South Africa Blog

100 artists have been selected for The Africa Centre’s art biennale, the Spier Contemporary 2010, which opens at The Cape Town City Hall on 14 March 2010. The mammoth task of selecting the finalists from over 2 700 entries at selection centres across the country was undertaken by the five member curatorial team.

Mwenya Kabwe, a member of the curatorial team, says; “There was an enormous amount of art. Making the selection entailed endless hours of debate between our team members. Whilst we were enriched by our journey through South Africa’s creative landscape, it was exhausting!”

Digital art and photography emerged very clearly as popular mediums for this year’s competition, which also includes strong sculptural and performance arts dimensions. Says, Jay Pather, from the curatorial team; “Contemporary art is a measure of our society. A lot of the work reflects the search for identity – it suggests that we are a nation in crisis. Themes of cynicism, fear and a lack of faith in our leadership are definitely present. We did not seek to narrate or shape this reflection. It is what it is and often art speaks to us because it echoes our truth.”

Within the soul-searching, there are however many moments of wry humour, playfulness and some extraordinary musings on human nature. Soccer commentary also emerged as a strong theme, with many artists questioning the hype and absence of real community benefits surrounding the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Work has begun on the Cape Town City Hall setting, where the first stop of the exhibition will be shown. Commissioned architect, Nabeel Essa, will be designing the exhibition within the crumbling grandeur of the Edwardian building to create an interpretive space quite unlike the white cube. A total prize money of R1.2 million and six artist in residency programmes (to places as far afield as South Korea and Brazil) will be awarded to the finalists and winning artists. Winners will be announced on the 13 March 2010.

The Africa Centre presents the Spier Contemporary 2010 with the generous support of Spier.

Dates & Details:
The Spier Contemporary 2010 Exhibition at The Cape Town City Hall
14 March – 14 May 2010
Daily 10am till 6pm
Entrance is FREE

To arrange interviews with members of the curatorial team, project managers, qualifying artists and Spier Contemporary’s producer, The Africa Centre – please call Brenda on + 27 21 447 3198

ABOUT SPIER CONTEMPORARY 2010:
The Spier Contemporary has been conceived to provide a platform for visual and performance artists to show their work, uncompromised by the limitations of technology, space and access. Artists in South Africa work under extremely varied conditions and see from radically different perspectives. These differences are what define our collective identity and unique social and cultural landscape. The Spier Contemporary provides a platform for exploring our diversity, giving audiences insights into our complexity and thus contributing to our understanding of difference.

ABOUT THE AFRICA CENTRE
The Africa Centre is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African arts and cultural practices. In addition to the Spier Contemporary, the Africa Centre conducts three annual festivals in Cape Town: Infecting the City (performance art), Badilisha Poetry X-change (poetry) and the Pan-African Space Station (music); as well as an artist-in-residency programme based in Senegal, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa – SPARCK – Space for Pan-African Research, Creation and Knowledge.

Splashy Fen celebrates its 21st festival this Easter and with the coming of age, comes greater awareness and responsibility. With this in mind, the organisers of South Africa’s longest-running annual music festival have joined forces with The Green Depot and the Corner Café in Durban to create an eco village that will give festival-goers an opportunity to see green initiatives in action and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.

Powered solely by wind, water and solar energy, the village will offer zero-waste, eco-friendly camping, product displays, an environmental film festival, as well as the cool cuisine and fabulous coffee of the Corner Café eco-restaurant.

All food prepared by the Corner Café will be purchased from farmers in the community and eaten using 100% biodegradable utensils. Organic waste will be fed into a giant worm farm, while other recyclable matter will be disposed of by YES (Your Environment Spotless), a waste collection and recycling company that aims to create a culture of environmentally responsible South Africans.

“We’re very excited at the prospect of having an eco village at Splashy, where people can either camp or come in as day visitors to experience practical, everyday ways of protecting the environment,” says Andrew Payne of The Green Depot.

“We’re also fortunate to have the support of suppliers and sponsors like Freight Max, which has kindly provided an 8-ton truck to transport the wind turbines and other equipment to the festival in one load, as opposed to many smaller vehicles doing multiple trips. This will help reduce our carbon footprint.”

