Emerging artists to comment on city’s changing face

MARCH 19, 2013: ONE of Nelson Mandela Bay’s picturesque buildings is set to become the hub of the city’s creative industries with a new exhibition set to launch the recently upgraded historical monument.

The Athenaeum Gallery in Central has just undergone a major renovation and is the site of an exciting new exhibition which calls on emerging artists to comment on the fluid and changing face of the cityscape.

Facelift is a “fresh and forward-thinking” exhibition inspired by the changes Nelson Mandela Bay is under-going, but also “open to interpretation and application to any South African city’s ebb and flow of urban (re)(de)generation”, say exhibition organisers.

The call for entries to Facelift went out two weeks ago and targets Nelson Mandela Bay and Eastern Cape artists between the ages of 18 and 35.

“Our environment affects us so deeply, and especially as urban dwellers, cities can have a profound effect on our psyche and emotional well-being,” said Amy Shelver, from Numb City Productions, administrators of the Athenaeum Building. “Commenting on how space impacts us as young people in particular is an important way of coming to terms with urban terrain and lives characterised by ironic dual dislocation and connection.”

The city’s urban regeneration is being facilitated through the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), on behalf of the municipality, and is yielding results both in catalysing development and promoting creativity.

“Nelson Mandela Bay is developing in nodes and the thriving public art campaign is creating islands of beauty in what is largely an industrial or degenerating context. We want emerging artists to interrogate what this means, what the juxtaposition of beauty against the banal creates. There are a number of questions conjured by the theme Facelift and we encourage artists to interpret the theme in their own way, using media of their choice.”

The exhibition organisers are looking for exciting, original works, across all mediums that have not yet been exhibited, to showcase the city’s vast talent,” added Shelver.

The exhibition runs for one month only from March 28 to April 28 and effectively forms the launch pad for profiling the newly completed Athenaeum Gallery and Little Theatre. The submission date is on Friday, March 22 and all submissions go to Lungi Gqunta: info@numbcity.co.za together with an entry form.

CAPTION: HANGING SPACE: Lungi Gqunta, arts intern at Numb City Productions, is eagerly awaiting entrants for Facelift, an unique exhibition that targets young artists and encourages them to comment on the changing urbanscape.

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For more information contact Lungi Gqunta on 084 635 2158 or info@numbcity.co.za
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Conditions of Entry:
•      We are targeting emerging artists, therefore only artists between the ages of 18 – 35 years may enter this exhibition.
•      Artists/collectives are allowed to submit a maximum of 3 artworks which will go through a selection process where either some or all 3 works will be chosen for exhibition.
•      There is a non-refundable entry fee of R25 per artwork.
•      Artworks of all media will be accepted and must be submitted “ready to hang”.
•      All works must be for sale. A 30% commission will be deducted from the selling price of the works.
•      Works must be delivered to The Athenæum, 7 Belmont Terrace, Central, Port Elizabeth by 4pm Friday 22nd March 2013; unsold works must be collected by the 28th of April 2013. Work not collected will be disposed of at the discretion of the organisers.
•      Organisers and appointed administrators will not be held liable for any work damaged, howsoever caused.
•      Organisers and appointed administrators have the right to reject works that do not meet above criteria.