Land is something that unifies and divides humanity in ways that can never be comprehended. For the South African and Indian artists at the Association of Arts Pretoria Gallery, the subject of land brings them together in a rare cross-cultural dialogue.
An array of colour, styles and artistic techniques are used to express strong emotions about how the artists feel about and connect to the land.
This is an exciting exhibition of more than 100 pieces of art ranging from acrylic to oil paintings, to digital photography and inkjet prints; all embracing the traditional and contemporary styles.
This two week show that opened on Saturday marks and commemorates 150 years of the arrival of Indians in South Africa. It is a reciprocal show by the South African National Association of Visual Arts (SANAVA).
The first leg of the exhibition, hosted by the Centre for the Exposition of World Arts and Culture in Hyderabad, capital of the Indian state of Andra Pradesh, in August saw forty selected works from South Africa going to India and being showcased at the magnificent Chowmohalla Palace, alongside those of Hyderabadi artists.
While the Indian works gracing the gallery walls in Pretoria seem to be varied in their scope, the theme of the South African work is Land: Diversity and Unity.
These works being a series of personal interpretation by a selection of up and coming and mid-career practising South African artists, demonstrates the diversity of South Africa’s terrain, including the geographical, industrial and urban sites and the identities of the people who inhabit them.
What is interesting about these works that are almost of the same (size) scale is that since they come from the artists all embracing the same land and are inspired by a shared sense of place they engage with a notion of unity, but with vast interpretation.
There are so many themes covered here, that even a casual viewer might find very stimulating contemplation on the issue of land. One could easily take this exhibition, curated by Pieter van Heerden and Gwen Miller, and have six mini-exhibitions from the body of work.
For example there is work from artists like Diek Grobler who perceive land and treat it not as a geographical or physical landscape rather as a mental-scape relating to the narrative produced as a result of the space a character finds himself in. His nostalgic piece The Island of the Day Before, where an island is depicted in a moody stormy sea reflects the concerns about the current environmental issues of global warming.
Then you have Indian artist Aziz who put the land of his birth and its physical architecture not only for all to observe and feast on, but to freeze it in time for posterity before globalisation degrades it. Old horizons of his city whose skyline has morphed into vertical medley of concrete structures are captured, kept alive in astonishing renditions that inspire admiration.
Of course, there are remarkable drawings that lament the way land sometimes is used to separate humanity, instead of bringing people together. Carl Jeppe’s work Breached Divisions, is one of those that are not only technical and aesthetical intriguing, but is also very strong in its commentary on land as a physical barrier.
Although the artists differ vastly in interpreting their concerns and connections to the land, their works on display reflect a critical consideration of traditions in landscape art. It is a source of pleasure to note that the subject matter of South African landscape is art is surrounded by a steadily expanding atmosphere of both receptivity and polemics.
In the past, landscape art of the South African art milieu was almost exclusively narrative and romantic in approach. Land was portrayed as empty, quiet and untainted. Many contemporary artists depart from this ideology and tend towards more contextual and abstract imagery. There is a fascinating re-map of the viewers’ mindscape in the inclusion of objects that are reminiscent of the environment and cultures particularly to specific regions.
In this exhibition a spectrum of traditional and contemporary sensibilities find a place to present a broad understanding including the moving images and sequential narrative of time. The visual exploration of land becomes a vehicle for a deliberate play with psychological, political and archival realities.
Whereas the Indian art spearheaded by the Hyderabad legends Hamumantha Rao Devulapalli, Bhairu Raghuram and Dr Kondapalli Sengagiri Roa explores a wide range of topics — landscapes, history, symbolism and modern themes. Overall, the exhibition reflects the exciting diversity of cultures and their connections.
It’s is difficult to find where everything comes together into a unity, but the sense of diversity of styles, technical approaches and traditions is what makes this cross-cultural experience all the more enriching. All in all, as South Africans of Indian descent commemorate the 150 years in South Africa it would be noteworthy and worth celebrating that there is still a place for every different perspective, as championed by this exhibition.