UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) at the University of Johannesburg, has embraced the challenges of producing and presenting content during the height of the pandemic. It\u2019s virtual interdisciplinary project,\u00a0The Pandemic<\/b>, attracted international interest while the launch of the UJ Art Gallery\u2019s online platform,\u00a0Moving Cube<\/b>, has scooped up the 2021 Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) Innovation Award. These are among several virtual projects and programmes the division has presented since 2020.<\/p>\n
It has also been hard at working behind the scenes, gearing up for the release of the division\u2019s art film,\u00a0Skeletons<\/b>, that was created and produced in-house with a stellar cast featuring Wayne van Rooyen, Carla Fonseca, Jacques Blignaut and Mpho Osei-Tutu under the direction of UJ Arts & Culture\u2019s Resident Director, Jade Bowers.<\/p>\n
The UJ Arts Academy drama students have taken on the daunting task of recording an isiZulu translation of\u00a0R&J Unplugged<\/b>, an adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s\u00a0Romeo and Juliet<\/b>, as a radio drama. Under the direction of Nompumelelo Mtshali and mentorship by Dr Jerry Mofokeng, the podcast series will be released in April this year and includes an English version of the drama and an educational segment targeted at secondary school learners.<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture will also release a selection of four podcast play readings of works that were developed through the\u00a0UJ Playwriting Laboratory<\/b>\u00a0in 2020 and recorded in 2021. This programme will be presented for the third year running in 2022, affording emerging playwrights an opportunity to develop a new one-act play during an intensive writing period.<\/p>\n
Covid-permitting, the division is set to present several UJ Choir performances and marking the global Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) on 30 April with a live concert at the UJ Arts Centre Theatre. The division has an ambitious theatre programme lined up for this year with\u00a0Hlakanyana<\/b>\u00a0the musical, directed by Janice Honeyman and co-produced by Madevu Entertainment, scheduled for May. Jade Bowers\u2019 Repertory Double-Bill Theatre Project, featuring a selection of plays from the 2020 UJ Playwriting Laboratory, and\u00a0Macabre<\/b>\u00a0written by Pieter Jacobs and directed by Gopala Davies scheduled for October.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0UJ Art Gallery<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Moving Cube<\/b>\u00a0programmes will see the division present both solo and group exhibitions. We have kicked off the year with Corne Venter\u2019s Susurration :: Faint whispers, deep understanding, and up next is Leora Faber\u2019s\u00a0ghosted Matter, phantom hurt (and other chimera)<\/b>, followed by\u00a0Privileges of Proximity: In conversation with the UJ Art Collection<\/b>\u00a0(Curated by newly appointed UJ Art Curator \u2013 Thabo Seshoka), a group exhibition\u00a0Personal Structures<\/b>\u00a0(Curated by Gordon Froud and Annali Dempsey recently retired UJ Art Curator),\u00a0Power, Poverty and Pretense<\/b>\u00a0(Curated by Thabo Seshoka); a Solo by the legendary\u00a0Pat Mautloa<\/b>\u00a0and finally,\u00a0UJ and MTN SA Foundation<\/b>\u2019s customary annual exhibition (with a twist!).<\/p>\n
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{Playwriting}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
An online programme<\/p>\n
January to November<\/p>\n
For the third year in a row, UJ Arts & Culture will host twelve playwriting residencies targeted at aspirant and established playwrights who will be challenged to develop script for a 60-90 minute one-act play over a writing intensive period.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Moving Cube (movingcube.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
24 January \u2013 11 February<\/p>\n
Venter\u2019s current practice is aligned to the study of palimpsestic processes and engaging with memories of childhood trauma through dialogical self-theory. Naming the exhibition aporetic denotes the open-ended nature of self-dialogue and the inability to pin down the beginning and end of experience and inner dialogue. The exhibition will comprise of several sheer fabric works that are suspended from the ceiling and sculptural works placed on plinths and the floor as well as framed multi-media paintings, photographs and shadow boxes displayed on walls.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Moving Cube (movingcube.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
23 February \u2013 22 March<\/p>\n
For the past three years, Johannesburg-based artist, Leora Farber has engaged with bioart an umbrella term for a range of art forms that engage critically with biomaterials and bioscientific practices \u2013 in innovative and exciting ways. \u2018Bioartists\u2019 mix artistic and scientific practices, often using live tissues, bacteria, living organisms and life processes as media. In the video works featured on the ghosted matter, phantom hurt (and other chimera) installation, Farber extends her use of biomaterials and micro-organisms as matter into the digital realm.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
UJ Art Gallery (APK)<\/p>\n
26 March \u2013 15 April<\/p>\n
University Collections are traditionally shaped by the notion of collecting in the present and preserving for the future. In most cases, art collections are often built around particular periods, sentiments and ideologies. The process of collecting and managing collections is subjective and customarily pivot around the \u2018selection\u2019, \u2018omission\u2019 or \u2018underrepresentation\u2019. This exhibition draws on the UJ Art Collection and seeks to consider and critically engage with the different approaches and ideologies that informed its establishment and further re-imagine, interrogate and \u2018re-position\u2019 the artists whose works form part of these collections in present day society.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture and South African National Association for the Visual Arts present<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture Podcast Platform (arts.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
May<\/p>\n
This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet has been translated into isiZulu and has been recorded by UJ Arts Academy students as a radio drama in English and isiZulu packaged together with educational lessons targeted at secondary school learners.<\/p>\n
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{Theatre}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture and Madevu Entertainment present<\/p>\n
UJ Arts Centre Theatre (APK)<\/p>\n
25 May to 8 June<\/p>\n
Hlakanyana, a retelling of the Zulu folktale, was commissioned by Arts & Culture in 2020. This authentic musical, directed by Janice Honeyman, will be produced as part of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture\u2019s award-winning interdisciplinary theatre programme.<\/p>\n
