There are three great looking visual arts happenings this week amongst the many exhibition openings at our great galleries around town.
The Kimberley Hotel has, for the last three years or so, been a hip hangout and watering hole (and boy, do they drink) for a whole crew of visual artists – and some of them have even made the residential hotel their home.
On 11 August, the hotel will host a one night event ‘The Big Hole’ at the Kimberley Hotel. Curated by Catherine Ocholla, the event promises to be “a madcap art exhibition, party and cultural response to the local of many of Cape Town’s most creative individuals”.
The exhibition will feature work made specifically for the show, pieces which document Kimberley’s often murky past and a number of interventions and interactive performance pieces to keep revelers both engaged and entertained – including a specially constructed studio where Wayne Barker will shoot glamour photographs of any willing subjects (those wishing to participate in the shoot should bring a prop along with them).
There will also be an upstairs open studio featuring the VVIPs William Kentridge and Marlene Dumas, and a host of other artists. This studio will be home to ‘The Red Dot Sale’ which will take place each Saturday until 28 August with constantly changing stock.
With more than 30 artists, ‘The Big Hole’ promises to provide not only a night to remember, but also an enduring legacy and an affectionate tribute to this ‘grand lady’ of Roeland Street from those who love her most.
Artists participating include: Wayne Barker, Ed Young, Pieter Hugo, Stuart Bird, Suzy Bell, William Kentridge, Richard Chauke, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Andrew Lamprecht, James Hoets, Jake Aikman, Catherine Ocholla, Robert Sloon, Kirsty Cockerill, Belinda Blignaut, Linda Stupart, Conrad Bo, Mr. Taylor, David Southwood, David Scadden, Matthew Blackman, Genevieve Louw, Jonathan Garnham, Lizza Littlewort, Henk Serfontein, Kai Lossgott, Julie Donald, Pierre Fouche, Niel Nieuwoudt, Jorge Brandao, Matthew Partridge, Margaret H E Stone, Shani Nel, Charles Maggs, Michael Taylor and Dominique Cheminais.
The Kimberley Hotel is on the corner of Roeland and Buitenkant Streets, Cape Town, Tel: 021 461 2160.
Also on 11 August, at The Alliance Francaise of Cape Town, catch The Brown Europe Pagent One to Three by Team Tarbaby. This is a screening of a set of experimental films by twins Jean and Zinaid Meeran with Sarah Ping Jones, which deals with the topic of “post-identity” – a space where race, gender and more do not matter.
Zinaid Meeran has recently published a great and very funny book – Saracen at the Gates – dealing with the same issues. The screening is at 7pm and the authors of the film will be there to introduce it.
At 38 Special on 38 Buitenkant Street – a great little cafe in the East City – go and see “Catch-2010: Art that does not sell will BURN”. The exhibition opens at 6pm on 13 August and remains up till 10 September.
According to the blurb, Catch-2010 is “an exhibition featuring eleven brilliant works of art, depicting the societal impact post hosting the soccer world cup. This exhibition is like the World Cup of art, in which great opportunity comes with great risk.”
We like the title and we like the venue so we urge you to go and support it!
