Art of the week: ‘When Works Meet’ at Stevenson Gallery

Explore the conversation between generations of South African artists in this engaging group show.
3 mins read

There is something particularly special about the group show currently on at Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town. As Joost Bosland, one of the space’s owners points out, it’s a way of saying: “Hey, friends, here are some truly wonderful objects that we have had the privilege of handling over the last little while, and this is a chance to see what you might have missed and revisit what you might have loved.”

For the show, the team have brought together 47 artists to create a surprising series of “conversations” between artworks. They’ve paired a diverse mix of works that spark fresh connections between past and present, and old and new voices. “In the early days of our gallery, we always used to stage big group shows in summer, with some historical, secondary-market work alongside new works by the artists we represented. A typical title in those days would have been South African Art 1848 – Now. You can think of the current show as one of those early summer shows, but on steroids,” says Bosland.

The show runs until February 8, so there’s still time to see (and buy) one of the diverse gems in the mix. Some pairings emerge from shared themes or materials, while others highlight the way art can echo history or bring older works into dialogue with newer ones. The artists on show are both deceased and living, but their work nevertheless engages in unexpected ways, offering us a chance to reflect on the evolution of ideas in South African art.

Here are some of the “relationships” on display, but there are many other works on show, including by Peter Clarke, Wim Botha, Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi, Steven Cohen and Jo Ractliffe.

Ernest Mancoba & Zander Blom: The legacy of abstraction

Ernest Mancoba and Zander Blom are both abstract artists who worked in different times. Mancoba, a 20th-century South African artist who lived in Europe and died in 2002, was a pioneer of abstract expressionism. Blom, on the other hand, creates in a more neo-abstract style. Despite their differences, in this instance, both artists use stark black-and-white palettes to convey their respective messages. Seeing their works side by side, it’s fascinating to realise how abstraction, even when approached differently, can still speak the same visual language across decades.

Zander Blom and Ernest Mancoba. Picture: supplied.

Jane Alexander & Mawande Ka Zenzile: Exploring Christianity

Jane Alexander’s The Sacrifices of God are a Troubled Spirit (2004) is paired with Mawande Ka Zenzile’s Emanxiweni (2011). Alexander’s installation, originally created for a cathedral in New York, explores Christian themes of sacrifice and spirituality. Ka Zenzile’s triptych, commissioned by Alexander for the church too, takes those same religious symbols and reinterprets them as scarecrows dressed in religious attire. This is the first time since New York that these works are displayed together.

Jane Alexander’s installation and Mawande Ka Zenzile’s triptych. Picture: Supplied.

David Goldblatt, Alfred Neville Lewis and Simon Gush: Labour and identity

This trio explores themes of labour. Captain Neville Smith was a war artist, and his work on show depicts the massively underrepresented black soldiers who took part in World War 2. The late Goldblatt’s iconic photograph Stevedore, Durban, January 1953 captures the strength and dignity of a worker’s hands, reminding us of the historical significance of labour. Gush’s 2013 film Iseeyou takes on mining labour in Joburg, focusing on masculinity and the visibility of workers in a modern context. These pieces remind us that these themes of strength and dignity still resonate today.

A still from Simon Gush’s ‘Iseeyou’. Picture supplied.

Gerard Sekoto & Farhana Jacobs: Reinterpreting gender

Then there’s the juxtaposition of Gerard Sekoto’s Standing Nude (1976) and Farhana Jacobs’ Bunny Chows or Apple Bompies? (2024). Sekoto’s raw portrayal of the female body challenges the usual standards of beauty, while Jacobs’ work, which shows a couple in a river, speaks to freedom and intimacy unburdened by society’s judgment. These two pieces come together to push boundaries on how gender and the human body are represented, offering a fresh perspective on identity and how we see ourselves in relation to society.

Farhana Jacobs and Gerard Sekoto. Pictures: supplied.

Rotimi Fani-Kayode & Sabelo Mlangeni: Queerness in South Africa

The works of Rotimi Fani-Kayode and Sabelo Mlangeni bring a deeply personal exploration of black queer identity in South Africa. Fani-Kayode’s Under the Surplice (1987/9) challenges traditional ideas of masculinity and sexuality, while Mlangeni’s Nkululeko and Friend from Durban (2003), from his Country Girls series, portrays the intimate relationship of a gay couple in rural South Africa. Together, these artists explore the complexities of queerness and culture, providing us with a nuanced, intimate perspective on the tensions between societal expectations and personal identity.

Sabelo Mlangeni and Rotimi Fani-Kayode. Pictures: supplied.

Works range from R8,000 to more than $80,000 (R1.5m) in price and incorporate all kinds of styles and media. For more info and the show catalogue, visit Stevenson Gallery.

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Bongo Mei-Money

Bongo Mei-Money is a graduate from Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. He is an artist, curator, writer and researcher with 14 years’ experience in the art industry. He developed and compiled a CHIP_Curatorial Heritage Interpretation Programme, with a focus on contextualising indigenous information into the 21st century.

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