Official Opening: 11 April 2012
29 March – 26 April
FADA Gallery
Dialogue Among Civilisations is a collaboration between artists and poets representing 35 countries and six Durban sister cities. Participants were invited to create work on the theme of Identity, land, object and belief. Through this exhibition, 42 visual artists and 41 poets voice their concerns of the various communities and social constructs they represent.
Eric Fonteneau (France/Nantes), Untitled, Digital Print
Kim Berman (South Africa) Alien landscape, Digital Print
Dialogue among Civilisations aims to inspire the viewer with ‘moral ownership’ and for the public to internalise the values advocated by the art and poetry. These values include creativity, freedom of expression, human rights, excellence, dignity, pride, inspiration, reflection, cultural heritage as well as respect for individual rights and independence. However, the ultimate objective is to elicit and challenge the South African public’s views on xenophobia, racism, refugees and foreign visitors in and to South Africa.
Dialogue among Civilisations is an initiative by Art for Humanity, an organisation which engages with cultural production, specifically in the visual arts, to promote human rights awareness in South Africa, across Africa and internationally. The organisation focuses on the creation of Fine Art Print portfolios, in collaboration with participating artists, poets, endorsers, exhibitions, publications, billboards and research projects.
Jasna Corovic (Croatia), Somewhere, Digital Print
Berry Bickle (Zimbabwe) The burning dress - Sleeping Beauty series, Digital Print
Dialogue among Civilisations is endorsed by a number of internationally recognised human rights personalities and specialists in the field of education, art, human rights and social justice. The full portfolio of 41 original Fine Art prints (limited edition of 30), signed and dated by the participants and authenticated by Art for Humanity, is available for purchase (pricing available on request).
Participating artists include Kim Berman, Themba Shibase (South Africa), Marcelo Brodsky (Argentina), William Kelley (Australia), Guto Nobrega (Brazil), Barthelemy Tuguo (Cameroon), Bruce Rimmel (England), Marie Helene (Haiti), Colleen Conradi (Italy), Ayaka Okutsu (Japan), Mel Edwards (USA), Samson Kambalu (Mozambique) and Justin Igala (Uganda). For the full list, visit www.uj.ac.za/fadagallery.
High quality digital prints from this limited edition on rag paper are available for purchase at R840 each (including postage and insurance) and catalogues are available at R240 each.
The exhibition is open to the general public at no cost. The FADA Gallery is situated on at the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) on the University of Johannesburg’s Bunting Road Campus (between the SABC and Egoli Gas). The gallery is open on weekdays from 09:00 – 16:00.
For more information on Art for Humanity, visit http://www.afh.org.za or http://www.afhsouthafrica.blogspot.com