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Sugar and spice and all things nice, the cuisine of Mosaic chef Chantel Dartnall

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DIANE DE BEER

chantel dartnall 4
Chantel Dartnall

One of the few Gauteng chefs not disregarded by national (and international) food award judges, Chantel Dartnall from Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient (just outside Tshwane), is someone who is constantly evolving, never resting on her laurels.

She has just been named the world’s Best Female Chef at The Best Chef Awards 2017, which took place in Warsaw.

She was also placed at number 32 in the Best Chef Awards Top 100 list for 2017, ahead of luminaries such Spain’s Elena Arzak at 33, France’s Sebastien Bras at 35 and celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal at No 37. Dartnall was also the only South African chef listed in the top 100.

Launched in Poland in 2016, this international competition seeks out the world’s top chefs in terms of culinary artistry and visual presentation. The winning chefs are selected in six categories by 300 voters comprising chefs, food writers and culinary experts across the globe as well as 1,5 million followers on the competition’s digital platform.

Dartnall – who has twice been named South Africa’s Chef of the Year – beat out strong competition from globally acclaimed chefs including the aforementioned Arzak (Best Chef – Lady 2016 winner) of the three Michelin starred restaurant Arzak; Emma Bengtsson who is at the helm of the two Michelin-starred Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit in New York; Sophie Pic who gained three Michelin stars for her restaurant, Maison Pic in France and Clare Smyth, the first and only female chef to run a restaurant with three Michelin-stars in the UK with her establishment Core.

She takes everything she does seriously and yet, she’s always visible to her customers and ready to talk food. She loves sharing her inspirational ideas and talking about the origin and where her current interests lie.

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Cauliflower, Goose Liver Mousse, Brussel Sprouts, Black Truffle, part of her Autumn menu and demonstrated for the students

Seeing her work with the students from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Consumer Science recently when they launched their new kitchens, another side of her personality emerges. She’s comfortable and eager to pass on her trade secrets and because of her high profile in the industry, large crowds don’t faze her. She loves ploughing back and remembers how and where she started and the hard work it takes.

It was 11 years ago when she started cooking in the Mosaic kitchens. Having worked in a few commercial kitchens following her graduation, it was here she started formulating her future. From those early days, her food had a special quality. One immediately knew that this was something worth experiencing and through the years, while paying her dues (with tough lessons along the way), she signaled that she would realise her full potential … and more.

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Tidal pool with Salmon Ceviche, Verbena aspic, Vanilla, Seaweed Salad

It was clear even then that she would develop and establish a signature style and that she understood the process. Each season with menu changes, the growth was visible and her creativity intensely personal. She is someone who travels regularly as she samples food from the top tables around the world and then she invests in her own imagination which is at the heart of her cooking.

“I think the biggest change over the past 11 years was moving from an environment that was new and uncertain for all of us – to the space we are now.” The word she uses to describe that is confident which is a great place to be. It brings belief and allows you to constantly leap those barriers.

Her Autumn menu which has just run its course was spectacular – a visual feast. And then it excelled as a taste sensation. Named Tabula Rasa (a Latin phrase referring to a blank slate and anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state) and her commitment towards a natural approach was clear.

She has always been able to achieve magnificent visual explosions. It’s almost like being embraced by a colourful Spring garden. You want to sit back and wallow in the exquisite picture. It’s always been a magical part of a Mosaic meal.

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A plate of dreams

How many times have I just marvelled at the magnificence of the plate? Not the food, before I even get to that, the physical plate! They’re so rare and so perfectly picked for each dish, its hard to resist as they linger in your mind’s eye

And then the detail of the dish itself. I have always thought that Chantel’s food should be savoured and shared on rare occasions. It’s that special and I have been privileged countless times. It is all in the detail, the delicacy of the plating and the deliciousness of the food.

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Sea Mist with East Coast Lobster, Saffron, Coral

She says that through the years, their emphasis has become more pure. “The focus is truly on emulating nature in each of our creations.” There’s no chance of leaving Mosaic without feeling spectacularly spoilt. Everything possible is done to make sure it is a rare night.

If this sounds like a total rave, that it is. But I have been a guest for all 11 years and witnessing the transformation has been special especially as part of the Pretoria food scene. We have many fine unacknowledged chefs and restaurants in the city arguably because they don’t fit into the standard requirements, but Mosaic was determined not to be ignored and they shouldn’t be.

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African aromas with venison, Madumbi, Soetdoring Smoke

Confidence has allowed them to move on and forward and the current object foremost in Chantel’s head and probably heart is her Spring menu which launched on the Equinox (September 22). Titled Cosmorganic it alludes to the “supposed character of the universe as a living organism whose atoms are endowed with sensibility, asserting that the organic in the whole of the universe as well as in the narrow sphere of a single body on the earth, is the first thing from which the inorganic is separated.”

That’s a mouthful, but then so is Chantel’s thought-processes as she creates the individual dishes. Just look at the pictures of the individual plates from the Autumn menu, each one with its own story and personality.

