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Shimmer (2012–2013) by Berni Searle -
Harbinger in correctional uniform (2006) by Jane Alexander, and Divisor (Divider) (1968) by Lygia Pape -
Doctor Schnabel von Rom (1656) by Paulus Fürst, and Lonely Soul Ex-Voto (artist unrecorded, 19th century) -
After Image (2021) by Sumayya Vally/Counterspace.
WORDS Celeste Jacobs IMAGES Graham De Lacy
The second of three exhibitions focused on the Global South – “Liminal Identities in the Global South” – is now open at the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation, and can be experienced either in person or virtually.
Traverse the Global South through the eyes of seven visual artists and two architects from various countries via the new “Liminal Identities in the Global South” exhibition at the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF). The show features work by nine influential women, each of whom reflects on contemporary issues through an art history lens. “The exhibition combines art, architecture and music from the 1960s to the present,” says JCAF executive director Clive Kellner. “Given the impact of Covid-19, the pandemic is the other curatorial thread running through the exhibition.”
The show features the work of Jane Alexander, Lina Bo Bardi, Lygia Clark, Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, Kapwani Kiwanga, Ana Mendieta, Lygia Pape, Berni Searle and Sumayya Vally/ Counterspace, and continues the JCAF’s focus on the viewpoints of those situated in the Global South, established via the foundation’s first show in 2020. A third exhibition will take place here next year, with the same purview.
Whether you experience it online or in person, this show is not to be missed. “The exhibition is divided into five areas: Prelude, Requiem, and Movements I, II and III,” says Clive. “Each area is conceptualised according to a
musical tempo – moderate, slow or fast – which denotes a time-based experience of the exhibition.” “Liminal Identities” features a wide range of forms of expression, and a wide time frame too: the pieces on display were created between the 1960s and the present. “Prelude is an archive of material related to the concept of cultural mixing,” says Clive. “Requiem reflects on two previous world pandemics – the Black Death, and the Spanish Flu of 1918. Movement I considers our current time of masks, and Movement II presents the precarious nature of life. Movement III addresses the concept of grace, depicted by artworks that use light, gold and reflection.”
“Liminal Identities in the Global South” will run until January 2022. Visit the JCAF website to book a guided walking tour, or download the JCAF app from your app store and immerse yourself in this thought-provoking body of work from the palm of your hand.
Looking for more on local art? Take a look at these South African abstract artists.
