Brenden Gray

First Year coordinator Lecturer
Name: Brenden Gray
Location: 1st Floor FADA building Bunting Road Campus
FADA Graphic Design Staff  Staff Members

Contact Details:
Tel: +27 (0)11 559 1117

Email: bgray@uj.ac.za

About Brenden Gray

Brenden Gray is an artist, graphic design educator, art critic and researcher. He majored in painting at the Michaelis School of Fine Art (UCT) graduating with distinction in 1998. In 2010 he completed his Masters in Fine Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand cum laude. The MA project entitled “Aesthetics on the Streets: Rethinking the Terms of Engagement of Public Art Practice” focused on dialogical aesthetics in community-based settings with a particular interest in inner city contexts. Brenden is currently registered in the Faculty of Education, Center for Education Rights and Transformation (UJ) for his PhD. Brenden has taught in a number of educational contexts including GET and FET phases, in learnerships, working in the fields of arts and culture, design, visual arts and English and has contributed to the development of numerous courses and curricula. Presently, Brenden teaches across many subjects in the graphic design department including photography, drawing, visualization, design studies, motion graphics and graphic design history and theory. Having published widely in conference proceedings and journals related to art, design and education, Brenden has developed a keen interest in social semiotics, discourse analysis and critical pedagogy.

Recent Achievements

UJ recognition of creative production for 2010 FADA Collaborations/Articulations exhibition.

Recent Publications

Gray, B. 2010. Making Art in the wrong place: Neighbourhood and otherness in Speak English to Me, Critical arts; a South-North journal of cultural and media studies, edited by L. Faber & Bishop, R. [sl]: Routledge.

Gray, B. 2010. An exploded consciousness; David Andrew and Marcus Neustetter’s C30 project. Art South Africa 6(3).

Gray, B. 2011. Collaboration: Dialogue as Catalyst for Redefining Creative Practice. Art South Africa. 10(2)

Recent Conference Papers

Gray, B. 2006. Learners as agents; Design as a learning vehicle. Paper presented at Design Educators Federation of South Africa, 21 – 22 September, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Gray, B. 2009. Critical Looking in Advertising; Gerry Human’s University of Johannesburg Alumni Exhibition Humanism: The Art of Selling. Paper presented at Imaging Ourselves; Visual Identities in Representation, edited by Leora Farber.

Gray, B. 2010. Habitus and reflective practicum: tensions between notions of teaching and learning in design education. Paper presented at the University Of Johannesburg Teaching Excellence Conference, 27 October 2010

Gray, B. 2010. Conversation and aesthetics in Speak English to Me. Paper presented at Memory in the City architecture seminar series, School of Architecture and Planning, 16 February, The University of the Witwatersrand.

Gray, B. 2010. Making findings and making do: The challenges of practice-led research in writing up Speak English To Me (2007–2008). Paper presented at On Making: Integrated Approaches to Practice-Led Research in Art and Design Colloquium, October, University of Johannesburg.

Gray, B. 2010. A hole in my spine: The white body, the foreigner and wounding in Avatar and District Nine. Paper presented at Interdisciplinary.net; Strangers, Aliens, Foreigners, a Diversity and Recognition Project, 20 -24 September, Oriel College.

Gray, B. 2011. Why design cannot be taught: graduate attributes and learning in an age of super-complexity. Paper presented at Design Educators Forum of South Africa Conference, University of Johannesburg, 7 – 8 September.

Gray, B. 2014. Design for Development Discourses and Neoliberal Values: Designer, Innovation, Community and Sustainability. Design with the other 90%: Cumulus Johannesburg. 241-252.