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First Frost with Forelle Pear, Ivoire Chocolate, Tonka

These meals do not come easily and they’re pricey. Their Market Degustation menu of five courses is R850 and their Grande Degustation of eight courses is R1 250, that is without the wine pairing which adds respectively R460 and R585. I will easily pay that for the meals I have been fortunate to enjoy. It’s something unforgettably special and if food is a passion for you especially when this kind of artistry comes into play, save the money and go. It will be memorable.

Mosaic is an experience and as much as it is about food it is also about the people who are watched over by Chantel’s adorable mom Mari. She’s always there to greet you, to see that your every need is met and to make sure you’re personally cared for. Add to that the sommelier team of Germain Lehodey and his protégé, commis sommelier Moses Magwaza, who inform you of the luxurious wines you’re being served.

What I feel about Mosaic comes from the heart and in the end, it truly is about sweetly savouring every mouthful – and reveling in the moment.

Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient

http://www.the-orient.net/Home

Tel: (012) 371 2902/3/4/5

The Orient

Francolin Conservancy

Elandsfontein

Crocodile River Valley

Pretoria

 

New kitchens and a culinary science degree keeps them ahead of the curve

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food
Sunflower spring with carrot jelly and orange blossom yogurt cream

DIANE DE BEER

To celebrate their spanking new kitchens, the University of Pretoria’s Department of Consumer Science invited celebrated Mosaic chef Chantel Dartnall to guide the students through a fine-dining lunch for the media while also introducing their latest BSc Culinary Science degree which keeps them ahead of the curve:

 

All of us at some stage of our lives, man or woman, has to take stock of our kitchen. Think how much more challenging this becomes in a teaching environment.

The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Consumer Science Department this year unveiled newly renovated food laboratories that will accommodate more students with better equipment – some of the latest, in fact – and benefit their latest degree.

More students will be able to participate in the cooking experience, which means more trainees. Previously, the labs had 26 stations in total, but this has now been expanded to 60. Gas stoves have been fitted in keeping with current commercial trends. The new labs can also offer induction cooking and blast freezing as well as a range of food science equipment for modern day research and training.

After much research, these kitchens have been designed to be trendy, ergonomic and user friendly, with industrial equipment and surfaces. A lot of this this wouldn’t have meant much to any of us but for the many cookery programmes on television, which have allowed us to become more comfortable and informed about the technologies and advancement in the culinary space.

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Chantel Dartnall with students busy preparing lunch

“Culinary research is a growing area which can be expanded with new facilities and modern up-to-date equipment. This puts UP at the forefront of culinary art and science training and enables future graduates to contribute to consumer food product and services development,” says Dr Gerrie du Rand, head of the Food and Nutrition section at the department.

 

The latest BSc Culinary Science degree, which focuses on the art and science of food offered by UP is the only degree of its kind in southern Africa. And these kitchens are good news especially for these students, who have to be at the forefront of what is happening in the culinary world.

The degree itself taps into the latest buzz in education in the US, where strong links between creativity and science is being touted and applied with great success. That, according to the hottest research, is what should be driving prospective workers when choosing their study direction.

All you have to do to check the evidence is to type in the words science/creativity/students and you will find a host of articles about the latest findings and studies pointing to the rewards in your future if you should pay attention to this advice.

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A student busy with finer detail

Take, for example, Nicholas Cary and Erik Voorhees, the pioneers of the world’s most powerful crypto currency, Bitcoin.

They put part of their success down to having been in the business leadership programme at the University of Puget Sound, a liberal arts college in Washington. They called it “a hive of intellectual curiosity”.
What they do there is enforce interdisciplinary programmes, so students of international political economics and business leadership are pushed to expand their thinking beyond their own narrow fields; and cross-train in the history department. Others studied the warrior poets of Asia!
Like a growing number of others in the US, this campus prizes broad-mindedness and intellectual discussion.

Think of the legal profession, one where creativity perhaps doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Yet someone explained the other day that the best part of her job was the solving of legal problems. That’s when she is at her most creative. It’s the same way a scientist will get to solve a particular problem. That’s what the arts do, they teach us to think creatively.

Now, if only someone had explained this to me when I was studying maths and science at school? We weren’t even told how a particular maths problem would be used in the real world? So you learnt by rote.

If food is your particular fancy, with their trendy culinary science degree kicking in next year, check the syllabus:
First-year departmental subjects: Basic food preparation; Other subjects: Academic information management, Language and study skills, Marketing management, Biometry, General chemistry, Physiology, Introduction to microbiology, Molecular and cell biology, Mathematics. Second-year departmental subjects: Food commodities and preparation Other subjects: Biochemistry, Marketing management, Food microbiology, Principles of Food Processing and Preserve, Bacteriology Third-year Departmental subjects: Food service management, Nutrition, Nutrition during the life cycle, Consumer food research, Large-scale food production and restaurant management Other subjects: Food chemistry Fourth-year departmental subjects: Product development and quality management, Food service management, Recipe development and standardisation, Culinary art, Research project, Experiential training Other subjects: Research methodology, Sensory evaluation

(Also see story on Chantel Dartnall that follows)

Artists in motion and how they do it: with the charm of cuisine and chanson

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DIANE DE BEER

A chef (Renette Vosloo) and a chanteuse (Willemien Rust) have hooked up to present evenings of cuisine and song in  Tshwane:

 

Renette and Willemien
Renette and Willemien

It’s not a new idea, but it is the freshness of the approach, the two individuals involved and the absence of these kinds of events, that makes this something special.

