It has been years since I last went to the SA National Gallery; and although M and I always seem to intend going, we never end up going for various reasons. At least , this year we got over that hurdle.
The gallery has a set of permanent exhibits together with a number of featured exhibitions. The permanent exhibitions seem to be organized in a few themes, and the sculptures - in my opinion - are the highlights. Of the featured, but temporary exhibitions, the landscape work of Moses Tladi, is amazing - especially those of a much rural Gauteng which has been transformed to an urban jungle. Except for the Tladi exhibition, there was very little with regards to explanation of the pieces or wider discussion on the pieces. Apart from that, the gallery is an excellent stop in Cape Town's tourist circuit.
Besides the Butcher Boys, three more recent sculptures stood out for me. Congolese artist, Maurice Mbiyaki's "E-Mukishi" transforms computer keyboards and mice into a threatening dark menace. In the current context of cyber threats, the sculpture is the physical manifestation of a very real threat to modern society. There is no official interpretation, but it is the work that spoke to me the most.
Mary Sibande's "The Reign" takes a very different take on the horse rider sculpture that is fairly common across western culture. It is colourful, and a refreshing take. The work is part of a wider series but this is an apt installation to showcase the power of her work.
The last one, is Paul Thavhana's "Nowa Ya Tsireldzo - Snake as Protector"; a humongous wooden sculpture of a smiling cobra. I couldn't find anything on the Internet about the piece or the artist, so I am not sure if it is a single piece of wood (as it seems to be) - but it is amazing piece regardless.
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