Payne is quick to point out that while environmental issues are serious business, the eco village promises to be hip and happening, with live music, a wine bar and a host of other activities. For those willing to try something a little different, there’ll even be daily scuba workshops down at the river, presented by UKZN Underwater Club.

People wishing to camp in the eco village (situated on the riverbank, below the main festival site) can contact sales@thegreendepot.co.za or buy their tickets directly from the Corner Café at 197 Brand Road, Glenwood. The cost is R425 per person, which includes your Splashy Fen entrance ticket.

Alternatively, day visitor tickets will be available at the festival for only R10, which also secures you entry into a daily draw to win a range of great prizes like free coffee for a year and trips to eco-friendly holiday destinations. For more information about the eco village or if you’d like to get involved in the project, contact Andrew Payne at 083 263 3382.

Supported by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the Splashy Fen Music Festival is held on a farm near Underberg in the southern Drakensberg and runs from April 1-5. It offers a four-day line-up of some of the country’s hottest acts, as well as fun outdoor activities for the whole family, arts and crafts, a wide variety of food and drink outlets and various camping and accommodation options. Artists confirmed so far include the likes of Prime Circle, Hot Water, Fokofpolisiekar, Plush, Tidal Waves, Ard Matthews, the Albert Frost Trio, Haggis and Bong, New Holland and Syd Kitchen.

More details at www.splashyfen.co.za.
Find a place to stay at Drakensberg accommodation.

This coming Harvest Festival, Wellington cannot wait to treat you to all the delicacies on offer at its 26-member compact wine route which is a mere 45 minutes from Cape Town, and within spitting distance of Stellenbosch and Franschoek. Come and celebrate the harvest with remarkable and award-winning wines, wine walks, mountain biking, wholesome family fun, footstomping music and lip-smacking food.

Dates: 20, 21, 22 March 2010
Entry for the 3-day festival is R60.
Armbands will be available at the information office for participating farms.
Kids under 12 are free.
Contact Wellington Tourism on Tel: 021 873 4604
To find a place to stay see Wellington Accommodation

WIN a 3 night stay at Euphoria Golf Estate & Hydro, located in the beautiful Waterberg mountain range of the Limpopo Province, only 2 hours drive from Johannesburg. The estate offers 4 star luxury bush villa accommodation, an 18 hole championship golf course, a Hydro and cablecar that connects to a Sundowner Deck restaurant offering stunning views!

Valued at R10003, the prize includes:
* accommodation for 2 people sharing for 3 consecutive mid-week nights
* breakfast, lunch and dinners daily (excluding drinks)
* 2 x full body massages
* 2 rounds of golf including golf carts

Designed with a serious commitment to the preservation of the indigenous fauna and flora, it is the combination of golf and the unsurpassed beauty of the Waterberg landscape that makes Euphoria such a unique experience.

The Euphoria Bush Villas are nestled in the bushveld close to the magnificent club house. The Villas follow the theme of contemporary African chic, built with the signature sandstone rock from the surrounding Waterberg mountain. Each villa has a room, en-suite bathroom and a balcony.

Click here for more info and to enter: Euphoria Golf Estate Competition

CAPE TOWN: WEEKEND 26 – 28 FEBRUARY AT NEKKIES HOLIDAY RESORT IN WORCESTER.
JOHANNESBURG: SATURDAY 6 MARCH, EMMERENTIA DAM.

RAMfest has grown over the past three years to be a highlight on the annual Music Festival calendar in the Western Cape. An unforgettable experience with a collective of like minded music- and fun lovers, mark those calendars and join us for a mind blowing adventure into the realm of RAMfest 1V.

After what was certainly one of the most memorable events in Cape Town in 2009, 2010 is set to be the Year of the Spectacular. Audiomatik Events has secured a phenomenal line up, including international acts Pendulum from Australia and Johnny Foreigner from the UK and top SA acts Fokofpolisiekar, Taxi Violence, Jack Parow The Dirty Skirts and many more. RAMfest is also proud to present performances by much loved bands that have not performed in SA for a while: BOO!; Lark and The Narrow.

Thanks to all the dedicated followers, RAMfest is Cape Town’s number 1 alternative music festival and is now also teaming up with Oppikoppi SA to bring RAMfest to Johannesburg.

