Art Fair Review: Colour, culture, expression spark wonder and curiosity

Walking past the swimming pool and down the stairway towards the gymnasium where the Roedean School (SA) Art Fair was recently held, guests were greeted by a beautiful array of a tent of fairy lights resembling a starry night.

In hindsight, this set a beautiful tone for what awaited us… the exhibition, split up into a total of three floor spaces, included two squash courts turned into the school’s very own learners’ showroom and the third, larger space opened into the beauty of well curated, colourful and enticing artworks of varying mediums by artists from different parts of South Africa, drawing the audience’s eye in different directions with wonder and curiosity.

The students, who had their artworks on display, showed a deep longing or empathy for emotional connection and understanding within themselves and the world around them, with many of them creating sketches, paintings, lino paper prints and sculptures with messages about a possible state of mind, of heart or deep questioning of societal constructs.

Different artworks stood out according to the viewer’s own taste and eye which was a testament of the vast pool of talent, skill, discipline, passion and hard work that art students at Roedean High School have in bucket-loads.

One of the most memorable student works on display was a graphite sketch of a sculpted angel standing on the edge of a platform, surrounded by a beautiful cloudy scene, which showed a profound understanding of tonal value and light, effortlessly displayed in the skillful craftsmanship of the shading technique used.

Another body of work that stood out was a collection of portraits painted by a young girl in Grade 10, vibrant in their colours and well executed in capturing different and distinct details in faces of both prominent global figures as well as people close to her that she admires.

In contrast, the larger room greeted us with a different air, one significantly lighter than the two smaller rooms and with a slightly more nuanced and healing aesthetic across the floor. The artworks also varied in mediums; from distinctly unique or provocative sculptures to beautifully harmonious and emotionally conflicting installation art pieces as well as some sharp photographic elements and the classic papier mache signature style incorporated into other artworks. The artworks on display were full of colour, vibrancy, movement, culture and experiences captured in pockets of moments.

Upon asking the exhibition curator, Annelie Jordaan, what the common thread between all the artworks on display and for sale at the fair was she answered: “It was kinda funny because the first few works I got were so nature-based and it was either by pattern…you know? Then I had this amazing art and I started going, how do I put this all together…From the beginning I didn’t want to go per studio or per artwork, I wanted to marry them together to show how different work from different people from everywhere work together. Everything for me had to either tell a story and relate to each other either by colour, by texture, by subject and as the puzzle started coming together, I then added the plants and flowers by the same criteria. But the common thread and theme then is nature, home and culture.”

One of the fair’s favourite artists across different age groups, Nditsheni Managa, then added: “Maybe that’s why she (Annelie) came with the title of the show, The Journey. She was inspired by one of his artworks displaying a person on a journey, resonating with the feeling of art being a journey that one walks with that also gives back by helping other see the world.”

When I asked how the artwork they’ve created will contribute to conversations in South Africa going forward, another visual artist, Ingrid Uys, emphasised how much healing she hopes her art will bring to her audience.

She shared a deeply moving story about how a girl and her mother visited an autoimmune diseases specialist for an appointment and as soon as they saw her beautiful, gentle and heart-warming hummingbird art on the wall, the mother burst into tears because she would constantly pray for her child to get better. She says every time after that intimate moment of prayer, an image of a hummingbird would always just appear in her vision. This artwork gave her hope and made her feel seen in such an emotionally draining experience.

Thobile Mavuso, whose artworks and ceramics were also exhibited, proudly expressed her deep love and inspiration rooted in the Ndebele culture by paying homage to their native art form of uMgwalo, which she then translated to ‘writing’, emphasising that it is the way in which Ndebele people write, archive and share information. It also forms a large part of their economy; women using this art method to forge and make their communities and homes.

She elaborates that her work has been a way of connecting and remembering who she is as well as connecting with her ancestral lineage. She further expresses that she feels “incredibly honoured to be participating in this rich ancestral history in this contemporary way that I find myself”.

The Roedean School (SA) Art Fair had the starry theme aligned with the execution of the event. The entire experience of being in such a well curated, carefully considered space – down to the last detail – created a magical, heart-stirring evening full of excellence and talented individuals, shining and working together to make a brighter vision come to life.

The experience was unlike any other, with each artwork expanding the horizons of one’s own emotions, mind set and imagination to evoke a sensitivity for not only the desires, thresholds and needs of self, but of others around us and a new found appreciation for the beautiful displays of culture seen in different perspectives with acknowledgement of the courage that each artist had to let their voices be heard; ultimately creating one harmonious symphony of art, magnificently splayed across the room as a pleasant ode to nature, culture and home. Written by Siyakudumisa Mabena, in her personal capacity.