What they have done is taken their unique strengths – the one song, the other cuisine – and formulated a season of evenings where the one puts mouth-watering food on the table, and the other interprets the different dishes with a song from a chosen culture.

It started last month and runs until the beginning of October.

They began by asking specific questions. How would Edith Piaf’s iconic song Non Je Ne Regrette Rien taste? Why would Carla Bruni’s voice pair well with cinnamon and honey? How would Tiken Jah Fakoly’s song Dernier Appel translate on a plate?

It’s a way of playing with fun themes, tantalising the imagination and entertaining guests in a novel way – allowing them to escape a harrowing world out there.

That’s what good entertainment always does – and they’ve sealed the deal.

blackboard menuThose interested in food, might know Renette Vosloo as the Rooitamatie (red tomato) chef whose restaurant has had a few transformations in Pretoria, others might know her from a top-4 appearance on 2014’s Kokkedoor on Kyknet or her presenter’s job on Saturday mornings’ Ontbytsake (7.30 am on Saturdays on Channel 144 with repeats). Her food story with cooking in a 13-episode series will be broadcast next year.

She’s back in the capital city with her Rooitamatie guest house and supper club. It’s always been her preferred way. It’s all about visiting a home – and that is where she is most comfortable. If that’s not your idea of fun, it’s not for you.

The guest house is situated between two major hospitals (Zuid Afrikaans and Jacaranda) with the bulk of their guests focussed on hospital visits.

The supper club which spills onto the front balcony and then into the garden doesn’t take too many diners which makes it an intimate evening and one best enjoyed with a group of friends. They offer dinners only when booked for a group of six or more. They’re not licensed and the menus are discussed with diners before the time .(renette@rootamatie.co.za).

Pissaladiére
Bouillabaisse
Decadent Chocolate

On the night our menu started with an amuse bouche (pissaladiére, almost like mini pizzas), a particular favourite of the chef, with anchovy, a hint of chilli and a light pastry accompanied by Francois Hardy singing about young love; followed by a starter of black noodles, squid ink,  braised squid, slow roasted tomato “bouillabaisse” to the sounds of Emily Loizeau’s Eaux sombre; Carla Bruni’s Quelqu’un m’a dit where the sounds invest the fleetingness of life with the original flavours of saffron chicken, tarragon cream, rose water and almond rice pilaf; and what else with the decadent dark chocolate tart, white chocolate shards and white crème Chantilly than Edith Piaf’s iconic Non, Je ne Regrette Rien?

This is where Willemien (also known as Willemien/Philomène Rust -née Heyns) steps in. The two great loves of her life: French and music. (The Philomène side of her name, she laughingly describes as a bit of an identity crisis! But it also encapsulates who she is and what she does.)

For the past six years she has lectured in French at the University of Pretoria. In 2014, she received her Masters in French, and in all this time, she was juggling many balls – perhaps too many. The non-academic side of her life was dominated by music, her own solo singing but also numerous collaborations. And suddenly – as it would with her kind of passion and talent – the music has emerged very strongly and she decided to take a creative sabbatical this year for as long as it takes.  “I’ll be back in academia at some stage,’’ she says referring to herself as a creative entrepreneur who performs, presents creative writing programmes where French is taught (on invitation) and also does film translations.

Willemien in songBefore she presents her interpretation with a song, Renette introduces the dish and then before the performance, the singer explains the intuition that determined each individual taste. Willemien believes this year is her time and she’s left her day job to concentrate on her singing. Sometimes it will be the music of others and at other times, it will be her self-penned songs in theatres and at festivals.

With her French background, selecting an evening of French music is an excellent choice. She obviously feels at home, knows the music which allows for inspirational choices and acts as her own accompanist on piano. She also invites a friend to add extra instruments for texture and ambience. On the night it was Pieter Bezuidenhout on accordion and synth.

She determines her menu choices by selecting one iconic/popular song, and uses contemporary singers to introduce recent sounds, with some of her own compositions to showcase her own work. Before the dinner starts and once it has concluded, she plays light background music.

This is how her music is given centre stage.

It is a night full of surprises. The ambience is warm and comfortable with the odd dog meandering through the room, and one almost expects a toddler to stick his head around a door. It’s that kind of place. The food is imaginative and tasty, and the music a worthy companion on the night.

Follow-up dates:

Francophone Africa:
(Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Angélique Kidjo…)

20 September: Rooitamatie Guesthouse (Adelle Nqeto & James Robb will be joining her)
27 September: Victoria House SOLD OUT

Francophone Islands (Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion) :
(Grèn Sémé, Slam artists…)

4 October: Rooitamatie Guesthouse
11 October: Victoria House

 Ticket includes: 4 course meal with wine; live intimate concert “paired” with each course. Bookings at least a week in advance at philomene.et@gmail.com

 

Television Telling it Like it Is in the Real World

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Diane de Beer

AMERICANCRIME BENITO
Benito Martinez in American Crime

If you aren’t watching American Crime, the latest series which started about two weeks ago, try to get to see it.

