The National Archives, UK’s Post

The division of Fine Arts at the School of the Arts, University of Pretoria, has the great pleasure to invite you to a walkabout of ’ 𝙋𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮’, the bi-annual creative outputs exhibition by the members of staff. The exhibition features over forty recent works of art produced by permanent and part-time members of Fine Art staff at the School of the Arts (UP). This includes Dr Avi Sooful, Dr Nicola Grobler, Natalie Fossey, Cazlynne Peffer, Dr Sikho Siyotula, Diane Victor, Fouad Asfour, Prof Johan Thom and many more. The walkabout will be conducted by Mr Teboho Lebakeng, Lecturer in Fine Art (UP) and many of the participating artists will be present.  Time:                            12:00-13:00  Date:                            26 November 2024 Venue:                          The Bridge Gallery, Javett-UP  Enquiries & RSVP:          Please RSVP with Ms Zita Oranje at: rsvp.upstudentgallery@gmail.com   This exhibition takes as its central theme the notion of the plural. The curator of the exhibition, Wayne Matthews, writes that, "plurality ... is not just a state of being but also a strategy, a form of belonging to the many - being self-referential, auto-poetic and simultaneously social, cultural, and political. Plurality posits even truth and reality as continually renewed questions". Such ongoing questioning is the heart of the arts and humanities, dealing, as it does, with the very meaning of our lives. Meaning is of course always relative and thus requires constant scholarly investigation, testing and greater public discussion.    

Theorising the Artist Interview edited by Lucia Farinati, Jennifer Thatcher is now available for pre-order! I am pleased to have contributed to this anthology that seeks to promote an approach to art history that dismantles traditional hierarchies in favour of valuing dialogue and collaboration. My chapter, "Interview as Action/Archive: The Role of Televised Reportage in Contemporary Visual Art in the Turkish Cypriot Community," explores how artists have publicly presented themselves through interviews in art journalism and televised programs dedicated to art. My chapter is the first art historical study to focus on the emergence of the artist interview within the Turkish Cypriot community. The significance of these interviews, particularly in this case study, lies in their role as some of the few available sources documenting artistic practices in the absence of other institutional repositories of historical materials.

Just sent my final draft book to publisher. Very affordable soft back and e-book versions should be available in a few months. Back cover reads as follows: "Shining Art on Light" tells the broad and fascinating story of light through the use of art. Artists have an innate understanding of light and are able to convey important concepts visually. This book begins by introducing the science of light with five important concepts, summarized in easily accessible language. The next part discusses many aspects of light that occur in nature, and the final part discusses human inventions involving light. The book concludes with a discussion of time, as relates to light. In total, 58 pieces of art from 8 museums are used to tell the story of light.

“Materials documenting the creative output of BIPOC communities in the U.S. are in danger of being lost.” Now available on SAADA Spotlight ☀️: “No More Basements.” SAADA, in partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles Community Archives Lab and with funding provided by The Wallace Foundation, is leading a study assessing the impact of archival representation on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-centered arts organizations. BIPOC-centered arts organizations amplify the histories, traditions, and perspectives of BIPOC communities, and archives can enable and support such organizations in telling their own stories to the public. This project aims to achieve greater equity in archival representation between mainstream arts institutions and arts organizations rooted in communities of color. This report is the second part of a two-part study that began by conducting a survey of arts organizations across the United States. The first report, “Survey of BIPOC-Centered Arts Organizations’ Archival Practices,” reflected on the responses from 113 BIPOC-centered arts organizations who took the survey. This second report reflects on qualitative data collected from 15 one-on-one interviews and nine focus group participants who were part of the initial survey. It is authored by Dr. Michelle Caswell, Dr. Tonia Sutherland, Anna Robinson-Sweet, and James Epps. 📖 Read the full report at spotlight.saada.org. "No More Basements" is available as a free PDF download.

