The V&A Waterfront this week launched a unique arts exhibition that will run until Freedom Day on 27 April 27. Entitled Time on our Hands, this initiative forms part of the V&A Waterfront Expressions of Art exhibition and is a collaboration with local award-winning artist Chris Swift and 10 young artists from the Michaelis School of Art. Entrance to the exhibition is free.
Featuring inspiring works of art made from the original prison fencing from Robben Island, which held Nelson Mandela, Tokyo Sexwale and many others captive for decades, each artist will develop pieces that present their unique interpretations of South Africa's socio-political landscape in the context of their personal experiences and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. These pieces will be constructed on-site during the exhibition period and completed pieces can then be viewed on the last day, 27 April 27.
At the centre of the exhibition will be Nelson's Column (Ghost) by Cape Town-based artist Chris Swift, the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Michaelis prize and more recently a winner of the Spier Contemporary 2010 art competition for mixed media. The sculpture draws its form from the guard towers from Robben Island prison and is the latest in a series of constructions utilising original fencing from this historically significant location. Nelson's Column (Ghost) is an extension of the award-winning piece Nelson's Column, currently on display at City Hall as part of the Spier Contemporary Art Festival.
Annemie Liebenberg, V&A Waterfront's tourism and communications manager said: “The V&A Waterfront is one of Cape Town's oldest and most historic landmarks, providing an ideal backdrop for this very visual exhibition. We welcome Capetonians and others from around South Africa and the world to appreciate our country's young and emerging talent in an extraordinarily beautiful setting.”
“Recycling discarded material for art - particularly inanimate objects as historically significant as fencing from Robben Island - is a way to turn an oppressive, limiting symbol into something that is freeing and hopeful,” said Swift. “The V&A Waterfront is the perfect venue for this initiative, as it is the launch point for Robben Island visitors and in the heart of the Mother City, a place of diverse cultures and numerous visitors from around the world.”
The exhibition will occupy the outdoor plaza in front of the Clock Tower at the Gateway to Robben Island and an empty retail space inside the Clock Tower mall. Apart from viewing the exhibition, visitors will be able to purchase art produced by the students.
For more information about the V&A Waterfront, go to www.waterfront.co.za.
