Brenda Atkinson
Anybody who believes the local art world is without interest or innovation should immediately let the snap and crackle of their modems take them to two local websites worthy of some dedicated surfing.
First let your art beat and do other surprising things at Artthrob.co.za. This one-woman online arts mag is the work of South African visual arts veteran Sue Williamson, who proves that talent, software, and sweat can enliven a scene greatly in need of gusts of fresh air. Or so we sometimes think.
Local arts-related print publications have come and gone, with varied degrees of success: Ventilator set pulses aflutter and died after one issue; ADA, after cleverly combining art, architecture, and design for years, sadly seems to be facing its twilight moments.
In an already highly niched art market, web publications are perhaps further niched in that only the connected have access: no PC, no chance to purvey.
But as South Africa swiftly becomes one of the most wired countries on the globe, the online world provides free, easy access as well as the opportunity for interactive consumption to increasing numbers of netizens.
Artthrob catches the beat of an existing body of artistic production, and in tracking that beat responds to a market that has for years been desperate for a means of ongoing exposure. Now in its tenth virtual incarnation, it has all the basic elements that bring people back to a site: formal simplicity, easy navigability, compelling and informative content that is regularly updated and/or changed.
Listings are comprehensive (the current issue carries 14), and include potted summaries of current and pending shows. Written by Williamson, these nationally inclined mini-reviews achieve just the right balance of critical perspective and art-world newsiness.
Every other issue or so, a particular artist is profiled in Artbio, and the news pages cover the achievements of local artists abroad.
The current project page offers Mark Coetzees take on censorship following his scuffle with the powers that be in Bellville, and when readers get to the bit where theyre asked to cast their vote, theres an inspired techno twist as a reward.
Finally, for those of you who like to look at the pictures, they are plentiful, often beautiful, and dont take ages to load.
artslink.co.za can be accessed via Artthrobs list of arts-related websites. Unlike the specialised Artthrob, artslink promotes diverse facets of local arts and culture, and throws commerce into the mix: need a corporate entertainment consultant? Track one at artslink. Searching for a female model with specific vital stats? See one at artslink.
A great idea, but artslinks casting directory more often than not provides only one of what youre looking for: one actress, one female model, one designer, and so on.
There are also bits of the site that dont work, with amusing results. Looking for a female model in the 18 to 35 age category, I was beamed to a pouting Nan Hamilton. Unfortunately in this case, Nan seems to be a woman for all seasons: click on any other age category 0 to 17, 51 to 65 and you get linked straight to … Nan Hamilton. And youd better hope that you dont need a male model in a hurry that particular link is dead.
artslink does score on its chronological calendar of arts and culture events, including contact details and links to other sites where they exist. Its artspoken pages are compiled from contributions from people in the culture industry, and are a wonderful opportunity for networking and information exchange.
You can connect with Cultural Weapon, Mike van Graans upstart arts and culture print publication. You can impress your friends by knowing everything about odd art acronyms. But the sites visual arts coverage is lacking, to say the least: the Art Safari pages are less safari than tent- pitching in the backyard.
The Arts and Culture Trust of the President (Act) recently voted artslink the recipient of its Electronic Media of the Year award, an accolade Im not yet convinced it deserves.
The site does provide a web of links that extensively profiles local cultural production, including a prolific South African web-presence. Its premise is brilliant. Its accessible, broad-based, and cannot be accused of elitism.
But nor can it be applauded for impeccable professionalism. Need an arts writer anyone…?