Proving the relevance of current television, the series – now in its third season – has dealt with racism and the other in some shape or form. But the present season has tapped right into the centre of The Donald’s heart. And if this vision of illegal Mexican immigrants in the US is just part of the truth, they are already living the nightmare the American president is planning for them if all his immigration laws are passed and the wall comes to fruition.

Most countries, I suspect, have their own version of illegal immigrants and we all know how that goes. As workers these poor people are exploited and because they are already on the wrong side of the law, they have no legal resource whatsoever which means they are being trampled on by everybody.

And who would want to be in a country illegally? I’m sure this is not a choice but simply survival. If your own country’s economy goes into the doldrums like it did in Zimbabwe’s case, where are you going to go? You need to work to survive and usually a large family is looking at you to make things happen. It’s like a new kind of slavery with no way out – that’s if you make it across the border where usually further exploitation is also perched just waiting to pounce on those already down and out.

But back to the US, let’s tap into family values, such a strong motivator in America. It’s often used to justify most everything. In this TV version, everyone’s preferred option, denial, is again at play. For centuries, landowners have abused their worker and because it was passed on from father to son, no questions are asked. “It’s always been like this,” says a son with an awakening awareness as his sister-in-law is driven to do something about life-threatening living conditions.

Getting things right and shipshape from the start would perhaps result in similar costs, but the longer you wait, the tougher it becomes to create better conditions.

FELICITY HUFFMAN
Felicity Huffman in American Crime

In the first two seasons Regina King, Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Richard Cabral and Lili Taylor formed part of the cast and have again been included in this latest harrowing tale which adds to the magnificence of the viewing. To watch Huffman for example morph into the different women she is expected to portray and inhabit is jaw-dropping. And Regina King is unrecognisable just because of a hairstyle. Grey’s Anatomy’s Sandra Oh and Cherry Jones (24) have joined the cast with extraordinary performances by Benito Martinez (How to Get Away With Murder, The Blacklist) and Ana Mulvoy-Ten who drive two of the three storylines.

It’s not easy to watch because of the nastiness of the story but it is important in the context of today’s world and so well produced that while it is tough to bear, it is riveting and impossible to turn away from once you’re hooked.

Catch up with the missed episode (there are three of them) on Google and if you have DStv, the fourth episode will be broadcast on Thursday on MNet (101) at 9.00pm with repeats following.

This is the real world, no matter what others tell you. We might think we have it rough but for too many it is just about survival and trying not to do anything that will further deteriorate your already miserable life.

Look around you.

Winners of 2017 Sasol New Signatures Negotiate their Narratives by harnessing the Power of the Arts

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Overall winner Lebohang Kganye with her animated film ‘Ke sale teng’, which means ‘I’m still here’ in Sesotho.

DIANE DE BEER

Art has the power to address issues that are uncomfortable to talk about or deal with – and start a conversation.

 

Speaking her mind is last year’s Sasol New Signatures winner Zyma Amien who is presenting her solo exhibition, “Real” lives and “Ordinary” objects: Partisan art-making strategies with garment workers in the Western Cape… continuation, alongside this year’s winning works at the Pretoria Art Museum.

Johannesburg-based artist, Lebohang Kganye, 27, has been announced as the winner of the 2017 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition. She won the coveted award for her animated film ‘Ke sale teng’, which means ‘I’m still here’ in Sesotho.

As the winner, Kganye received a cash prize of R100 000 and the chance to have a solo exhibition in next year’s competition at the Pretoria Art Museum.

This year’s theme was “be discovered”.  “Noteworthy this year has been the diversity of the submissions received. This demonstrates that Sasol New Signatures is making progress in reaching emerging artists from all walks of life,” said Charlotte Mokoena, Sasol Executive President for Corporate Affairs and Human Resources.

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Sthenjwa Luthuli wins 2nd prize for his woodcut work titled Umbango, which means ‘conflict’ in isiZulu.

Coming in second place was Sthenjwa Luthuli from KwaZulu-Natal. He won for his woodcut work titled Umbango, which means ‘conflict’ in isiZulu.  The work reflects the cultural politics within traditional Zulu rituals and customs in a contemporary family setting.
“The piece I submitted is constructed in an aesthetically pleasing technique, yet on the contrary, contains really complex subjects in terms of their content. It reflects domestic contradictions inside traditional Zulu contemporary family methods.”

And that was the interesting phenomenon about this year’s entries as showcased in the two winning works but also the five merit award winners. There was a strong sense that these individual artists were negotiating their family narratives and using their art to claim and establish their personal stories.

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Goitseone Botlhale Moerane (Pretoria) – Mosadi o tswara thipa ka bogaleng

“My mother encouraged me to find a way to deal with some of my personal issues in a manner that people would take notice,” said Goitseone Moerane whose work of family pictures titled Mosadi o tswara thipa ka bogaleng (translated as “a woman holding a knife’s blade”) received one of the five merit awards. She was puzzled by the subservient role women play in especially traditional or cultural situations in her family and drew a correlation between the Shweshwe dresses they wore on these occasions and the behaviour.

“I used the Shweshwe cloth as a metaphor for what the black woman is expected to be; a mother, a wife or makoti, a provider, a domestic as well as a good daughter-in-law.” That’s why she replaced the women’s body and faces with the cloth, as it represents what was expected of women and what they were taught to aspire to be.

