The Visual Art Programme at this year’s National Arts Festival is a feast for the eyes. It focuses on fresh new talent while also celebrating art of the past. It celebrates local talent while bringing in artists from the rest of South Africa. From Hasan and Husain Essop’s exhibition on Muslim identity to a collection of Eastern Cape crafts, the visual arts programme has something for everyone. The variety on offer can be a bit overwhelming to the average festival-goer, so follow this guide for a National Art’s Festival visual experience worth talking about. Two brothers shake things up.. Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winners Hasan and Husain Essop explore Muslim identity in their multimedia visual art exhibition.Read more. Tour the past… 14 of the 30 Young Artist Visual Art award winners display their art at the Goodman Gallery. Explore three decades of hand-painted couches, 3D collages and sculptures to name just a few.Read more. Explore local talent… Hosted by the Eastern Cape Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, the Eastern Cape Visual Arts Exhibition showcases twenty years of skills development. Featuring sculptures and paintings created by Eastern Cape artists, this gallery is the ideal way to explore local talent. If you want to get crafty this festival, take a look at the handmade crafts on show at the Eastern Cape Provincial Handmade Collection.Read more. Not your average puppet show… The Handspring Puppet company attempts to Fabricate life with their collection of over fifty unique theatrical puppets. Read more. AbaBhemu: the visual voice of Durban… AbaBhemu, in Zulu, is the name given to a leader or a voice of a community. Explore the work of three Durban-based artists in this virtual tour.Read more. Home is where the heart is.. Come back to the sounds of home withJenna Burchell’saudio-visual art gallery.Read more. Blind vision See the world through the eyes of the blind in an exhibition that is surprisingly less abstract and more real. Blind photographer and National Braille Consultant Pasha Alden’s photography is inspired by texture and touch, yet it is a visual masterpiece.Read more.
– By Joni Lindes