The theme for THE SUSSEX 2024 is Duality. Jo explains why she chose the theme, and how it can be interpreted and used to inspire your entries in a BLOG POST over on our website. Read an excerpt of the post below: When I think about a subject, theme, or title I like to use literature as a starting point. I always start by researching what the word itself means: DUALITY 1. the quality or condition of being duel “This duality of purpose was discernible in the appointments”. 2. an instance of oppositions or contrast between two aspects of something, a dualism “his photographs capitalize on the dualities of light and dark, stillness and movement”. An idea, observation, or opinion is shown through an artwork that is shared with and communicated to others. It is in this dualism, the convergence of artistic intention with the physical building blocks of visual art that entices the observer to ponder the artwork and why it exists. Drawing them in a rich tapestry of stories, thoughts, and emotions and communicating with them directly. Next time you are at a museum or an exhibition look at the other people around you. Look at those that are caught in front of an artwork for a length of time. They are considering, looking, questioning, admiring, and thinking about what is in front of them. Duality explores the positive and negative spaces in life, between lines and lived-in experiences. Head on over to our website to read more and get your mind immersed in thinking about DUALITY https://buff.ly/3yQ4mE0 #sussexart #sussexartists #sussexcontemporary #opencall #artistopportunity #thesussex #newhaven #duality

The NTMoFA in Taichung hosted its 9th edition of the Asian Art Biennial, which is arguably the most important event in the Asian art calendar. Hosted from November 16, 2024, to March 2, 2025, this year’s theme, How to Hold Your Breath, seeks to capture and immerse the audience in meditative ideas of resilience and hope. More than 35 artist groups spread across 20 countries have come together to display 83 unique artworks that make audiences question their perceptions of time, place, and the future of our society. This way, the event seeks to equip its audience with the skills to solve existing global dilemmas through unconventional art and science. The aim of this expanded article is to show that the 9th Asian Art Biennial is of great importance to the world of art by sharing the curatorial ideas of the biennale, its most compelling moments, and its impact on the future. The Vision of the 9th Asian Art Biennial—Poetry as a New Way of Thinking About One’s Fortitude Centered on “A Phragmatic Reinterpretation Of Resilience” The tagline of the Biennale provides context for its central theme, “How to Hold Your Breath.” Essentially, the phrase seeks to counter the common expression, “Don’t hold your breath, which is more associated with exhortations to stop waiting in vain. Rather, it is an invitation to come across the world, or be still, and visualize a more powerful version of yourself. In essence, it refers to resilience, which is a brief moment or an interval in the midst of confusion and the ability to imagine new worlds in a much better way. https://lnkd.in/gi_56Uip

I just finished (in like 2 days) "Get the Picture" by Bianca Bosker. She embeds herself in various fine arts worlds, including galleries, studios, and museums, trying to answer the questions "What is Art?" and "What is good art?", the same questions psych of art researchers are obsessed with! AND... she went to VSAC 2019 (Vision & Art) - chatted with some of the major researchers in our field, and then summed it up brilliantly: "Lots of studies set out aiming to answer ambitious, age-old questions like 'What do humans find beautiful?' and end with frustratingly narrow conclusion like 'Subjects prefer paintings in the intermediate fractal dimension range.'" (p. 239). Anyway, highly recommend all Div 10 folks read it to see the many worlds that psych of art intersects with, and the many ways to think about our field.

Art institutions should be safe, uncensored spaces for expression and opinion. Art that expresses political opinions based on historical events is readily accepted for exhibition by institutions and museums, but art about current political situations often is not. Regardless of your political opinion, some facts in world politics cannot be disputed. The question to ask here is: What forces are at work in modern-day censorship, and why? https://lnkd.in/eD-H-3PQ

This morning, I launched The Art & Artists Report on my Substack. The Art & Artists Report is based on a detailed survey I conducted in late 2024 of over 50 global art experts, and it will be published on my Substack in seven installments over the next few months. The Report provides new art enthusiasts and potential art patrons with a substantial, nuanced, and diverse introduction to the world of contemporary art. It functions as a series of curated recommendations from seasoned art industry professionals regarding which books to read, institutions to visit, artists to research, and much more. Think of the Report as a more advanced form of Contemporary Art 101, as taught by dozens of experts and synthesized by me. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eBkA_xXU.

From #EDspaces presenting sponsor Interface: Nature has always been a source of inspiration, influencing centuries of art, literature, design, and music. In recent decades, science has proven what we’ve always felt – that experiencing nature has positive mental and physical benefits. https://bit.ly/3BLsYiJ