RAMFEST 1V CAPE TOWN:
WEEKEND 26 – 28 FEBRUARY AT NEKKIES HOLIDAY RESORT IN WORCESTER.

The line up on the MAIN STAGE includes:
Pendulum (Dj set) & Verse(UK/AUS), Johnny Foreigner(UK), BOO!, The Narrow, Lark, Fokofpolisiekar, Taxi Violence,Isochronous, Desmond & the Tutu’s, Kidofdoom, 7th Son, The Rudimentals,Tidal Waves, Red Five Point Star,Half Price, The Monroes, 3rd World Spectator , Cutout Collective, The Ragdolls, Stereo Zen, The Sleepers, Heldervue, The Realist , Jack Parow , The Dirty Skirts, Yesterday`s Pupil, Checked Zebra.

For die hard Metal fans, presents the METAL 4 AFRICA STAGE with performances by:
A B Turbo,Betray the Emissary,Cold Hand Chemistry, Day Turns Night, Enmity, Facing The Gallows, Guns Go Bang, Mind Assault, Moment Of Clarity, New Altum, Pestroy,Reverse The Sands, SacriFist, Strident, Symphonic Schitzophrenia ,The Warinsane. Also featuring: The Untamed Dj’s – Brad & Chris from SA’s biggest alternative clubs Zepplins & The Doors, DJ Zuul (Mordor & Eye Of Horus)

ELECTRONIC STAGE: Dynamo Robo Disco”, Pretoria’s most advanced audio-visual dance-floor-destroying experience is charging it’s batteries and gearing up to bring the fun to Cape Town. GRIET presents ‘ROBO-RAM!’ RAMFEST’s first official dress up after party! When the band stages close down at night, go back to your tent and transform into the cyborgs we all know you are and come back to rock out to, Sassquatch, Niskerone, Richard The Third, Haezer, Moe Joe, Mr Sakitumi, Markus Wormstorm, Codec, Bruce Willis and many more.

Do pack that Hawaiian shirt because on Saturday morning we will be throwing a beach theme party down by the river starting at 11:00am.

TICKETS CAPE TOWN: Tickets are available from Computicket nationwide:
STRICTLY NO: Under18′s. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult, Glass bottles (please decant your drinks into plastic bottles).
Contact: 021 8833607.

RAMFEST JOHANNESBURG: SATURDAY 6 MARCH, EMMERENTIA DAM.
RAMfest is proud to present it`s very first one day Festival at Emmerentia Dam. Put your boots on and make sure to join us for a celebration of top SA Rock Talent, as well as a chance to see an exclusive SA performance by Pendulum (DJ set) & Verse from Australia and UK.

The line up: Pendulum (Djset) & Verse, aKING, BOO!, The Narrow, Lark, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Isochronous, Wrestlerish and The Sick Leaves. Stalls, arts and crafts market and water sports, this is one Saturday of the year not to be missed.

TICKETS: Available from Computicket nationwide.
Gates open: 12h00.

Calling all wine connoisseurs and organic food fundis! Some of the town’s most award-winning farms will be offering wine tasting at their cellars, wine walks, live music, food stalls & markets, quad & mountain biking, etc. R60 gives you access to all the farms, plus a complimentary tasting glass and map. Kids u12 are free. You can purchase your armband at the Tourism Bureau.

Venue: Wellington’s surrounding wine farms
Dates: 20-22 March 2010
Please contact 021 873 4604 for more details.
Where To Stay: Wellington Accommodation

After an extremely successful year, idols dynamite Pixie and her band will kick off 2010 with a show in Cape Town. Catch them at the V&A Waterfront on Sunday, January 10th at 5pm in the amphitheatre. Albums and merchandise will be available and all ages are welcome!

Their new single SO SPUN has experienced huge success on nationwide and KZN radio stations and they are set to release a further single in January. Both songs, as well as their EP album were produced by Tree 63’s John Ellis. The band have performed alongside some of SA’s top artists: Prime Circle, Zebra and Giraffe, Stealing Love Jones, Wondeboom and Loyiso to name a few.

Recently, the Durban based musicians had the opportunity to perform at a concert that headlined international artist Busta Rhymes as well as local TV stations. Securing an endorsement from Mr Price and further sponsors is a testament to the support that they are receiving throughout SA.

Please contact Pixie on 079 439 8915 should you require further information!