Cape Town - This Women’s Month the Sanlam Art Collection presents, Her, an exhibition of painting, sculpture and printing in celebration of women artists and their active role in developing visual art in South Africa.
Exhibiting in Cape Town at the Sanlam Art Gallery from August 4 to October 22, the exhibition features work from 58 of South African artists from the early twentieth century to present.
Using a variety of media, the exhibition tells the story of the female experience through meaningful and innovative works that illustrate the issues pertinent to women over the last century, from domestic life and motherhood to discrimination, inequality, gender beauty standards and violence against women.
Judy Woodborne one of exhibiting artists, said , “It is an honour to have one's work represented in a corporate art collection. The work has the ability to reach and be seen by a broader public through curated platforms such as the Sanlam Art Collection and gallery, which then become a public record and repository of our contemporary cultural heritage. As a woman artist, it is important to highlight the artwork of historically marginalised artists.”
Curated by Stefan Hundt, the exhibition’s aim is to bring a stronger focus to the contribution of women to the art industry, and the powerful influence and legacy of women in art. Hundt said that by far some of the greatest contributors to the development of South African art over the past century have been women.
“Looking at artists such as Irma Stern, Pippa Skotnes, Helen Sebidi and more, we can see that women artists were innovative and daring at time when the dominating patriarchy saw little value in the visual arts. As museum directors, gallerists and art historians such as the late Marilyn Martin, Linda Givon, and Dr Marion Arnold, to name a few, South African women have done an incredible job and still do so today, not only here but also on the international stage. They deserve to be recognised and celebrated.”
Another artist Heather Gourlay-Connyngham told the Weekend Argus she feels immensely proud to be part of this beautiful exhibition.
“To see my paintings in the company of works by Laubser, Sumner, Zerffi, Everard- Haden, Stern, Victor and Fern, among others, is humbling and affirming. To see artworks by past and present women exhibited together throws new light on the artists, the works and the times in which they were created.”
Viewing is on weekdays between 9am to 4.30 pm. The Sanlam Art Gallery in Bellville, Cape Town is open to the public. Guided tours with the curator of the exhibition and works in storage at the Sanlam Art Gallery in Cape Town can be arranged by appointment. To book call 021 947 3359, WhatsApp 083 457 2699 or Email [email protected]