Alex Hamilton: An interview about the US Woordfees 2017

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The 18th US Woordfees launches on 3 March and once again promises 10 days of activities and discussions revolving around celebrating the arts in South Africa.

In addition to book launches, public discourse, music concerts, stand-up comedy, live theatre and film screenings, visitors to Stellenbosch can also look forward to a stellar visual arts programme curated by Alex Hamilton.

Woordfees is boasting its most diverse line-up to date; among the more than 80 young and established artists whose work can be seen are Athi-Patra Ruga, Lien Botha, Nhlanhla Dumakude Nhlapo, Jenny Parsons, Christiaan Diedericks, Collen Maswanganyi and Diane Victor.

"Kill or prune Mandela's legacy" by Collen Maswanganyi

Says Hamilton, “The local art world is currently undergoing a spring season. There are currently more working, or career artists in South Africa than ever before. This creates a wonderful positive creative energy.”

One of the direct results of this, he adds, is the many new contemporary and fresh-approach galleries opening up in every one of our big cities, all serving a different audience and a variety of art styles.

“In addition, social media has had an enormous impact on the art world and has caused a lot of ‘cross-pollination’ between cities. This opens up the opportunities for South African artists internationally even more than before.”

One of local art’s biggest success stories has been this year's festival artist Athi-Patra Ruga, who has enjoyed unprecedented success both locally and abroad over the past decade.

Visitors will be able to experience a retrospective of the artist’s body of work, comprising his trademark tapestries, videos, live performances and photographic works. Ruga will also be in conversation with Hamilton on 10 March.

“Athi-Patra is simply one of the most exciting and intriguing young artists working in South Africa today. He was my very first choice to show how Woordfees, as a festival, has grown creatively over the past couple of years."

"Selfie of the walking wound" by Athi Patra Ruga

With his “very current themes, topics and exciting mediums”, Hamilton goes on to say, as an artist Ruga is a master of seducing an audience into wanting to know more.

“This, combined with his tactile elements like the tapestries and brilliant use of colour, communicates to a much larger audience and will hopefully make for a far more inclusive experience.

“This balance between high art and popular culture, without compromising his artistic vision, communicates universally and I think the Woordfees audience will enjoy this combination of storytelling, fine art and craft.”

For those experiencing Ruga’s art for the first time, Hamilton suggests they see the work as another method of storytelling, and find enjoyment in the entertainment of the creative process.

“Regardless of whether it is a soap opera told in kitsch technicolor or a political poem straight from the heart, Ruga always reflects a personal journey and vision that is made up of characters ‘performed’ and created by himself.”

Conceived around the theme of “Growth”, Hamilton’s aim for the rest of this year’s programme was to provide festivalgoers with an “exciting, informative, creative and accessible” visual journey.

“I looked for artists who produce high-quality work in a variety of styles, mediums and ‘stories’ that reflect an aspect of personal growth, physical growth or nature and its cycles.

“We also asked for submissions with this theme as brief and then added more exhibitions that answered our criteria. The most difficult of it is to find a balance between all the aspects of fine art and the festival environment.”

Several big-name solo shows are slated to draw big crowds during the festival. They include Sthenjwa Luthuli’s Ukushintsha Isigcawu|Trance Stage, using time and repetitive mark-making to negotiate complex spaces and placements; Henk Serfontein’s Winterslaap, depicting different angles of the sleeping figure of author Wilma Stockenström; and Collen Maswanganyi’s Pruning|Ku thena, during which mental and spiritual pruning, social and financial growth, and the “pruning” of the human body all come into play.

"Wilma sleeping" by Henk Serfontein

Two group exhibitions that are bound to create a lot of buzz and conversation are Bosch in Afrika, curated by Sandra Hanekom and inspired by the legacy of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch; and Khula Ukhokhobe|Grow and Reach Your Prime, curated by Banele Khoza and conceptualised as a vehicle for "stimulating greater understanding within a system and growth within a group".

Hamilton himself has curated three group exhibitions as well. They are To See the Forest for the Trees, described as an exploration in how artists are seeing things; Potblou|Blou Pot, referred to as “ceramics as fine art is fine art”; as well as Opskiet by die Museum, which, for the third year in a row, sees Hamilton give young and first-time collectors the chance to “buy excellent art without breaking the bank”.

This year, due to the size and scope of the overall visual arts programme, Hamilton will host two different art walks every day.

“This allows me to show off all the exhibitions and chat about the artists, art and materials and give festivalgoers an insight into individual exhibitions. Some artists will join me, as a surprise, on various days.”

Alternate routes will be followed every other day. Details, starting points and booking details (there are only 30 spots per tour) can be found on the festival art map and website.

Over the course of the week Hamilton will also enter into conversation with several prominent artists around art-related topics and issues.

Panellists include Lionel Smith (Tretchikoff, Cult, Art or Culture? Mass Production vs Original Art), Christiaan Diedericks (Artist Residencies: How to Create Opportunities, the Possibilities and Needs), as well as Vulindela Nyoni and Andi Norton (who will talk about the Stellenbosch Outdoor Sculpture Trust and its work with artists and the community).

"Away from us" by Sthenjwa Luthuli

Another helpful resource available to festivalgoers over the course of Woordfees are the so-called Kunskapteins.

“The Kunskaptein Intern Programme was initiated by Debbie Human and developed last year not only to assist me with logistics, sales and customer care but also to give the postgrad marketing students a platform to experience a visual business and the unique festival environment and assist us in social media and contemporary marketing,” explains Hamilton.

“Due to its massive success in 2016 we are involving 17 students this year and they will once again be my “front of house". During set-up time they get to meet and work with the exhibiting artists to be able to give better and more information regarding the exhibitions. They will be identified by their friendly enthusiasm and a Kunskaptein badge.”

During the course of Woordfees the public will also get the opportunity to vote for their favourite artwork.

“At each of our four venues there will be voting ballots and a voting box available from our Kunskapteins. The challenge to our festivalgoers will be to 'vote' for their absolute favourite individual artwork at each venue.

“Firstly it will hopefully encourage our audience to engage with the art in a fun way and secondly it will give us some valuable feedback and will highlight artists we can possibly work with in the future. There is also a fun prize for the winning artist.”

Woordfees runs from 3 to 12 March. For the full programme and booking details, see www.woordfees.co.za.

Photo of Alex Hamilton: Naomi Bruwer

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