An Article in 'Dikgang tsa Mogale'

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Mogale City's Art Exhibition Promotes Local Artists

Mogale City Local Municipality recently hosted the Mogale City Exclusive Visual Arts Exhibition opening at the Mogale City Museum in Krugersdorp.

The importance of the opening was to make Mogale City residents aware of the talent of local artists, and also encouraged residents to support local artists.

Mogale City Museum, at the corner of Commissioner and Monuments streets, is a repository of Mogale City's historic artefacts and monuments. These artefacts range from old local newspaper publications, Anglo-Boer photographs, images of the cradle of humankind and records of preceding Mogale City mayors, and also monuments of pre-colonial and colonial eras. The Museum has been chosen to host the art exhibition to help and encourage local artists to promote their works.

The exhibition aims to display the works of the local artists, to make it readily available to people. This exhibition is absolutely necessary because it will encourage citizens and tourists to support them.

Godfrey Naledzani, the Museum specialist responsible for Heritage, Arts and Culture said: "Walking in a room full of artwork it makes Mogale City Museum an up market gallery that you find in an international world. All the artwork are very exclusive you will want to buy them to your home space where warmth, love and togetherness is felt."

The opening was filled with different types of arts in the form of dancing from the traditional dance group Phati ya Tholo and singing from the Mogale City Choir. Speeches were also featured from the guest speaker, Daniel Masoka, and the local art representative, Dawie van Deventer.

Nedzani added that: "The Museum team have worked very hard to plan for these exhibition and during the process of planning they had much more time to connect with the local artists and understang their pain, suffering about art not being appreciated in South Africa or we only appreciate but we don't support by buying their work.
"As an artist it is their way of living and they depend on the art to financially support their families. As Museum professionals we felt we felt their pain and I am hoping that everyone reading this article will come and visit the museum to buy the most exclusive visual art form Mogale City local artists." 

Dawie van Deventer spoke on behalf of the local artists about their struggle to make a living from their work and also to find a market for it.

He said: "We should try and incorporate artists into the general economy. The general problem which faces the artists is this: the survival of the single artist. The artist still can't make a decent living from art like other persons in the government services."

Dawie pleaded with the government to provide artists with the opportunity to become educated and to provide them with skills development and training through workshops. He also emphasised the importance of artists and how they enrich our daily lives with their creativity.

He said: "Help our artists with skills development and techniques of art and workshops. Art materials should be made available to serious work artists."

"Artists are important like all other human biengs. Art in every category enriches the lives of all other people. Just think of the photography, drawings, paintings, sculptures, videos, and movies; other forms: singing, dancing, acting, crafts, writing and poetry."

Masoka, a professional artist from the University of Pretoria urged people to take their support for local artists to another level. He asked audiences to "up a notch" and buy the works of local artists and admire them in their homes by hanging them on their walls or decorating their shelters with them. He also told them how this will reciprocate the effort of artists in order to keep the artists thinking to further enrich our lives.

Certificates were also handed over to honour local artists whose work had been chosen for the art exhibition. Canaan Naphulu, Dannyboy Emmanuel Blom, Refilwe Mathasedi and Themba Mashabela representing Thusong Centre for Mentally Challenged and Alice Kaima are among the nineteen artists honoured at the event.

Canaan Naphulu from Krugersdorp was ecstatic about obtaining the certificate and that people can finally see his paintings.

Asked about what inspired him, he said: "Nature, country stories and being in Mogale City where its history is rich."

Canaan still wants to reach his dreams and goals and said:

"I am planning to become a great artist; I hope my work will connect people through culture."

One of the honoured artists from Munsieville, Blom, also felt very happy about the achievement and expressed his love for art.

He exclaimed: "Art has made me who I am today."

Teammates Refilwe Mathasedi and Themba Mashabela, representiing Thusong Centre from Kagiso, felt very excited and appreciated the achievement and the opportunity to market their earthenware pottery.

They said: "We are grateful because this motivates us so that we can go further."

The duo have a vision of becoming independent one day and said: "We are inspired by artists who can make a living out of art."

"We want to see ourselves independent so that we can do our own art on our own."

The artists not aware of the exhibition please visit the Museum to be registered on the database.

The art exhibition will be open to anyone visiting the Museum. For bookings and more information, telephone 011 951 2336.