Renowned visual artist visits and works in Nieu-bethesda
NIEU-BETHESDA — Due to the creative nature of the place, famous people come and go through Nieubethesda, and part of the charm of it is that they pass through incognito, absorb the space and move one without most people being any the wiser. The dusty streets have been trodden by the likes of Cathy Bates, Koos Kombuis, Hilary Swank, Vusi Mahlasela, Nathaniel and, of course, Athol Fugard. Over the past few weeks, Nieu-bethesda is proud to have hosted visual artist Lebohang Kganye as she went about her business of capturing the spirit of the village which inspired Athol Fugard, one of the world’s most influential living playwrights. Striking a powerful figure, Kganye humbly tells of her many achievements that place her among one of the top contemporary artists that South Africa has produced. She has participated in many prestigious exhibitions and residencies around the world and has also received numerous awards including the ‘Global Artist of the Year’ from the Rise Art Prize Awards for emerging artists. Working with the mediums of photography, cardboard cutout, stop-frame animation and the human figure set within archival photographs, Kganye was also awarded the Contemporary African Photography Prize for her installation ‘Ke Lefa Laka’, which is Sotho for ‘inheritance.’ James Ngcobo, creative director of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, has employed Kganye to research and capture the essence of Nieu-bethesda, as a tribute to Athol Fugard, whose play ‘Train Driver’ will be performed at the Market Theatre in May. Kganye’s work will be shown in the exhibition space in the Market Theatre, opening on the preview day of the play. South African photographer Cedric Nunn was also in Nieu-bethesda for a few days, mentoring Kganye as she delved deeper into the psyche of the village. Kganye speaks warmly of her visit to this small place, which, she says, is a total antithesis to the big city lights of Johannesburg! She says that she has been warmly welcomed as she spoke to villagers of their interpretations of the place and of Athol Fugard himself. She finds it interesting how stories and the oral tradition of the very same incident or person vary from person to person, or from day to day. She spoke of how memories are not exclusively factual and that stories have the ability to change. As an artist, she yearns to capture this. For this reason, she enjoys working with archival photographs as there is an element of permanence within them. In some works, Kganye embeds herself into these old photographs and in that way transforms the ‘authenticity’ of the work into something totally different. It is going to be fascinating to see what Lebohang Kganye will create from her time in Nieu-bethesda. The exhibition opens at the Market Theatre early May and she encourages anyone who finds themselves up in Johannesburg to attend and view the exhibition, which will surely showcase this remarkable young artist’s work to the fullest. To see more of Lebohang Kganye’s work, visit www.lebohangkganye.co.za