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{Choral}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture and Missouri State University present<\/p>\n
Venue TBC<\/p>\n
3 June<\/p>\n
UJ Choir and MSU Chorale will be conducted by Dr Cameron LaBarr for a joint concert.<\/p>\n
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{Art Film}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Durban International Festival<\/p>\n
23 to 30 July<\/p>\n
Set in the heart of the Maluti mountains, Skeletons grapples with social and political issues. An experimental fantasy, the film brings matters of land and ownership into focus through the eyes of four multidimensional characters who each has a story to tell. In a space and time of absolute scarcity, Skeletons unpacks ideas around home, belonging identity and the vicious cycle of oppression. Written by Pieter Jacobs, Skeletons was produced in-house by UJ Arts & Culture with a stellar cast featuring Wayne van Rooyen, Carla Fonseca, Jacques Blignaut and Mpho Osei-Tutu under the direction of Jade Bowers.<\/p>\n
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{Drama}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture Podcast Platform (arts.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
1 to 31 August<\/p>\n
Readings of a selected number of original South African plays that were developed through the UJ Playwriting Lab in 2020 will be released in podcast format during the month.<\/p>\n
{Conference}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
UJ Arts Centre Theatre (APK) and Zoom<\/p>\n
30 and 31 August<\/p>\n
The Futures and Beyond: Creativity and 4IR Conference aims to serve as an impetus for an Africa-centric discourse and knowledge development at the intersection of Creativity and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The specificities of\u202findustrialization\u202fon the African continent require unique approaches that respond to the context and needs of African societies. These approaches will define the future for the cultural and creative sectors while at the same time re-imagining a new future for Africa where humanity and technology meet.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
UJ Art Gallery and Moving Cube (movingcube.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
06 August \u2013 30 September<\/p>\n
Walkabouts: 31 August & 14 September<\/p>\n
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{Theatre}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Vrystaat Festival<\/p>\n
Dates TBC<\/p>\n
Two plays developed through the UJ Playwriting Lab in 2022 have been selected for production as an experimental double-bill set to premiere at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda under the direction of award-winning Jade Bowers from UJ Arts & Culture.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
UJ Art Gallery and Moving Cube (movingcube.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
08 October – 11 November<\/p>\n
Walkabouts: TBC<\/p>\n
It was Pythagoras (570 BC \u2013 490 BC), who once postulated the significance of numbers in everything around us. The number 3, was considered to be the perfect number, symbolising harmony, wisdom and understanding (Welsh National Opera, 2019). However, as society has advanced, the number 3 has come to be associated with omens and bad luck. In South Africa, the country continues to be accompanied by the 3 P\u2019s (Power, Poverty and Pretence) on its journey to recovery. Through a series of collaborations this exhibition will engage with Power, Poverty and Pretence in South Africa, seeking to amplify the voices and agency of those who are presently positioned on the margins.<\/p>\n
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{Choral}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture, in partnership with University of Pretoria and North West University, presents<\/p>\n
UJ Auditorium (APK)<\/p>\n
Date TBC<\/p>\n
A mini choir festival with three university choirs, to be hosted by UJ on a Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
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{Theatre}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Free State Arts Festival<\/p>\n
3 to 9 October<\/p>\n
Macabre is an immersive live and virtual theatre experience. With its finger on the South African pulse, it breaks down the notions of senescence and tackles ageism and racism in democratic South Africa. Written by Pieter Jacobs and directed by Gopala Davies, this site-specific psychological suspense play invites small audiences for an exclusive intimate experience while virtual audiences will enjoy access to unique streams of content broadcast live during the performances. The journey starts when Maude\u2019s past and Abel\u2019s future dramatically collide. At heart, Macabre is a story of guilt, loss and remorse.<\/p>\n
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{Festival}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Arts Centre Theatre (APK), Bunting Theatre & Online<\/p>\n
Dates TBC<\/p>\n
Dance, drama and poetry students showcases their talents in a week-long festival of performance.<\/p>\n
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{Choral}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture presents<\/p>\n
Venue TBC<\/p>\n
Date TBC<\/p>\n
A celebratory evening where UJ Choir showcases a selection of the best songs of their 2022 repertoire.<\/p>\n
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{Exhibition}<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture and MTN SA Foundation present<\/p>\n
UJ Art Gallery (APK) & Moving Cube (movingcube.uj.ac.za)<\/p>\n
TBC<\/p>\n
Details to be released soon!<\/p>\n
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FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES<\/p>\n
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UJ ARTS & CULTURE<\/b><\/p>\n
Facebook<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0You Tube<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n UJ ART GALLERY<\/b><\/p>\n Facebook<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n UJ CHOIR<\/b><\/p>\n Facebook<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0You Tube<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n \n About UJ Arts & Culture<\/b><\/p>\n UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA), produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.<\/p>\n In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za\/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF (National Research Foundation) SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) at the University of Johannesburg, has embraced the challenges of producing and presenting content during<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions\/159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uj.ac.za\/artsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}