Sticking to the theme of family, overall winner Lebohang Kganye’s Ke sale teng (I am still here) confronts how family photo albums no longer have a fixed narrative, but instead, opens us to reinterpret our past. She was intrigued when exploring her family history by how different the stories were, with one common denominator, her grandfather, who featured strongly in every narrative.

“He was the first one of the family who moved to the city and I refer to him as the Pied Piper,” she explains. As a photographer by profession, that’s the central part of all her art but in this instance it was cutout family pictures which she transformed into animation reflecting a kind of pop-up album with the stories all performed as they were told to her.

‘Identity’  is the word that comes to mind most strongly with many of the New Signature works, that and the way these narratives inform not only the artists, but also the viewers. In this country, getting those personal narratives into a public space has a seismic effect.

Not only does it speak to the storyteller’s identity, it also shapes role models for future generations and in a country where there are so many cultural differences for example, it is a way of introducing our people – especially to one another.

And these are just three of the examples. The diversity of the participants is also reflected in the diversity of the exhibition. With an animated piece walking off with the New Signatures grand prize this year, and the second placed Luthuli’s win for his woodcut work and one of the merit awards having her say with family photographs, it reflects the overall picture.

There is a commonality in theme, yet diversity in medium.

The 5 Merit Award Winners are:

 

Cara Jo Tredoux - Wandering
Cara Jo Tredoux – Wandering
Carol Anne Preston - Cocoon 1
Carol Anne Preston – Cocoon
Francke Crots - Dr Crots fucked up anatomy a
Francke Crots – Dr Crots fucked up anatomy
Emily Harriet Bulbring Robertson - Emergency procedure for dinner with family
Emily Harriet Bulbring Robertson – Emergency procedure for dinner with family
Goitseone Moerane - Mosadi a tswara thipa ka bogaleng
Goitseone Moerane – Mosadi a tswara thipa ka bogaleng (woman holds the sharp end of the knife)

Last year’s Sasol New Signatures winner Zyma Amien will be hosting her solo exhibition, “Real” lives and “Ordinary” objects: Partisan art-making strategies with garment workers in the Western Cape… continuation, alongside this year’s winning works at the Pretoria Art Museum.  All 119 shortlisted artworks will be exhibited alongside the winners at the Pretoria Art Museum until 8 October 2017.

State of the art in Joburg with the opening of the 10th FNB JoburgArtFair this week

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Art is in the air as the annual FNB Joburg Art Fair returns to the Sandton Convention Centre for its 10th edition, from Friday to Sunday (8 – 10 September 2017).

Robin Rhode_Paradise08And with these celebrations, they welcome Robin Rhode back – the featured artist at the very first Fair in 2008 and now once again as 2017’s featured artist. Rhode’s most recent body of work resonates with the concept of ‘Looking Forward’.

“In preparing for the 10th anniversary edition,” says Mandla Sibeko, Director of the FNB JoburgArtFair, “we asked ourselves if we ever simply reflect on a scenario without imagining the potential outcomes, or envision a future without considering the past?

“So we used this natural moment of reflection and celebration as a framework for the focus of this year’s Fair – to interrogate how closely the acts of ‘Looking Back & Looking Forward’ are tied. We’ll be looking back at the legacy of Modern and Contemporary African Art while looking forward to the future possibilities of artistic practices, communities and markets on the continent.”

As featured artist, currently based in Berlin, Rhodes obscures obvious age, race or even gender from his imagery, favouring instead the constants of geometry, balance and colour theory.

For this exhibition, he moves out of his comfort zone which has been the anonymity of the public space outside to a much more intimate environment in the Convention Hall. He is interested in both himself as the artist and then the spectators, all of whom become part of the experience.

He describes the results of his art as eerily comforting avatars in the age of globalisation – iconography with which anyone may identify.

In the same spirit of ‘Looking Back’, Dr. Zoe Whitley of London’s Tate Modern, curates an exhibition entitled ‘Truth, or some other abstraction’, looking at how South African modern artists voiced their stories and how those stories shaped our contemporary understanding of history.

Borrowing works not often on public display from Gauteng’s collections, Whitley’s curatorial investigation of the modern South African narrative aims to demonstrate the importance that our past plays on present realities.

Lady Skollie_TG-WINDV-0014-B-300
Lady Skollie

In these gender sensitive times, the solo presentations are dominated by women with six of the eight artists being female.  South African artists include Sethembile Msezane – represented by Gallery MOMO (Joburg & Cape Town), Lady Skollie by Tyburn Gallery (London), Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi by the Mariane Ibrahim Gallery (Seattle) and Bronwyn Katz by blank projects (Cape Town). In Toto Gallery will showcase Ilana Seati, and SMAC Gallery will present newe work by Chemu Ng’ok’s. SMITH Studios will exhibit a unique presentation of the collective HOICK and ELA – Espaço Luanda Arte will present António Ole.

The Fair features over 60 exhibitions within 5 categories, including Contemporary and Modern Art, Solo Presentations, Limited Editions and Art Platforms. The selected galleries and organisations hail from 11 countries across Africa, Europe and the United States.

