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2012!

We wish all our readers a fabulous and creative 2012!

The Bag Factory is already a hive of activity as we proceed on our planned projects, most prominently our arriving visiting artists and the Thupelo Workshop.

At the moment we are welcoming our visiting artists Kate Tarrat-Cross and Mark Thomann, and Jarrett Erasmus, the 2012 David Koloane award winner, has arrived.

On 5 February we officially commence Thupelo International Workshop 2012 which we are hosting at the Bag Factory this year.  22 Artists from around the world will be joining us for a creative explosion over a two week period ending on 17 February.

As our year progresses we will continue to update you on our activities.

Visiting Artists Programme – 1st Quarter 2012

Kate Tarratt Cross

Recently the director of Greatmore Studios in Cape Town and having run a residency in Haiti, Kate has stepped back from her role as a facilitator to focus on her art and to facilitate the Thupelo workshops. Her work evolves around an autobiographical journey through space, time and getting to know her own shadow. She records her journey by capturing my shadow in contrived situations.

‘The shadow is something and nothing at the same time. Some cultures believe that shadows are ghosts. Storytellers have used the shadow to portray “evil” or the “dark side”. Psychologists have referred to the shadow as the unconscious. In many cases, the shadow has been used as a metaphor for death.

‘Technically the shadow is a dark area cast on a surface by the interception of the body between rays of light. The shadow is nothing but an obstruction of light signifying a presence of something. The image cast becomes a form of reproduction of oneself yet most likely results in a distortion of ones identity. It is also suggestive of life.

The shadow provides us with information of a time and place while reminding us that this permanent ex­tension of ourselves remains intangible.’ (Kate Tarratt Cross 2011)

Mark Thomann

Mark Thomann’s work, as a German artist and curator, focuses on interfaces of communication processes in public space. He is also a founding member of a Berlin based printmaking and performance collective called Pony Pedro. While in South Africa Thomann will be working closely with members of the Bertrams community on a series of hand-screenprinted books as part of Pony Pedro’s Homezone project.

INTERCOSMOS DANCE-A-THON (December 2011)

The INTERCOSMOS DANCE-A-THON was a joint exhibition of our visiting artists Joel Thomson (Canada), Ruben Gutierrez (Mexico) and Lehlogonolo Mashaba (South Africa). The exhibition included work on paper and a video installation. Please find images of the opening on the right.