Raising a glass to dance and art
Gauteng gives a round of applause to painting and performance, sculpture and dance
THE arts in general don’t get enough love, so what a refreshing week this was for Joburgers, with not one but two chances to celebrate them.
On Thursday, the annual FNB Art Fair kicked off with an exclusive preview evening for VIP guests at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Curated by Lucy MacGarry, this marks the eighth year for one of — if not the — biggest art parties on the calendar, featuring 50 exhibitors from seven countries.
Thursday’s event attracted an array of guests from various disciplines. The huge numbers shuffling through the exhibition hall made it all feel like a bright bazaar.
Among those in attendance were legendary musician Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse; singer Thandiswa Mazwai; and artists Reshada Crouse, Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaoana.
Of course, there was plenty of art to take in, including performance art — the sight of a woman making her way through the crowd with an umbrella and smoky skull in hand did initially scare us, though.
Also showcasing their work were this year’s FNB Art Prize winner Turiya Magadlela; and one of our favourites, Loyiso Mkize, who en- gaged some guests with an explanation of one of his pieces.
Fashion, of course, was at an alltime high. The trendy brand Kisua was a popular choice, as were bold neck pieces by Maria McCloy, as seen on 702 presenter Azania Mosaka, and Swaady Martin-Leke, CEO of the luxury tea company Yswara.
The fair ends at 5pm today, for those who feel like a cultured Sunday outing.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, it was performance art that dominated the celebrations.
Members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, who’ve been wowing audiences at their Montecasino shows, took a break from their tight schedule to enjoy a reception at the US ambassador’s residence in Pretoria.
The ambassador, Patrick Gaspard, was away but his wife RainaWashington opened up their home for a classy cocktail party, where the dancers came to mingle with some local talent, including actor John Kani; Market Theatre founder Mannie Manim; and the director of Showtime Management, Hazel Feldman.
It wasn’t difficult to spot the dancers, of course, who stood out among the guests in all their statuesque glory.
One of the company’s stars, Hope Boykin, said she planned to stay on in the country after the rest of the company leaves to continue the outreach work that the dancers have undertaken here.
Later, the sprawling lawns of the residence were turned into a stage as our very own Vukani Dance Theatre wowed all with a flash mob-esque performance.
Following an impassioned speech by Alvin Ailey’s artistic director, Robert Battle, in which he thanked South Africans for being so welcoming, the guests were left to continue enjoying the delicious food and drinks.