/ 9 February 2012

Cape art picks: February 10 2012

Public performance and invisibility, social and political boundaries and the artist’s role in society are among the themes that artist Donna Kukama tackles.

During her career she has consistently demonstrated how art can challenge, move, infuriate and ultimately provide us with tools for living. Her new exhibition, Unacceptable, is no exception. It combines several formats and registers — performance, video, participatory sculpture, sound installation, research and archival material — in an intricately layered exploration of love. The exhibition moves from a fictional piece set in Kenya during the Mau-Mau war in 1963 to a provocative play on British comedy, from public protest to personal unrest.

Blank Projects, 113-115 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, until February 25. Tel: 072?1989?221. Website: blankprojects.com.

? Recent art-school graduates are probably asking themselves: ‘What now?” The end-of-year hype and barrier-shifting graduate shows are over and it is down to business in an increasingly competitive and cash-strapped world. Krisp, a group exhibition by emerging artists, seeks to answer the question. It provides a platform for younger talents to present work outside the safety net of school.

As its title suggests, the focus is on fresh perspectives and styles. The result is an eclectic, sometimes uneven but often engaging show, and the best works cross disciplinary and conceptual boundaries. Nonkululeko Mabaso brings a media-savvy gloss to her exploration of race and representation, Nina Liebenberg shows how aesthetics is always a part of life, recent David Koloane award-winner Jarrett Erasmus offers fresh approaches to social questions and Alessandro Pappada ventures into the future with his multidimensional constructs.

Art B Gallery, Bellville Library Centre, Carel van Aswegen Street, Bellville, until February 29. Tel: 021?918?2301.