RAW
A project of the BaMu Art Foundation

KZNSA Gallery is pleased to present a collection of work created by the students of the BaMu Art Foundation residency program. Developed as the logical next step in an ongoing collaboration between Dr. Bajabulile La Dhlamini Sidzumo and Professor Zanele Muholi, the foundation merges a passion for art and youth education, exemplified by RAW, the first exhibition of residency artworks.

Initiated as an artist residency, the program provides resources and mentorship for youth from varying backgrounds in the Umbumbulu district near Durban, South Africa. The foundation aims to foster a passion for art and incubate and support young talents. The residency program also addresses the deficiencies experienced by art educators who may only have the capacity and resources to teach art theory. The foundation works with local schools to identify their needs for practical and critical thinking skills development in art education.

Prof. Zanele Muholi visits local learners at schools weekly and fortnightly to provide mentorship in technique, texture, use of colour and line work amongst other art making practices. Students then also attend three workshops a week at the BaMu Art Foundation where there are further opportunities for mentorship, exploration of techniques and access to resources and materials. Prof. Muholi and Dr. La Dhlamini Sidzumo supplement practical skills mentorship with critical thinking and writing skills, essential to the development of creative concepts and the articulation of these in their practice.

RAW exhibits recent work of students in the residency program. Opening on the anniversary of the Soweto student uprisings on June 16 th 1976, the exhibition reflects the significance of the youths’ contribution to addressing social issues. Emotion, self-expression through portraiture, lived challenges and other social issues are explored through the painting and mixed media works on show.

Figurative in their rendering and literal in their concepts, the works make use of colour to emphasize meaning – warm, bright colours reflecting happiness and a perception of positive attributes and dull, dark colours the opposite. Unincumbered by institutional prescriptions, this emerging work offers refreshing insights into the minds of the artists of tomorrow. More experienced students in the program reference the flat bold backgrounds and economy of colour evident in the works of contemporary African artists.

RAW is an exciting first view of a new generation contributing to Durban’s long history of prolific creative talent.

RAW is open to the public from 16 – 20th June at the KZNSA Gallery.