Videos
from South Africa
Since 1998 the Crossings
project has been developing links with artists
in the Western Cape, working on ways in which their work can be used to
invigorate the teaching of Art and Design.
Much of the vibrant art work included in the Contemporary South African
Artists series remained a well kept secret during the dark days of apartheid.
The cultural boycott imposed by the rest of the world on the racist South
African government not only made it difficult for cultural workers in the
country to get access to art from other cultures, it deprived the rest
of the world of the chance to appreciate work being produced by non-establishment
artists of the country.
You can see and hear the artists by clicking on the appropriate link.
(Note that these are all broadband streams, so a dial up connection
won't give good performance).
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Peter Clarke is one of the very few black or coloured artists
who made a living from art right through the apartheid years.
He left his job in the Simon’s Town naval dockyard in the
1950’s and has been a painter, poet and printmaker ever
since. Peter talks about the influences on his work and the process
of printmaking.
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Zwelethu Mthetwe now has an international reputation as one
of South Africa’s most interesting contemporary artists.
His initial works were in the field of photography but he now
works in a number of different media. In addition to an autobiographical
introduction, Zwelethu talks about specific works of photography,
chalk pastel and silk screen printing.
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Jill Trappler’s association with art grew from her involvement
in the country’s first mixed race workshop programme, run
by her uncle, Bill Ainslie. As well as continuing her work as a
teacher and workshop leader she has developed her own distinctive
style of abstract painting. |
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Garth Erasmus worked for many years as an art teacher by day and
a graffiti artist by night. From using his skills to spray images
of Nelson Mandela on walls in Cape Town as part of his contribution
to the struggle, he has now extended and developed the ideas and
techniques of graffiti into a distinctive personal body of work. |
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Randy Hartzenburg’s work has been a direct response to
madness which gripped his country for much of his adult life.
He talks here about the political and social context to a range
of his paintings, etchings and installations.
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Emile Maurice focuses on art from the townships. Drawing on works
held in the collection of the South African National Gallery, he
explores the powerful representations of both domestic and political
themes. |
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