Article: ‘Both, and’ mirrors gallery’s rich past
Every wall and room of the Stevenson Gallery has been used to pay homage to artists new and old who have showcased their work at one of the bastions of the Cape Town art scene.
The latest exhibition Both, and opened on Thursday and reflects on the past 15 years of the gallery’s existence through a selection of some 50 artists curated by the gallery’s newest partners, Alexander Richards and Sisipho Ngodwana.
They have tried to cast their minds back and make selections that serve as odes to modern and contemporary art while also celebrating the history of the gallery, its publication programme, local presence and global perspective.
The exhibition is a massive undertaking for the young curators, and will run simultaneously across the Stevenson’s Cape Town and Joburg locations.
Weekend Argus toured the gallery with the curators before the opening and they explained the choices and challenges with Both, and.
“A lot of the artists that you will see are not necessarily our gallery artists; they’re from the continent or international but it shows what Stevenson has been able to bring to the game,” said Richards.
With that in mind the first artist featured is locally based and born Berni Searle. Her 2001 video installation Snow White features Searle kneeling naked while being covered with flour. “Flour is poured over her head, then water, and she starts kneading bread... What’s important about this work in relation to the show is throughout the show there are a lot of questions about how you make something from nothing,” said Richards.
Other featured artists include Breyten Breytenbach, Jordan Casteel, Nicholas Hlobo, Pieter Hugo, Simphiwe Ndzube, Jo Ractliffe and more.
Giving the public access to the entire gallery was a central theme for the curators and became a point of importance for them in keeping with the overarching message of celebrating the history of the gallery. (more at IOL)
