[PICTURES] Beautiful Things: South Africans use art to etch their stories

JOHANNESBURG – Storytelling is an age-old tradition that can be achieved in various forms.

These include music, dance and writing.

Andile Magengelele, the curator of Beautiful Things, an exhibition of handmade crafts, took it upon himself to share the stories of artists.

The crafts are created by talented South Africans, and they range from ceramics, beadwork, jewellery, wirework, embroidery to quilting.

Under the theme, Hands On, Magengele’s exhibition was showcased at The Living Heritage of Womens’ Museum in Pretoria’s Sammy Marks Square.

Speaking to Eyewitness News, Magengelele revealed the genesis of the project: “[It] started with conversations with the artists and listening to their stories. I suppose it is the artist’s function to enrich us with stories, indigenous knowledge systems on art making, their hopes and dreams, and what breaks their hearts and what mends it.

“Some of the stories are so enthralling like how some have to wait for dreams to appear before they embark on a process of making.”

Last night, Dept of Sport, Arts and Culture launched 2023 #BeautifulThings Exhibition & National Crafts Incubator @ Women’s Liberation Heritage Monument

The exhibition seeks to make significant aspects of the contemporary craft & crafters and bring their work to the market place pic.twitter.com/DP2hczTTuS

‘ Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (@SportArtsCultur) March 31, 2023

Magengelele said art should be afforded respect like any other profession.

“To be an artist is a profession like being an architect and for artists to survive in an economy that is currently in decline and faced with post-Covid challenges is a mountain to climb.”

The artworks from his exhibition seek to educate and preserve history, culture, and heritage, as well as for public enjoyment.

At the same time, the hand crafts are about inclusion and reflecting South Africa’s diversity.
“In a way, they [crafts] are like shamans, who through their artistic practice open our eyes to new pathways. I became aware of how stories and art history enrich our experience of art, and which nourish the diversity of creativity while projecting new ways of telling and understanding aesthetic shifts in craft-making post-apartheid.”

The 2023 edition of the exhibition, will run for six months – including a crafts shop and an incubator programme for nine crafters from the country’s provinces.

They will receive tailored business coaching, product development support and access to markets. The goal is to establish sustainability and profitability for the creatives and equip them will skills to run thriving businesses.
Magengelele added that the programme includes mentorship from industry experts.

IDENTITY POLITICS AND ART

The curator hopes for growth in the art sector, saying it should be politicised.

“For the industry to grow, we should be using identity politics and have a wider approach to creativity whether it emanates from the periphery, center, black or white”.

He added that the private sector should be involved, noting: “It’s philanthropic initiatives in the craft sector would be welcome and will lessen the dependency on government funding.”

Magengelele said private museums in South African should actively collect and recognise crafters.

The art world is expanding, he said, bringing luxury goods, celebrity culture and mass media.

“We should try a borderless exhibition making that includes crafters from the African continent and its diaspora,” Magengelele,” suggested.