May/June Arts Listing

A selective guide to fine arts, walking and bus tours, music and theatre in Johannesburg.

QUICK LISTING

Friday 28 May
-Opening of Soccer-Science Lounge: Is the ball round? at Sci-Bono.
-Underground Dinner @ the restaurant, turbine hall, Newtown.

Sat 29 May
-The best of Newtown- Heritage Trail walking tour. Past Experiences. 09:00 – 14:00
-Hotel Yeoville’s public launch & Africa Week Street Festival. Yeoville. 10:00 – 17:00
-Tour of “Arts on Main” 2pm with the Friends of the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Sunday 30 May
-Friends of the Rail – Steam train (photo shoot). 6am. Joburg Car pool to Pretoria.
-BATTLE OF JOHANNESBURG (bus tour) from 13:30 by the Parktown & westcliff Heritage Trust.
-Launch of The Urban Arts Platform at 4pm Space at Ansteys.
-Group exhibition titled ‘NUDgE’ (exhibition opening) at 4:30pm, Artspace Warehouse.

Tuesday 1 June
-Film Premiere: Second Nature: “The Biomimicry Evolution” at 7pm, The Sci-Bono.
-Between a Drumstick and a Drum roll. Talk at 19:00, UJ Arts Centre.
-Halakasha Soccer Exhibition: Opening at Standard Bank gallery at 5:30 for 6pm.

Wednesday 2 June
-VIEWPOINTS OF THE EVERYDAY at 18:00, Miele Gallery Of Fine Living.
-Book Launch: Inside Joburg. 17:30 – 19:30. Rhinestone Cowboy.

Thursday 3 June
-STAD/CITY : TO LET / FOR SALE at 18:30. The INTERMISSION Gallery.
-Michael Poliza Photographer. Exclusive Books, Melrose Arch. 18:00 for 18:30

Saturday 5 June
-Ethiopian Encounter from 10:00am. Ancient Secrets.
-”Pale Ya Rona” (our story) Carnival. Mofolo Park, Soweto. 12:00 – 21:00
-Opening of photographic exhibition by Jessica Hillton entitled “Amen”. Resolution Gallery at 12h00.
-THE MAD HATTER’s TEA PARTY AT NORTHWARDS at 2pm.
-Abdullah Ibrahim & WDR Big Band concert, Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City.
-PARIS/JOBURG – ALLER/RETOUR at Wits University

Sunday 6 June
-KATHY RAVEN’S ‘HIGH TEA BLUES’ Hight tea at 4:30pm, show starts 6pm sharp. Foxwood Theatre.
-Deep Play by Harun Farocki from Documenta 12 opening at JAG.
-PARIS/JOBURG – ALLER/RETOUR at Wits University

Umuzi Johannesburg exhibition: Mi Kasi es tu Kasi. Opening Wednesday, 09 June 2010 at 18:30. 44 Stanley Ave, Millpark

Sunday 13 June
-“The Memory Box” Dramatic Arts Theatre Productions at Alliance Française of Johannesburg.

Until 11 July
-SPace: Currencies in Contemporary African Art at Museum Africa.  http://theartistsofafrice.co.za

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MORE DETAILED LISTING:

Without Masks: Afro-Cuban Contemporary Art
The largest and most diverse exhibition of Afro Cuban art ever to be staged anywhere in the world opens at JAG on Sunday. Curated by internationally renowned independent curator Orlando Hernandez, this extraordinary exhibition of works entitled Without Masks will run until August 29 and forms the focus of various exhibitions JAG will stage in celebration of the world converging on South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Other highlights include a video installation by William Kentridge and a group exhibition of photographic work entitled Borders from the 2009 Bamako Biennale.
Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), King George Street, between Wolmarans and Noord Streets, Joubert Park. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122166744469878

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Science-Soccer Lounge: Is the ball round?
From 28 May until the end of 2010, the Goethe-Institut South Africa in partnership with Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, German Technical Cooperation – GTZ and the German Embassy in Pretoria will present a football-science games lounge at the Sci-Bono Museum in Johannesburg. The project, realized by Neues Universum Berlin, aims to display football from a fresh angle, showing that this popular activity is controlled by the laws of natural science.
http://www.goethe.de/ins/za/joh/ges/fmc/en5995218.htm

Underground Dinner @ the restaurant | turbine hall – for one night only and just one 6/8 table left.
Friday 28 May. 19h00 for 19h30
Enjoy a modern jozi-style dining experience set amongst the turbine’s of jozi’s first power station.
E-mail me asap on mark@cultureclub.co.za if you’d like to attend. http://www.theforum.co.za/Forum/events/default.aspx?PageID=219

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I Love Newtown- the best of Newtown- past, present and future!
Meet in front of Museum Africa on Bree Street. Park at Market Theatre parking.
Sat 29 May 09:00 – 14:00. R100.
Come with us on a journey through one of Joburgs most interesting cultural and historical areas. We will also look at the future of Newtown and city rejuvination.
This walking tour will centre round Newtown’s new Heritage walk (just opened last week…be some of the first to experience it).  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129863300362720

