buhlenkalashe

  To many folks across the world, finding a contemporary art definition can be a complicated task. While its name is easy and direct, its modern-day meaning is not as clear. Luckily, understanding what constitutes as “contemporary” is entirely possible once one dashes the concept's history and explores its underlying themes. In its most basic essence, the term contemporary art means an art—namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art—generated at present. Although apparently simple, the details near to this definition are sometimes a bit uncertain, as various peoples’ interpretations of “today” may extensively and wildly vary. Therefore, the exact starting point of the genre is still debated; however, many art historians consider the late 1960s or early 1970s (the end of modern art, or modernism) to be an adequate estimate. Envisioned as a reaction to previous modern art movements, contemporary art is believed to have begun on the heels of ...

South Africa features a number of homegrown exports who have gone on to create amazingpieces of work as well as contributing to the global art discourse. Among these are William Kentridge, ZaneleMuholi, KemangWaLehulere, David Goldblatt, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi and Mary Sibande. We’re also very proud of icons such as Esther Mahlangu, a painter of large-scale works with references to the Ndebele heritage, who has exhibited and collaborated with international artists including Yoko Ono. South Africa is known to have a number of great institutions such as The Wits School of Arts in Johannesburg (offering programmes in digital art, fine art, film & television, history of art, theatre/performance and more), Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town, and the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg. Over times, these have been prominent in inculcating a solid connection between art and activism. Metropolitan towns such as Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town make up an important part of the...