/ 21 May 2012

Fine art and fragile egos

The M&G rounds up other artworks in SA that have ruffled the feathers of politicians.
The M&G rounds up other artworks in SA that have ruffled the feathers of politicians.

There’s no denying that the latest collision between the world of art and the egos of politicians has stirred up some interesting debate about freedom of expression, and the politics of representation. It’s just a pity that the artwork at the centre of the storm is, well, a bit average.

But it’s not the first time artists in SA have been subject to scrutiny from those in power, who, quite frankly, usually wouldn’t give a toss about the arts world.

And it won’t be the last.

There is, after all, no better way to get your work into the public conscience, whether you intended it or not.

Elephants in trouble
Two years after it began, the saga of the elephants in Durban’s Warwick junction continues to dumbfound onlookers. Sculptor Andries Botha, commissioned by the City of Durban to produce three life-size elephants to grace the new development near Durban’s city centre, started work on the project two years ago. As the works were nearing completion at the beginning of 2010, he was told to stop work without explanation. The African National Congress-led city council finally admitted that it was because the three elephants resembled the Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) logo. Since then, the three incomplete and very expensive sculptures have been standing under shadecloth, defaced by vandals and torn apart for scrap metal, while bureaucrats argue and bicker about their fate.

Mandela autopsy
Oh dear. We almost didn’t bother following up on this story, but when we did all hell broke loose. An unknown artist creating an artwork in slightly bad taste in a public space— probably for a bit of calculated controversy — hardly seemed worth the schlep to the shopping centre where he was painting. Running the story and a picture of the unfinished artwork caused everyone from Joe Public to the ANC to rage and argue and write Very Stern Letters of Complaint. The truth though was that under all the noise and fuss the painting wasn’t very good. A badly executed copy of Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicholaes Tulp — which showed Mandela on the slab in place of the corpse — hardly warranted the attention. When artist Yiull Damaso unveiled the finished work months later, no one really noticed. Phew.

Lulu and the lesbians
It has been a long-standing complaint among art practitioners in South Africa that the role of minister of arts and culture has always been seen as a bit of a demotion, rather than one that should be filled by someone with real empathy for and understanding of artists and the arts. Many were lamenting this when, at an exhibition at Constitution Hill then Minister of Arts and Culture Lulu Xingwane stormed out, complaining that the works were “pornographic”, among other things. The works, by photographer Zanele Muholi, depicted young black lesbian couples. The fact that the incident took place at Constitution Hill at an exhibition aimed at highlighting women’s rights was not lost on a critical media or on the artist, who complained that the incident did not bode well for the arts or the status of gay women in South Africa.

King Shaka the herdboy
Poor Andries Botha. When ANC officials weren’t fighting about his elephants, IFP officials were complaining about his sculpture of King Shaka, that was commissioned to be placed at the new King Shaka International Airport, north of Durban. Apparently, the piece he created made the Zulu king look like a “herdboy” and did not resemble the heroic warrior they were hoping for. Botha defended his work, explaining that it showed a valid interpretation of the king as a young man and avoided stereotype. The work (again, very expensive) has since been removed, leaving behind some very confused and lonely-looking cattle.