40 Stones in the Wall - art for the spirit
For the third year in a row, 40 Stones in the Wall, a faithbased exhibition, displays the perfect combination of faith and art. Part of Spiritfest, this year it features various works by 10 talented artists. It looks at how faith is woven and intertwined within every sphere of our lives, including how we look at ourselves.
The centre piece of the exhibition is Audette Jooste’s A Woven Story, a tall interactive loom.
Visitors are invited to weave their own choice of colours and textures into this, and in weaving, they may want to ponder what exactly they have allowed to be woven into their lives.
Mareli Els’s jewellery piece, Pile Up, is described as a single thread which holds together precious stones, in the same way that Christ’s love holds us together, making us whole.
Karla Benade’s mixed media abstract Residue Imprint features red stains symbolic of Christ’s blood.
It invites us to reflect on the taboo association of the mess of the bloodshed, while allowing us to take in the blessing that has come from it. Christ’s blood is a stain and a thread that could be woven into our lives.
Also included in the exhibition is a video by Paul Greenway Plot EA 61 which tells the story of how the artist dug a grave in which a pauper was buried. One then ponders the dignity in burial and the imperfect life of humanity.
Thuli Siguca’s work, In My Grandparents’ Clothes, displays the thread that is woven into many of us by our former generations. She is photographed wearing the clothes of her grandfather and grandmother who were missionaries. She allows the viewers to ponder their own history and identity, how it is tied to their past.
Janna Prinsloo’s work Aerial View II depicts an open sky and ocean in a round frame. This small artwork speaks to our perspective of the entire earth and everything that the earth holds.
Photographer Mosa Anita Kaiser has brought prints to the exhibition, featuring women who have had water poured over them while they are seated on a single chair, reminding us of the symbolic connection of water with spirituality in the Bible.
Making his debut showing in an exhibition, N’lamwai Chithambo’s painting The Human Heart is Fragile depicts an anguished figure bound to rocks, symbolising the burdens in our life that would hold us back and pin us in a single place.
Carmen Maria Titus’ work, Life Source One from God’s Spoken Word, depicts Genesis chapter 1 verses 1-23, showing the stages of creation. All the prints in this series were made from the same brass plate.
The artist Hilary Murdoch has produced a book for children and others: The Bear who Stepped Up. She gave four readings of the book, which provoked deep emotions and helpful discussion on the themes of death and bereavement. Some of the illustrations are displayed in the exhibition, and the book is on sale.
The exhibition is in the Cory Room, next to the Long Table, opening hours 9.30am12.30pm and 2.30-4pm. There will be a walk-about on Saturday morning at 10am.
For further details of Spiritfest events visit: http://www. grahamstowncathedral. org/ spiritfest/2016
Facebook: facebook.com/ spiritfest.grahamstown