Mentors and Mentees 2010

The mentors and mentees for the 2010 Artspace Mentorship Programme are, mentors: Kim Berman, Associate Professor in Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg, and Gordon Froud who is a South African artist with extensive experience of exhibiting and curating shows both locally and internationally. Their mentees are Thabang Lehobye and Goodness Nhlengethwa respectively.

GOODNESS NHLENGETHWA AND GORDON FROUD - GIRL WITHOUT A NAME
07 SEPTEMBER - 29 SEPTEMBER 2010

Girl without a name is an exhibition on women in poverty and domestic violence. "I felt the need to do this kind of exhibition because I saw people especially women in Kathorus (Katlehong, Thokoza and Vosloorus) struggling with little or no assistance from the authorities and the communities themselves. Most of these women are used, ridiculed, labeled, "otherised" and belittled by some authorities and people in our communities" says Goodness.

"My work focuses on the elimination of unnecessary barriers and pain. I make an effort when creating my work that it is accessible to an African audience as well. I experienced poverty and domestic violence myself and I know how misunderstood these subjects are by some people who are authorised to assist" says Goodness. Goodness uses found objects to create the sculptural works.

THABANG LEHOBYE AND KIM BERMAN - MPUMALANGA JOURNEY
02 OCTOBER - 23 OCTOBER 2010

In Mpumalanga Journey, Thabang will present some of his works and a series of collaborative works that emerged from a previous visit with Kim to photograph the aftermath of the Forest Fires in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga.

During the journey in the car, Kim and Thabang discussed possibilities of collaboration and experimentation. Thabang's primary medium is digital animation, and Kim was exploring possibilities of re-introducing printmaking to Thabang from a different perspective.

"Just as a stop-frame, animation is often created with sequencing charcoal drawings, we speculated about using printmaking techniques as a way to generate an unusual approach to animating a process" says Kim.

Read more »

Outreach

Mentorship Programme

Launched in 2008, this programme sees new artists work under the mentorship and guidance of established artists to mount a gallery exhibition. This MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME aims to expose new visual artists, who have previously had little or no exposure to the market.

"It is very difficult for a new artist to break into the market," Says curator Teresa Lizamore. "Galleries rarely work with unknown names. This programme is designed to give these artists a foot in the door and to expose them to working within the professional sphere. Navigating through relationships with galleries can be intimidating for a new artist with little experience. " "Those few galleries that do support emerging artists often have full programmes, leaving many young artists waiting for up to three years at a reputable gallery." The mentees work under the mentorship of the established artists to manage all aspects of a gallery exhibition, from conception of the body of work, writing a proposal, creating the works and mounting the show. Artists are also expected to host public walkabouts and will be exposed to a critique by a respected academic in the field. Also added to the programme is a formal workshop on professional practice which offers an introduction to the newer artists as how to handle themselves within the arts industry, what to expect from a gallery relationship, how to handle PR and marketing of their work and shows and how to build towards a sustainable career. Lizamore works closely with the mentees through gallery visits and sessions advising them on issues such as presentation, pricing, engaging with the market, and how to work within the gallery context. The project is endorsed by Business and Art South Africa (BASA) and is a part of their Barloworld Mentoring Programme.