Unframed

In this final episode of the season, we delve into the multifaceted world of art prizes. with two remarkable artists – Bulumko Mbete and Buhlebezwe Siwani, each bringing their unique perspective and experiences to the table. Bulumko, the 2024 Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sokoto Award winner and 2023 recipient of the Cassirer Welz Award, is currently doing her MFA at Carnegie Mellon University in the US....

In this episode, we delve into the role of the Biennale, a pivotal contemporary art exhibition in the global art landscape. We are joined by Clive Kellner, Executive Director of the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation, whose career spans 25 years and holds significant involvement in South Africa's art history since the country's democracy in 1994, notably, and pertinent to this conversation, with t...

In this episode, we are joined by special guests Storm Janse van Rensburg and Kutlwano Mokgojwa to delve into the pivotal role museums play in shaping South Africa's arts landscape. Kutlwano, an art curator, writer, and administrator at the Wits Art Museum or WAM in Johannesburg, provides an insightful overview of WAM, tracing its funding journey and commitment to conserving, exhibiting, and democ...

In this episode, we unpack the gallery's role in the art landscape, considering diverse gallery models, their operational dynamics, and their modes of engagement with artists, collectors and audiences. Joining us, with their unique experiences and insights of the gallery space, are Lerato Bereng and Banele Khoza. Lerato is a Johannesburg-based curator and director at Stevenson Gallery which has sp...

This episode brings together two South African curators, each contributing their unique perspective to contextualize the role of the curator as a cultural broker within the art landscape. We welcome Sven Christian and Jana Terblanche, both accomplished curators and creatives, to share their insights on the evolving nature of curatorial work. Sven, based in Johannesburg, is a writer, editor, and cu...

In this episode, we delve into the inner workings of the Artist’s Studio, exploring it as both a physical space and a conceptual framework. Joining us are artists Penny Siopis and Nolan Oswald Dennis, each offering unique insights into their artistic practices. Penny, based in Cape Town, has been a pivotal figure in the South African art scene since the 1980s. Her diverse body of work, spanning pa...

After a long hiatus, Unframed is back with Season 4 and host, Anthea Pokroy is joined by arts writer Nkgopoleng Moloi to co-host this season. Discover the intricate layers of the South African contemporary art scene, as they navigate through the diverse facets of the art ecosystem, from the artist studio to the gallery, the curator to the museum. Through considered conversations with established a...

In this episode, I chat with Lucy MacGarry - independent curator, arts advisor and Co-Director of Latitudes Online: a new online marketplace for contemporary art from Africa. In September 2019, MacGarry launched Latitudes Art Fair at Sandton City with partners Roberta Coci, Makgati Molebatsi, Nokwazi Zimu and Anthea Buys. Prior to this she has held positions as - the Curator of the South African P...

In this episode, I chat with new media artist and independent curator Brooklyn J. Pakathi. Brooklyn J explores the relationships we manifest with technologies, and through his practice, examines the formations of, enactments with and responses to those manifestations. Working within the fields of mixed realities at Johannesburg's TMRW, his practice merges into the collaborative nature of contempor...

In this episode, we listen to an online panel discussion hosted by VANSA, the Visual Arts Network of South Africa. At the beginning of June, VANSA hosted an online dialogue with arts practitioners whose practices span various disciplines. They shared their thoughts and experiences of this moment, their reflections on navigating precarity, how they are surviving creatively, and what new or differen...

In this episode, I chat with Banele Khoza about his artistic and curatorial practice. This is the final episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we, in South Africa enter Level 3 of lockdown, we end this series but will continue producing content that keeps the art community connected...

In this episode, I chat with Carly Whitaker about her artistic, curatorial and research practice. This is the 6th episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art ind...

In this episode, I chat with Phumulani Ntuli about his artistic practice. This is the 5th episode in a series on Unframed called “Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art industry, of being inspired...

In this episode, I chat with Sandile Radebe about his artistic practice. This is the 4th episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art industry, of being inspired,...

In this episode, I chat with Mmbatho Grace Mokalapa about her artistic practice. This is the third episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art industry, of being...

This is the second episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art industry, of being inspired, and of creating more platforms for artists. On today’s show, I chat w...

This is the first episode in a series on Unframed called "Artists in Isolation” which profiles South African artists during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times, where we are needing to find new ways of connecting with each other and the broader art industry, of being inspired, and of creating more platforms for artists. On today’s show, I chat wi...

The discussion will explore how these artists conceive of their practice and engage the public. MODERATOR: Lorenzo Fusi (Director/Curator Yerevan Biennial 2020, London) PANELLISTS: Kemang wa Lehulere (Artist, Cape Town) François-Xavier Gbré (Artist, Abidjan) Instagram

The panel examines the current and possible future model of art platforms and institutional spaces as self-sustainable entities. Challenges around sustainability for art platforms are well theorized and yet remains a question that most non-commercial entities grapple with. Competing for the same shrinking pot of funds and maintaining the intellectual autonomy of the projects while juggling the nee...

Traditionally art museums have functioned as a sanctuary, a place for meditation whilst also offering education. They have also been a cultural resource contributing to the economic engine that has strengthened local businesses through cultural tourism. In recent years, this model of museums as a shrine to history has been rethought particularly with an interest to dramatically increase audiences...

Episode 19 is a very special and important one to me - with my friend and colleague Louise van Der Bijl. In 2010, Louise and I co-founded Assemblage, a non-profit artist-run organisation, which aimed to provide support, education and networks for emerging artists. After 9 years of hosting many workshops, peer mentoring sessions, exhibitions and studio spaces - all of which encouraged community, sh...

This episode is another recorded talk from the art fair week in September of this year, 2019. It was recorded at Art Joburg and is a conversation about the great and influential David Koloane who passed away at the age of 81 in June this year. I was so happy to hear that this talk was happening at Art Joburg, as I was planning an episode remembering the life and work of David Koloane. Both speaker...

This episode is a talk that I recorded as part of Latitudes Art Fair last month, September 2019. It is an informal panel discussion, which was hosted by the brilliant Michelle Constant, is entitled “How to change the art world in 2 hours”. Thirteen artists, curators, gallerists, critics and arts advocates were invited to respond to this provocation. Each speaker had 5 minutes to champion their uto...

This episode is a talk that I recorded at the Wits Art Museum in July 2019, between two prolific South African artists, Sam Nhlengethwa and William Kentridge, over the time that Sam’s print retrospective was displayed at WAM. This talk continues from a previous conversation between the two last year at the Centre for the Less Good Idea. Both artists were born in 1955, a fact on which the talk was...

In this episode, I interview one of the directors of Stevenson Gallery, Joost Bosland. We speak about the role of art criticism internationally and in South Africa, primarily focussed on his research about the 'artist interview' as a form or genre in art criticism. Can the artist interview offer a more empathetic value to art criticism? We also chat more generally about the South African art scene...