The edge of the Jo’burg art scene keeps getting, well, edgier.
? Artists on the periphery (as opposed to in the mainstream) make grand undertakings they have to live up to and a new show called Exhibitionism hopefully won’t be a case in point. It’s boldly described as “an adult art exhibition exploring the edge of sensuality and fantasy” and will include artists from Cape Town and Johannesburg who use photography, painting, digital media, tattoo and textile design.
Alternative sexual practices such as bondage will be explored, so bring nerves of steel. Artists include Thomas Dorman, Nicola de Jager, Clare Foxcroft Williams, Mark Day, Nadine Hutton, Anastasya Eli, Dave Lung, Tinkerbella and Joe Doe.
Grayscale Gallery, 33 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, until November 10. Opening hours are from Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and on weekends from 10am to 4pm.
? The tirelessness of William Kentridge means that we mere mortals out here in the cultural grandstand spend most of our lives watching in awe at what he’s been able to get together in his life. His new show, Other Faces, has been drawn and filmed over the past year.
It will be shown at Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg in conjunction with a group of working drawings used in the film’s animation, as well as drawing fragments and prints. As with other films in the Drawings for Projection series, the artist uses a 35mm movie camera to film the successive stages of charcoal drawings that are progressively altered through erasure and overdrawing. Other Faces returns to the figure of Soho Eckstein, the industrialist and developer, who is the key protagonist of the Drawings for Projection series.
Goodman Gallery, 163 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, from November 10 to 25. Tel: 011 788 1113.
? Rock art enthusiasts need not travel far to see some of the ancient wonders of the southern hemisphere. A short trip to nearby Braamfontein will deliver up rock art from four countries: South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Mexico. Aptly called Sharing our Ancient Rock Art Treasures, the exhibition highlights some of the most important rock art sites while showcasing important local community rock-art tourism developments.
It is part of an international collaboration between the four countries, which includes the sharing of expertise in rock art tourism, management, conservation and interpretive research. Many of the treasures will be on international public display for the first time. All are owned and managed by local communities.
Origins Centre, Enoch Sontonga Avenue, Braamfontein, until January 29. Tours on November 12 and 26 and on December 10 and January 14. Exhibition entrance fee is R45 a person and general entrance fee to all the exhibits is R75 a person. Tours cost R50 a person.