Somedays I Just Want to Cry
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
I mean real big tears of frustration.
At what point will the Art practitioners stand up and demand a Department that represents their concerns. What is nation building in this context?
The following article is from the Times website. Thanks to Kirsty for the heads up.
Minister slams 'porn' exhibition
Minister refuses to open exhibition after she is given preview of photographs
Mar 1, 2010 10:49 PM | By SALLY EVANS
The opening of an exhibition by young, black women artists at Constitution Hill turned sour when Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana stormed out of the exhibition, calling the work "immoral".
Xingwana, whose department gave R300,000 to the Innovative Women exhibition, which was launched in Johannesburg to coincide with Women's Day last August, left before she was due to speak at the opening.
The Times understands that after she saw a series of photographs by prominent artist and lesbian activist Zanele Muholi, of naked, black women embracing each other, Xingwana slammed the work as "pornographic", spoke to her aides, and left in a huff. Her personal assistant read out her speech.
Xingwana confirmed that she had "indeed" left the event without addressing the gathering.
In a statement read by her spokeswoman Lisa Combrinck, Xingwana said: "Our mandate is to promote social cohesion and nation building. I left the exhibition because it expressed the very opposite of this.
"It was immoral, offensive and going against nation-building."
Combrinck said: "Minister Xingwana was also concerned that there were children present at the event and that children should not be exposed to some of the images on exhibit."
The Times understands that the day after the opening, Xingwana complained to staff at Constitution Hill about the "pornographic" content of the art on display.
Insiders, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, said Xingwana did not like the images of women posing as couples.
However, Xingwana denied that any such complaints were relayed to Constitution Hill.
The Innovative Women exhibition featured work by 10 artists including Muholi, photographer Nandipha Mntambo, and painter Bongi Bengu, who also curated the exhibition.
The exhibition was also shown in Durban and Cape Town.
While viewing the artwork, Xingwana appeared most upset by the work of Muholi and Mntambo, which deals with intimacy between women.
Speaking to The Times from the US where she is exhibiting and lecturing, Muholi said she was "very disturbed" by Xingwana's views.
"There is nothing pornographic. We live in a space where rape is a common thing, so there is nothing we can hide from our children.
"Those pictures are based on experience and issues. Where else can we express ourselves if not in our democratic country?"
"Children need to know about these things. A lot of people who have no understanding of sexual orientation, people are suffering in silence," Muholi said.
"We need to educate people about homosexuality. We need to have very good treatment and respect from the minister."
The Times has learned that after the exhibition opening, Xingwana demanded to know why it was not censored and why her department had contributed R300,000 to it.
Although Xingwana denies this, three insiders told The Times that after the department's lawyers found nothing pornographic about the art, she then called in lawyers from a Pretoria law firm to "inspect" the work. Insiders said they were flown to Cape Town for the opening of the exhibition there to decide whether the art was "suitable as art or not".
The exhibiting artists told The Times many artists feel there is no place for them in South Africa.
One said: "It is worrisome to artists that everything we do is going to be censored.
"There is no room for us in South Africa, so we are having to relocate overseas, where our work is recognised and appreciated because sadly it is not in South Africa."
Mntambo, who did not attend the exhibition opening, said she found Xingwana's views "irritating and sad".
"I was quite surprised by what happened. I actually found out just after I had done a presentation on censorship," she said.
Mntambo said she received funding from international sponsors or from private individuals.
"I don't even apply for funding from the department. I like being able to do what I want to do, it's really important," she said.
In the exhibition's catalogue, Muholi's artwork has been described as being "without precedent in South Africa, where there are very few instances of black women openly portraying female same-sex practices."
posted by Robert Sloon at 3:34 PM
9 Comments:
I hosted the Cape Town leg of this exhibition at my space because these topics need to be voiced.
Ten women artist's presented artworks that commented against violence/ crime/ rape / murder/ cultural intolerance .... all issues that are at odds with our constitution and compromise human dignity. It is appropriate that artists create work that challenges on behalf of those who cannot against issues where human rights are violated, against are unacceptable power abuse. All the work was actually tasteful and was merely visual artists speaking about the unspeakable for those that cant speak!
Initially the arts and culture ministry got it right and financially made this exhibition possible, government should be looking for any way to create a platform for the majority of South Africans in this country who have no power.
I dont understand why she was offended by artists speaking out against atrocities. As a consequence of her percieving the work as 'filth' and withdrawing her endorsement she has set in motion a degree of censorship that is unnacceptable. When she would have been applauded she now chose a conservative and intolerant stance.
The ministry has fired someone over this -There was a legal enquiry and two people are on probation!
If we dont speak up as artists against this type of censorship then who will?
How can we encourage the arts and culture ministry to do the right thing?
Jeannette
151 Buitenkant Street
0769069767
art@unite.co.za
this is a damn shame. it sets a precedent of sorts even, and especially if artists manage win the battle (but not the war). bethca galleries & museums will think twice about putting up more 'difficult' shows in future...
why was this not brought to the media's attention in august when it happened? were the organizers too afraid to speak out, self censoring themselves? were they afraid of loosing future grants from government? did they have a comfortable relationship with government prior to this exhibition? were they threatened and if so with what?
This is not the first time something like this comes from government. Over the years the visual art world benefitted very little from the dept of arts and culture. We made it this far largely without the dept. If the dept want to sponsor visual art in this way, I say fuck them. Send Lulu back to the dept of agriculture to sort out the fuckup she left behind there. We as artists will be better off without support from these arrogant bastards.
regards
cobus
In her appointment as Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister, Xingwana caused controversy in 2007 when she accused white farmers of being cruel and inhumane towards their workers. She claimed that farmers regularly "rape and assault" their workers. These statements enraged many farmers, and two farm unions, AgriSA and the Transvaal Agricultural Union, challenged her to provide evidence that would support her accusations. The minister called for a meeting with the unions, but the farmers walked out in a huff. Former President Thabo Mbeki was called in to resolve the dispute.[4].
In April 2009, a report in the Afrikaans newspaper Rapport repeated details found by one of its readers in a three-page Land Affairs document of a special mobile toilet, imported at R500,000, for Xingwana's exclusive use while handing over land in various parts of the country. Its specifications were said to include gold trimmings, but Xingwana's spokesperson denied the claim, declaring that, although Xingwana did indeed have a specially-reserved toilet, it was no different from those which played host to the hoi polloi.[5]
In March 2010 Lulu Xingwana stormed out of an art exhibition that she was attending in her capacity of minister of Arts and Culture, calling the work 'immoral'. It was alleged by an anonymous insider that Xingwana had objected to the display of same-sex couples, but the official reason provided through her spokesperson was that it was “It was immoral, offensive and going against nation-building.”[6]
wikipedia
Shameless self-promotion here: check out these two:
http://www.artthrob.co.za/Reviews/Straying-from-the-spirit.aspx
and
http://www.artthrob.co.za/Reviews/Innovative-Women.aspx
Anon 5.06, as far as I can work out this issue exploded last week because dear Lulu finally released an official statement on the issue, 5 months after it happened. Her official statement reveals her official stance, adn as such has caused the furore.
no, she released her statement after the article and zapiro drawing in the times.
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