Gray, B. 2014. Speech text/image act and class habitus: practicing agency through photography. Mapping Heterogeneity: Qualitative Research in Communication, 2014 Triton Press. 87-116.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Gray, B. 2007. Considering the act of terror; The dilemma of the avant-garde, one hundred and forty million years (and sixty three days), edited by K.Smith. Stellenbosch: [sa].​

REVIEWS

Gray, B. 2012. Review of Andy Mason’s “What’s so funny? Under the skin of South African cartooning. De Arte. June 2012.
Gray, B. 2011. BOS – Constructed Images and the Memory of the South African Border War; Christo Doherty at Resolution Gallery of Digital Art. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/Reviews/2011/01/Brenden-Gray-reviews-BOS
Gray, B. 2011. Minutes 2010: Time, Movement and Rhythm in Johannesburg by Mocke J van Veuren and Theresa Collins at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/Reviews/2010/09/Brenden-Gray-reviews-Minutes-2010-Time,-Movement-and-Rhythm-in-Johannesburg

Gray, B. 2009. The Double Body; Being in Space, FADA Research Newsletter. 12, June: 10-11.

Gray, B. & Pretorius, D. 2009. Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble. Art South Africa, (7)3.

Gray, B. 2009. Dominique Zinkpé at Afronova. Art South Africa 7(4).

Gray, B. 2008. Robert Hodgins, Sam Nhlengethwa at Art on Paper. Art South Africa 6(3).

Gray, B. 2008. Walter Oltmann, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg. Art South Africa, 6(1).

Gray. B. 2007. Ann-Marie Tully, ‘Non Facture’ at Gordart Gallery. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/07sept/reviews/gordart.html

Gray. B. 2007. Kathryn Smith’s, In Camera at the Goodman Gallery. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/07oct/reviews/goodman.html

Gray. B. 2007. Roger Ballen at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/07may/reviews/jag.html

Gray, B. 2006. Review of women, photography and new media: Imaging the self and body through portraiture at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. [O]. Available: http://www.artthrob.co.za/06dec/reviews/jag.html

PUBLIC ADDRESSES AND OTHER

Gray, B. 2014. Cultural capital, critical praxis and the visual arts curriculum. Neville Alexander Commemorative Conference: Reflecting on 20 Years of Post-apartheid education and Celebrating Alexander’s praxis: Looking Back Looking Forward. 31 October – 1 November.

Gray, B. 2013. The Imposter (short story and digital work) presented at Reflective Conversations; Typology, Typography, Topography project 9 May – 21 June. Northwest University Gallery, 19 May – 21 June.

Gray, B. & Fenn, T. 2012. Designing teaching philosophies: FADA lecturers on their teaching. FADA Research Newsletter.

Gray, B. 2010. Dialogical Aesthetics and Social Distance in Speak English To Me, 2006- 2008. FADA Research Newsletter. 14, October 2010: 3- 7.

Gray, B. 2010. Habitus and reflective practicum: tensions between notions of teaching and learning in design education. Paper presented at the University Of Johannesburg Teaching Excellence Conference, 27 October 2010

Gray, B. 2011. “Two way”: Photo shoots art-directed by selected shopkeepers in Johannesburg. Paper presented at Wide Angle; Photography as Public Practice, 23-26 March, University of Witwatersrand, Humanities Graduate Center.

Gray, B. 2010. Aesthetics on the street: Rethinking the terms of engagement in public art practice. MA dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Gray, B. 2010. Conversation and aesthetics in Speak English to Me. Paper presented at Memory in the City architecture seminar series, School of Architecture and Planning, 16 February, The University of the Witwatersrand.

Gray, B. 2010. Teaching artistry in Donald Schön’s reflective practitioner. Presented at the FADA Creative Teaching and Learning Forum, 23 August, University of Johannesburg.

Gray, B. 2009. Free signs, consumer culture and critical looking: reflections on Gerry Human’s Humanism; The Art of Selling at the FADA Gallery, FADA Research Newsletter. 11, December: 1-3.

Gray, B. 2009. The camera and class; Thoughts on student habitus in art and design. Presented at the FADA Creative Teaching and Learning Forum, 24 August, University of Johannesburg.

Gray, B. 2006. Cutting off the Right Arm. Art South Africa, 4(3).

CREATIVE PRODUCTION AWARDS

UJ Recognition of Creative Production Award for curation of FADA Collaborations and Articulations exhibition, 9-24 May 2011.