The image of a mother and her infant represents, in archetypal form, our earliest experience of being related. From this theme, much Art and most of modern Psychology has emerged. The exhibition will highlight key elements in the relationship between the primary caregiver and child, from the perspective of Art as well as Psychology. The former will provide an interpretation of this primary relationship in our time, as experienced through the lens of Art. The latter provides longitudinal research findings on what primary caregivers do naturally. Longitudinal multi-cultural research shows that sensitive (and insensitive) mothers all over the world, independent of socio-economic status, level of education or cultural background, respond to their infants in the same ways.
The Exhibition will consist of
• selected art works: see lists of participants below
• Psychological material, including a short film on maternal sensitivity.
• an interactive space that will allow visitors to express their experiences, and to become part of an evolving exhibition.
The Curator is Elzan Frank, Educational Psychologist of Stellenbosch.
Participants
Marlene Dumas, internationally acclaimed painter. Marlene’s works are displayed in art museums internationally; including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) New York, the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Tate Modern (London). Marlene will create a piece specifically for the exhibition. She will also open the exhibition.
Jodi Bieber, South African Photographer who has won eight World Press awards. Most recently her book, Real Beauty, won 1st Prize Portrait Series at Picture of the Year International in the USA (2009). Imaged from Jodi’s series “Weapons of War” will be on display. This relates to rape as a weapon of war, and the survivors’ attempts at healing.
Claudette Schreuders, Claudette Schreuders is a sculptor based in Cape Town. In 2004/5 her first solo museum exhibition toured the United States. She has shown extensively in group exhibitions, including All the More Real: Portrayals of intimacy and empathy at the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York (2007); The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu (2006), the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York (2004). The sculpture Eclipse from Claudette will be on display.
Lyn Smuts, a Stellenbosch visual artist who has exhibited in numerous solo and curated exhibitions, including the Critics Choice, South African Association of the Arts, Cape Town and Neue Graphik aus Südafrika, Hamburgisches Museum für Völkerkunde. Her works are included in collections of the South-African National Gallery, Cape Town; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Durban Art Gallery; Stellenbosch University, Parliament of SA Art Collection, House of Commons and the House of Lords, London and South African Reserve Bank. Lyn will show an installation based on the first cry of an infant.
Sandra Kriel, Graduate of Stellenbosch University. Sandra utilises textile on which, for example, embroidery, beads and photographs are attached. She was the recipient of the main award at the 1991, Cape Town Triennial. Her large embroidered work, Guardian Angel , will be shown.
Sonya Rademeyer, video artist. She was selected to represent South Africa at the 2008 DAK’ART Biennale in Dakar (Senegal), and was one of five international artists selected to participate in the Kawagoe Live Art Exhibition in Kawagoe (Japan), August 2008. Sonya has made a video specifically for the exhibition. This relates to the neurobiology of Attachment.
Simone Scholtz, freelance documentary multi-media journalist based in Cape Town. In 2005 she was the solo finalist in the photography category of the national Mondi Shanduka South African Newspaper Awards. In 2007 & 2008 Simone was voted the Vodacom Journalist of the Year for photography in the Western region. Simone will present multi-media on nannies and children.
Leonora van Staden received her M.A. in fine art (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University in 2006. Leonora was a semi- finalist in the Absa L’Atelier competition in 2006. In 2004 she was a participant in the “Africa Comics Exhibition”, Lisbon, Portugal. Leonora is the editor of Stripshow. Stripshow had its third issue launched at the 2010 Fumetto comics festival in Switzerland. Leonora will design an African Shakti.
Benedicte Kurzen is a French photographer living and working in Johannesburg.. She obtained a Masters degree in Contemporary History at Sorbonne University in France. Her work has appeared in, amongst others, Time, Newsweek, Paris Match, Der Spiegel and Die Welt. Three works from her series HIV/AIDS- Mother to Child Transmission will be shown during the exhibition.
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