More detail:

  •       The Contemporary section will feature MOV’ART (Luanda), exhibiting for the first time here, while Addis Fine Art (Addis Ababa) and Circle Art Agency (Nairobi) both return for a second time. Other new exhibitors include 50ty/50ty (Joburg) in Limited Editions, NWU Gallery (Potchefstroom) and Under Ground Contemporary (Kampala) in Art Platforms.
  • Peju Alatise_photo 1
    Peju Alatise

    Nigerian artist, Peju Alatise, has been announced the 2017 recipient of the coveted FNB Art Prize. She received a cash prize as well as the opportunity to be showcased in a dedicated exhibition space at the Fair. She is a mixed-medium artist, poet and published writer who is passionate about addressing social, political and gender-related issues as well as capturing the joys and pain of womanhood in modern-life-African traditions.

  • New to  Fair, Cartier will be showcasing exceptional jewelry and watch creations, and a selection of artworks created by the students of Johannesburg-based art schools, The Artists Proof Studio and The Market Photo Workshop.
  • Esther Mahlangu (1)
    Esther Mahlangu

    Also exhibiting for the first time, BMW presents a BMW 7 Series by Ndbele artist Esther Mahlangu. Following her famous design 26 years ago, in 2016 she was once again commissioned to refine a BMW 7 Series, which was exhibited at the Frieze London art fair.

  • Lalela will host the Educational Programme and Artinsure will host the Art Tours. Professor Federico Freschi and Magkati Molebatsi will lead the walkabouts, giving art lovers an insight into some of the works on display.”
  • This year, the addition of a Film Programme will be headlined by the Centre For the Less Good Idea, the brainchild of acclaimed artist William Kentridge. On Friday, audiences can enjoy  specially curated selections of video works from their first season, which will be projected on a large outdoor screen in Nelson Mandela Square.
  • The Talks Programme  at the Theatre on the Square includes featured artist Robin Rhode and The Armory Show (New York) Director Benjamin Genocchio – each delivering a keynote – as well as a conversation that looks at The School of Anxiety, a project by Moses Serubiri, showcased at the 10th Berlin Biennal

 

The FNB JoburgArtFair takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre, Exhibition Hall 1, 161 Maude Street, Sandton

Opening times: Friday: 11am – 8pm; Saturday: 11am – 7pm; Sunday: 11am – 5pm

Tickets are R150 and can be purchased through tixsa.co.za.

The Talks Programme and Film Programme are free and open to the public. No advance booking is required.

For more information, please visit: www.fnbjoburgartfair.co.za

 

 

 

A provocative scent of the past as Die Reuk van Appels plays at State Theatre

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DIANE DE BEER

DIE REUK VAN APPELS

DIRECTOR: Lara Bye

SCRIPT: Johann Smith (adapted from Mark Behr novel)

PERFORMER: Gideon Lombard

VENUE: Momentum, State Theatre

DATES: until September 24

 

If you don’t know how to reply to that ubiquitous question, “When have we had enough?”, see the provocative Die Reuk van Appels.

If we don’t investigate and explore the past, how do we learn? How do we not make the same mistakes and punish ourselves and others all over again?

So many have pointed to specific cultures that have made others suffer like they have suffered. They understood the pain and yet had no qualms to dish it out themselves. But if we look at why certain decisions were made and actions were taken and have the in-depth conversations leading from that, which might be uncomfortable yet necessary, we can perhaps forgive and be forgiven. Never forget.

The past looks very different when time has elapsed and what might have been acceptable to some, is viewed from a much different perspective. That’s one of the things that knocks you when listening to the young Marnus chatter about his life in Apartheid South Africa circa 1973.

It’s the way innocence was politicized in the smallest way. Certain words, spark the memories and take you back to that very dark place. How could the same people for example use a pet name like the K-word in diminutive form for their young sons while at the same time telling their children never to use the K-word? How does a child deal with that in his head?

The other was always painted in the darkest terms and children were taught to do everything in the name of Christianity because then they would go to heaven. If you were young and white in this country, life was a breeze. You were protected from the harsh reality and your days passed easily with few hassles. Or that’s what Marnus was led to believe.

The biggest problems in his protected world were the issue of his sister’s confirmation as head girl the following year and the identity of a house guest which was not to be revealed to anyone but the family.

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But as with most things, life was more complex and this is where Lombard’s acting skills soar. He holds the floor easily as the young Marnus and the many characters he has to adopt and with the director’s help, the story is skillfully massaged to keep the audience hooked.

As a solo show which is played almost stationary, the movement they manage to incorporate is stunning. It lifts both the emotional level and introduces a physicality which is at the heart of the horror of this young boy’s history.

He might not understand everything that’s happening in his life and his country, but he can feel when things aren’t what they should be and once the questions start, there’s no going back.

Lombard displays an innocence without being too childlike which is charming and encapsulates the 11-year-old who is baffled by his surroundings which seem to be crumbling around him.

It is an intimate piece of storytelling that embraces a much wider world and one that resonates as strongly today with everything happening out there. Judgement is such an easy thing while your own life warrants no scrutiny. How could it, you’re a god-fearing man?

With the seemingly gentle script with brutally dark undertones, a searingly sensitive performance by Lombard and Bye’s brilliantly sculptured direction, it is powerful theatre that both illuminates and pummels you emotionally.

