time felt completely warped. The silence of the landscape chilled me.

The lack of human presence felt haunting, especially knowing that these where nomadic lands inhabited and cared for by the San. The work I created on this residency reflects these feelings of unease. The violent human history of this landscape feels incredibly recent when traces of geological time is so prominent in the landscape. The stones, I discovered, owed their dark colour to their high iron content. I imagined that their iron came from absorbing all the blood spilled in this land with the difficult histories of this land, and to consider on a larger scale how fleeting human presence on this planet is and what we choose to do with our time here. I look forward to further developing the projects I started here. I am most grateful for the opportunities of collaboration that the residency afforded me."

View more of Chrisél’s artworks on Artsy and read about her origin and influences in her artist portfolio. Visual documentation of the Tankwa Residency can be found on Chrisel’s Instagram page.

Athenkosi and Odette as art mentors in the Curro Create Program

During the months April and May, Athenkosi Kwinana and Odette Graskie, along with a group of creative industry professionals, have been traveling to Curro schools all over the country for their Curro Create program. Curro Create is an internal mentoring initiative that grants learners from Grade 4 to 12 a platform to discover and develop in their inherent talents. As mentor-adjudicators, Athenkosi and Odette have been visiting schools throughout Southern Africa adjudicating and mentoring the Curro Make It! section, which includes everything from painting and sculpture, to woodworking, crochet and even blade-smithing.

Odette: “It has been wonderful to see the talent that is being fostered, and not just in traditional mediums but also crafts. You don’t need to be good at painting or drawing to be creative, and that is really what these students have shown us!”

Athenkosi: "In a space where creative work is mostly regarded as play - it is exciting to be part of such an initiative! Our work is to motivate and mentor the kids, with the intention to inspire them to not give up on their creative talents. It is a program I wish for the general South African school system - I know I would have benefitted from it as a younger student. So much talent is not lost or forgotten!"

View more of Athi and Odette’s artworks on Artsy.

Nando’s Creative Exchange: Q&A With Ceramicist Mellaney Roberts

“Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) aims to recognise emerging South African fine artists who demonstrate exceptional ability and help them take the next steps in their careers. We spoke with Mellaney Roberts, one of the chosen local artists for the programme.”

Read the rest of Mellaney’s interview on the VISI digital platform and check out more of Mellaney's works on Artsy and in her artist portfolio.

Hazel Mphande 10:10 Presentation

10:10 is a presentation and feedback format where 10 photographers are given no more than ten minutes to present their work, followed by 15 minutes of feedback from peers and invited respondents. Invited respondents are industry professionals: practitioners, curators, theorists etc. It is a space for initial feedback to be given on bodies of work, that are either consolidated or in-progress. It aims to provide a space in which photographers can establish networks, learn from one another and develop their ideas through critical feedback. It is aimed at varied career-level photographers who may benefit from the critique, feedback, and presentation, in formalising their bodies of work.

“I was awarded an opportunity by Phototool to be a part of a presentation with John Fleetwood and Dana Whabira. I was incredibly honoured when I received the invite to not only share my work but to meet new photographers and have discussions and receive feedback. Being a photographer can be extremely isolating. These sentiments were also echoed by John Fleetwood as part of our introduction of the presentation. I work mainly in self-portraiture, so for me, a day discussing photography with other photographers was a delight.

The body of work I presented, The Unfurling is still on going and it has been an emotional experience creating this work but most importantly it has been a rewarding one too. 10:10 has been one of these many rewards. The feedback I received from our moderators and peers is so valuable to me. I have since looked at my work again with fresher eyes. The biggest takeaway from this experience is how important it is to utilise opportunities like these and to ask questions or concerns you might have about your work.”

Check out more of Hazel's works on Artsy and in her artist portfolio.

Heidi Sincuba in CITYLIFE/ARTS

THE NEW VANGUARD – a moving perspective: artist Heidi Sincuba sat down with Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor for an interview about their artwork exhibited with Berman Contemporary as well their artist origins.

“Sincuba is indeed an artist to watch out for as their practice has finally found a stable stand on the local contemporary art scene as their ancestors guide them in creating powerful narratives coming from a sacred, deeply personal space that connects with viewers worldwide.”

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