Chrisél Attewell’s solo exhibition opening, HEAT WAVES

The opening of HEAT WAVES on the 8th of June included an artist walkthrough with Chrisél Attewell and the curator, Els van Mourik. Chrisél shared her artist journey, influences and processes. The recent bodies of work by Chrisél Attewell, explore the natural landscapes of South Africa. Her art making has always been closely connected to the environments surrounding her, responding to the environmental and socio-political contexts of these specific landscapes.

For Chrisél, the landscape functions not only as a source of inspiration, but also a space for thinking through and making with. Using materials like earth, wind, water, fire, wood, salt, rocks, and sand, she places less emphasis on the objects but turns the attention to the experience of her work. Her artistic approach ties in with the conceptual art movement, foregrounding natural materials and the site itself. The result is work that is engaging on the deeply relevant topic of environment, climate change, and its social connections.

HEAT WAVES is on show at 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub until the 21st of July.

PRETTY BRILLIANT - the magic of female stories

Five of the artists attended the opening to take part in the artist walkthrough at the opening on the 8th of June.

This exhibition features the work of 10 female artists represented by Berman Contemporary: Amogelang Maepa, Athenkosi Kwinana, Chrisél Attewell, Cow Mash, DuduBloom More, Hazel Mphande, Lee-At Meyerov, Mellaney Roberts, Natalie de Morney and Odette Graskie.

Berman Contemporary is a female-led contemporary art gallery in Johannesburg, founded in 2018 by Candice Berman and has a solely focus on the representation of women artists. Supporting female artists is something that has come naturally to the gallery and we are aiming to empower women in their artistic career.

Our curatorial programme covers a multiplicity of issues that female practitioners are tackling today and is encompassing a broad spectrum of sculpture, painting, video, photography and installation.

PRETTY BRILLIANT - the magic of female stories is on show at 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub until the 21st of July.

What do I dare to say out loud?
Solo exhibition | DuduBloom More

Curated by Morgan Kunhardt

Textiles, integral to global culture throughout history, have evolved from functional items into dynamic expressions of art and have long served as conduits for cultural identity and storytelling. It is in contemporary art that textiles have experienced a resurgence, gaining recognition as a reinvented medium for artistic exploration.

In this evolving landscape, DuduBloom More has distinguished herself by pushing the boundaries of her practice as a visual artist in South Africa. Her latest body of work delves deeper into the complex depths of the self, navigating intense emotions and existential inquiry through the use of shape and colour.

Through her works, the exhibition unfurls a tapestry of introspection, inviting viewers to embark on a journey, which investigates the way we think and question, the way we feel and express and the way we reflect and respond. By questioning what we dare to speak of, the exhibition fosters a safe space for vulnerability and connection, making the unspoken heard and the unseen visible.

DuduBloom participating in a panel discussion at the Cassirer Welz Award

On the 4th of June DuduBloom More was invited to the 2024 winner announcement of the prestigious Cassirer Welz Award hosted by Strauss & Co. and the Bag Factory Artist Studio to speak on a panel discussion about the award as a previous winner.

“As a recipient of the award in 2019 I received a fully funded 10-week residency and a studio space at the internationally acclaimed Bag Factory Studios which then cultivated into my first solo exhibition. It was an honour to share my perspective in a reflective conversation about the award with previous winners Richard ‘Specs’ Ndimande, Levy Pooe and artist, art practitioner, mentor and Bag Factory board member Pat Mautloa. The discussion highlighted the importance of supporting artists in the form of awards just like the Cassirer Welz Award, the community that the Bag Factory builds and continuously nurtures, and the necessary need for a give-back culture which ensures continuous possibilities for the artists in the future.” – DuduBloom More.

Chrisél Attewell exhibits at the Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa

BANDI WALK: One Step Closer to Our Earth

In commemoration of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit (June 4-5), the Korean Cultural Centre presents the Ecological Environment Special Exhibition, BANDI WALK: One Step Closer to Our Earth. ‘Bandi’, the Korean word for firefly, symbolizes purity of nature. This exhibition features thought-provoking works from the National Asian Cultural Center in Korea alongside innovative pieces by renowned and emerging South African artists. Blending contemporary installation and media art, the exhibition addresses critical topics of the environment, climate, and the natural world.

BANDI WALK, signifies the first cooperation where the visual arts of Korea and South Africa come together, highlighting their joint efforts to address global problems and promote two-way cultural exchange. This exhibition provides a perspective on the Earth’s past, present, and future. It aims to recall the richness of our ecosystems, highlight the current crisis of the planet, and reflect on our responsibilities and roles in overcoming the climate crisis. BANDI WALK creates a platform for bilateral cultural exchange, fostering cultural understanding and cooperation between Korea and South Africa.

Chrisel Attewell is a South African-born multidisciplinary artist. Attewell's work is experimental and therefore research-based, employing a variety of modes of creative and artistic work such as installation, sculpture, performance, video art, and painting. The research is centred on socio-ecological concerns, exploring nuances in society's connection to the earth they inhabit.

For this exhibition, Attewell presents a durational video performance piece titled 'Hande in Onskuld', an Afrikaans-titled artwork where the artist ritualistically washes her exposed hands with melting ice. The work alludes to the biblical term of washing hands to innocence. The pun of melting ice highlighting global warming is unmissable. The video simultaneously echoes the Sisyphean labour in the cleansing of hands.

Paballo Majela and Odette Graskie are participating in the Free State Art Festival Exhibition

Paballo Majela and Odette Graskie are invited to take part in, approximations to a voice: ellipsis, an exhibition curated by Jean Dreyer. The show will take place during the 2024 Free State Art Festival featured at the University of the Free State (Bloemfontein) at the Johannes Stegmann Gallery from 1 July to 6 August. It will connect with the Festival ‘s emphasis on literature and languages along with a First Nations Initiative on our indigenous heritage.

approximations to a voice: ellipsis is a group exhibition focusing on how the layering of visual image and lingual text entangles into a multiplicity of voices within and beyond the borders of an artwork, on how the voice permeates an openness, on how the voice is an ellipsis.

The word ellipsis (traditionally referenced with …) refers to the omission of a word or phrase that can be inferred from the context. The incomplete exists inside the dots, inviting us to enter, to fully occupy the space. It thus embodies a dualism of both destructive and regenerative potential. Entering the ellipsis requires a willingness to unravel what is not there. We peel back layers of memory and possible codes breaking, repeating, reimagining and reclaiming what has been left out, assumed dead, lost or destroyed. The voice lingers. Through the gap we grasp a glimpse of what could have been and can be. It leaves us wondering, contemplating.

Cow Mash featured in Bubblegum Club article

In the recent Bubble Gum Club article written by Heidi Sincuba, Black Is the Colour // The Negrophilic Tendencies of South African Art, reference is made to Cow Mash, her artwork and solo exhibition.

“In her recent solo exhibition Re Gona (2024), Cow Mash attempted to explore the role of Blackness in shaping collective identity by using Black as both a literal and metaphorical element. Engaging both her Blackness and her womanhood, Mash used the uniformity of the colour to signify the complexities of race, identity, and belonging. Through this exhibition, which also seemed to straddle the line between man and beast, woman and object, Mash was said to be honouring Black presence in contemporary culture and inviting viewers to engage critically with their own perceptions and prejudices.”

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