If not in this way, how will the lessons ever be learnt?

Die Reuk van Appels will be staged at Potchefstroom’s annual arts festival Aardklop from October 3 to 7 October and at Cape Town’s Fugard Theatre from 17 October to 11 November.

Sassy choices like Die Reuk van Appels give Theatrerocket fantastic blast off

~ debeernecessities

 DIANE DE BEER

Fledgling theatre production company Theatrerocket is making waves with its first production Die Reuk van Appels, which runs at the State Theatre until September 24;

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Gideon Lombard in Die Reuk van Appels                  Pictures: Jan Potgieter

 

When Johan van der Merwe and Rudi Sadler started talking about their passion for theatre while traveling many kilometers between Pretoria and Joburg as theatre  judges, they decided to start their own production company Theatrerocket.

Van der Merwe previously owned a catering company in-between attending all the major art festivals in South Africa as well as going on an almost annual visit to the Edinburgh Festival (averaging 700 theatre shows a year). Sadler is a theatre journalist and graphic artist. Both have recently left their day jobs because they realised while trying to achieve their dream, producing is a full time job. They’re determined to make it work and throw everything at it to see that happen.

Their first production, Die Reuk van Appels, which opens at the State Theatre’s Momentum tonight (Saturday September 2), adapted from the celebrated Mark Behr novel, hasn’t been an easy one, but it has been successful on every possible level, already raking in the awards – and they’re not done yet. It still has runs at Aardklop in October and a season in Joburg next year.

“We have been told that you never make money on your first production, but we are starting to see the light,” they explain. Anyone in and out of theatre would agree that it can only be passionate madness for these two theatre fanatics to take on this formidable task. And yet it has paid off big time. They have had many more offers than they can accept.

Their first option was a good one (as it seems with everything they have done thus far), and it was an easy choice because Van der Merwe since first reading the book, has hankered to produce this for stage – as a solo show.  The main character tells the story from his point of view, thus a solo stage show was the way to go.

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After much work, they were finally given the rights and the book, after some detours was passed on to award winning scriptwriter Johann Smith to adapt for stage. Once that was done, the two producers as well as actor Gideon Lombard and director Lara Bye had discussions with input and finally they had the completed script.

For those who don’t know the story’s bare essentials, it’s about an 11-year old Afrikaans boy Marnus who lives in a country where the black and coloured majority are governed by a white minority. He gradually becomes more aware of the injustice of the system and has to make complex decisions especially at his age about right and wrong as he witnesses certain things. His life is irrevocably changed when a foul deed destroys his existence.

“It is the story of so many white South Africans,” says Van der Merwe about living as a youngster in a country where everything was presented as normal, and he also believes that a younger generation should learn about and understand our horrific past. “They have no clue about the world we lived in, how closed it was,” he says of that period of our past.

For Lombard, this has been an extraordinary experience. Working with this particular director (and producers) was an added bonus because they knew one another. “I have worked with her before and she was a lecturer at UCT when I studied,” he says. Trust was a given and helped enormously with this very difficult text, especially as this is Lombard’s first solo performance.

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For him and Bye, the text as it currently stands has to be just that. Everything is justified in context and what some may see as inappropriate wholly serves the story and is not included to shock. To go into more detail would be a spoiler because the experience of the play is all about the unusual and unexpected unfolding and unraveling of this young boy’s experience.

“It’s a play that needs patience when viewing,” says Lombard. The rewards come at the end but in the telling, lies the detail and the poetry of the text. “Bye has created a wonderful safe space on stage,” says Lombard which also shapes an unnerving intimacy that is part of this extraordinary play.

Lombard loves the metaphorical essence of the play and is ecstatic about the experience even if like anything else – and here the producers nod in agreement – it took hard work. For all of them this has been a learning experience because it is all about firsts. But because of their dedication and their knowledge of the industry and more importantly, what it takes to make good theatre, they are painstaking about the details, and it shows.

Van der Merwe and Sadler have up to now usually been audience members. They know what they want when going to the theatre, from the practical issues like being on time and having the right sight lines to the production. But more importantly it is the content and with their first production and all its participants included, they have set a benchmark to be proud of.

If theatre is your particular bent, take a closer look at this coming-of-age story.  It grapples with the Afrikaner mentality in the late ’70s early ’80s and the brutal consequences of apartheid and the militarisations of South African life.

It will tear at your heart.

Nataniël’s Blast of Brilliance, 30 Years in 90 Minutes at Emperors Palace

~ debeernecessities ~ 2 Comments

Pictures: Lorinda van den Berg

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DIANE DE BEER

30 YEARS 90 MINUTES

WRITER, DIRECTOR, PERFORMER: Nataniël

SINGERS: Nicolaas Swart, Dihan Slabbert

MUSICIANS: Charl du Plessis (piano), Juan Oosthuizen (guitars), Hugo Radyn (drums), Werner Spies (bass)

COSTUMES: Floris Louw

UNTIL September 24

Celebrating 30 years as a solo artist is quite something. Doing it in the spectacular style as Nataniël does in 30 Years, 90 Minutes is awesome but not unexpected.

