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Indepth Arts News:
"Head North:"
2001-02-25 until 2001-05-01
BildMuseet, Umeå
Umeå, ,
SE Sweden
In 1999 the South African National Gallery was invited by the BildMuseet to
participate in an international exchange programme titled 'Visual Cultures
in Dialogue'. The project aims to examine cultural exchange through visual
representation. It focuses on an exchange between Swedish and South African
partners working in the fields of art and museology, namely Umeå University,
BildMuseet, University of the Witwatersrand, University of the Western Cape,
Robben Island Museum and the South African National Gallery. The exchange is
funded by Sida, the federal Swedish Development Agency. By sharing ways of
working, knowledge and ideas, the goal is to develop a new understanding of
how contemporary society is portrayed, how history is examined and how new
target groups can be reached in both environments.
To launch the partnership between the Sang and the BildMuseet, the
exhibition 'Head North ' will open at the BildMuseet in Umeå, Sweden on the
25th February 2001. This jointly curated exhibition marks the first time
that a representative selection of works drawn entirely from the Sang
Permanent Collection will be displayed internationally. The show aims to
present a broad view of contemporary South African art and in particular a
view of the work held by our national gallery. The works on show include
Jane Alexander's 'Integration Programme: Man with TV', Lisa Brice's 'Make
your home your Castle', Billy (Buyisile) Mandindi's 'Fire Games', Jackson
Nkumanda's 'The Presidential Inauguration', Willie Bester's 'Heading North',
and Sue Williamson's 'Can't Forget, Can't Remember'. The exhibition links
itself strongly with South African history and artists examinations of that
history. It is also representative of aims of Sang, which reflect the
desire to break down barriers between cultures and modes of cultural
production in order to become as inclusive and nationally representative as
possible. In this way Head North becomes an exhibition of an ongoing
national dialogue, as well as being part of the international dialogue of
how to represent culture.
Head North is the first of a number of jointly developed projects between
the South African National Gallery and the BildMuseet, that include
education programmes, seminars, lectures and exhibitions which will be
staged over the next two years, within the exchange 'Visual Cultures in
Dialogue'. BildMuseet is a museum of contemporary art and visual culture,
located in the city of Umeå, regional capital of northern Sweden. Founded
and built by Umeå University in 1981, expanded in 1994, the museum
facilities comprise seven exhibition halls with an exhibition area exceeding
1400 m2. Over 100,000 visitors per year make BildMuseet one of the most
visited art institutions in Sweden. In recognition of the quality and
breadth of their work, the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs has
assigned the museum a national role within the field of contemporary art for
the three-year period 2000 - 2002.
IMAGE:
Jane Alexander
Integration Programme: Man with TV,
1995
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