Having watched him for most of those 30 years bar the first few, what has excited me most is to watch his work evolving with time, to witness the confidence grow slowly allowing him to take more and more risks until his stage brand was completely embedded.

That doesn’t mean that he keeps doing the same. This current show says everything about his past but also gives us glimpses into the future.

Nataniël has always noted that the vision for his shows begins with the costumes. It sets the tone for everything else. The costumes are the thing visually. Not that they haven’t always been but they have competed with everything else happening on stage. One always knew that you would be missing some effects at first viewing of his shows, because there was so much going on.

This time though, the stage is stripped and more than anything, the costumes and his breath-taking lighting give the visual cues. A red shimmering jacket sparkles in the light or is turned into a black jacket with flashes of red and a closing outfit is transformed in colour and texture from the beginning to the end of the song. It’s magical!

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Nicolaas Swart, Nataniël and Dihan Slabbert

All of that, as well as the set, are completely woven into the fabric of the storytelling, even when his stories don’t form one narrative other than being proof of his extraordinary ability to capture the imagination and paint pictures with words.

It’s not only the content of the stories, it’s the way they are germinated and have been constructed. In one, for example, he gives you a sentence that could be interpreted in diverse ways depending on how and when it is said, and then he ends that tale with the exact same construct as where it all started. It’s more than smart, it also gives the audience many aspects to engage and play with throughout the show. For those who think he is all about telling a story and singing a song, think again. There’s so much more – even if the former is more than enough. That’s why the longevity and the loyal fanbase.

As someone who has probably seen 90 plus percent of the shows he has created, it was a first for me when one story (spoiler alert: there’s a red Citroen with black stripes involved) was so funny, that my eyes burnt from all the tears caused by laughter.

And then there’s the music. Nataniël has always professed a deep love for singing. It’s what he enjoys most and when you see him live, it shows. His cover versions for those familiar with his music are legendary. His arrangements are so astute, they turn something familiar into something fabulous and he does a handful exquisitely in the show.

The choice of music for this season also includes something old and something new in his self-penned repertoire. To be reacquainted with some of the old tunes and being gifted something new, all adds to the richness of the production.

In addition to all of that you have the accompaniment of four supreme musicians (all in their own right) as well as two gifted singers that add even more tone and texture to the different songs. It is the complete package.

That’s the thing about a Nataniël show. Every detail is covered.

And to top it all, there’s the performer himself. It is his individuality, his unique gift for storytelling and song (creating and performing), his vision and his obsession to keep it fresh that transforms the stage and auditorium into the perfect dreamscape for 90 minutes.

He gives you what you want but in a new guise.

That’s genius!

 

War of Words: Freud and CS Lewis

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DIANE DE BEER

FREUD’S LAST SESSION

DIRECTOR: Alan Swerdlow

CAST: Graham Hopkins (Sigmund Freud), Antony Coleman (CS Lewis)

VENUE: Sandton”s Auto and General Theatre on the Square

DATES: Until September 14

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Graham Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Antony Coleman as CS Lewis. Pictures: Philip Kuhn

 

Take two great minds with opposing points of view, make the subject religion and let them go at it.

But load up some extra tension. Make it a looming World War (2), as well as one of the protagonists suffering a debilitating disease which will kill him sooner than later. And he knows that. It becomes a war in oneself  and a war of words set against the backdrop (and constantly brought into the room) of  war on the horison.

That’s exactly what this intriguing play juggles as these two great actors slip into their respective personas with great ease while tackling some of life’s most vexing issues. If this doesn’t pull you in, it’s perhaps not your play but think about two adults having a discussion with opposing points of view without coming to blows. It doesn’t happen that often anymore – or not so one can witness. And perhaps not in real life?

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Conversational classic with Antony Coleman and Graham Hopkins

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It’s huge fun. With Hopkins and Coleman really getting stuck into the roles, it makes for mesmerising viewing.

How can you not get into the Germanic, almost austere world in which Hopkins has cloaked his Freud. He completely sucks you into his character, an atheist at the end of his life who seems to be battling with life’s issues that might not be as crystal clear as he always thought they were.

Coleman’s CS Lewis is a more affable chap, recently converted from a similar position his adversary is defending, yet not at all thrown out because of their wildly differing points of view. The only time he is caught off balance is when the war-time sirens go off and having confessed to participating in World War 1, it seems like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Both are battling their own demons.

As the distractions dissipate, the two men continue their conversation about religion, mainly, as they argue their different stances, both with superior minds which they apply to showcase their opinions. It’s not as if we can’t all participate while watching. None of what they’re talking about is new. It’s just fascinating to see these two giants of old, fight to the end, to imagine what could have happened in that room if indeed they  had this particular discussion.

It’s a good piece of writing. American playwright Mark St Germain is quick with his wit and wisdom and keeps the flow of the ideas fast while giving time to digest. And with this premise, director Swerdlow could have over-exerted his actors to keep them from turning into talking heads. Wisely he didn’t and with actors of this stature, that was the right choice. They have a good text to work with and ideas that are both challenging and engaging, and the actors have a great time sparring with each other.

It’s gloves off and may the best man win. But this is a civilised clash of great minds happy to have some fun while running through their own beliefs and testing them against the best.