Hotel Yeoville’s public launch & Africa Week Street Festival.
Come and join us for a celebratory drink at or launch at 2 pm this Saturday 29th May
Hotel Yeoville’s public launch is timed to coincide with the Africa Week Street Festival taking place on Rockey/Raleigh Street from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday 29th May. The street will be closed to traffic and open to an all day festival & carnival, dance, live music, street vendors, food and festivity. A 20 piece Conglese brass band!
Hotel Yeoville is on the first floor of the library (on Raleigh Street) and comprises a website and an interactive exhibition that take shape through public participation in a range of freshly designed digital interfaces and online activity.
www.hotelyeoville.co.za

Sat 29 May
Tour of “Arts on Main” with the Friends of the Johannesburg Art Gallery. 2pm. R50pp
With a unique blend of studio, commercial, residential and retail spaces, Arts on Main is a hub for Johannesburg’s creative community to develop and share ideas. Arts on Main offers multiple creative experiences in one venue. Features include a restaurant, event and exhibition spaces, an outdoor cinema and a rooftop bar.Developed in a newly converted early 1900s bonded warehouse, Arts on Main aims to preserve the historical aspects of the building and contribute to the Johannesburg CBD’s urban regeneration.
The visit includes, Seippel on Main, Goodman Gallery’s Project Space and Goethe on Main.
Book with Fiona. 011 720 3479 / fionag@joburg.org.za

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Friends of the Rail – Annual winter photographic event.
Sunday, 30 May 2010. 06:00 – 09:00.
The Joburg Photowalkers are car pooling to Pretoria!
Sign up to join: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117802554924340
CAPITAL PARK Depot. Paul Kruger St — now numbered as R101, Pretoria
Join for the Friends of the Rail annual winter photographic event, and experience the power and majesty of steam on a winter’s morning! The locomotive will be positioned in various locations within the yard and you will be able to photograph the human activity around her too while she is serviced by the crew, who will be dressed in traditional railway footplate attire.

BATTLE OF JOHANNESBURG
Sunday, 30 May 2010. 13:30 – 17:00
Bus tour to some of the sites, including Eagles’ Nest to see the area where the British troops marched, but this time taking in the Mondeor Concentration Camp memorial area. Hopefully, if ready in time, we will unveil the plaque in the Main Street Precinct to commemorate the launch of the Diary of Isabelle Lipp. Leave from Sunnyside Park Hotel, 2 York Road, Parktown. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110235649005900

Launch of The Urban Arts Platform
Sunday, 30 May 2010. 16:00 – 19:00
Space at Ansteys, Corner Joubert and Jeppe Streets Johannesburg
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120676107951457

On Sunday 30th May 2010 at 4:30pm, Artspace Warehouse, 3 Hetty Ave Fairlands will launch with an exciting group exhibition titled ‘NUDgE‘. The show uses ‘the nude’ as a theme and consists of six young artists from Johannesburg and Pretoria who interpret this theme in a variety of media. http://www.artspace-jhb.co.za/archive/articles_2010/archives_nudge.html

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Film Premiere: Second Nature: “The Biomimicry Evolution”
DATE: Tuesday 1 June. 6:30 pm for 7:00 pm
The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. Cnr Miriam Makeba and President Street, Newtown
RSVP: bookings@sci-bono.co.za or speaktoascientist@sci-bono.co.za
Scientist: Claire Janisch, heads up South Africa’s Biomimicry hub and has an MSc.ChemEng in the field of Environmental Process Engineering. Her quest for innovation and her commitment to sustainability led her to the emerging field of Biomimicry. Claire is a senior associate of the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership and a founding director of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) in South Africa. She has worked across Africa as an independent sustainability consultant and recently completed a 2 Year Masters in Biomimicry. http://www.tedxjohannesburg.co.za/profilespeaker/claire-janisch | http://www.sci-bono.co.za

Between a Drumstick and a Drum roll.
Post-colonial theory and humour in contemporary South African advertising.
Tuesday 1 June 2010 at 19:00
The talk by Laurence Hamburger will focus on the 2006 Nandos advertising campaign which aimed to draw on imagery from Lusaphone Africa as a source of inspiration, playing with the symbols of post-colonial Africa.
To book and for more info contact Ms Jeanine Paulsen on jeaninep@uj.ac.za by Friday 28 May 2010. UJ Arts Centre, corner University Road and Kingsway, Auckland Park. http://www.uj.ac.za/EN/artsacademy/Programmes/Pages/DesignLectures.aspx

Halakasha Soccer Exhibition opening.
Tuesday 1 June.  Standard Bank Art Gallery at 5:30 for 6pm.
Kindly mail sue.isaac@standardbank.co.za to RSVP and an invitation for the opening.
Halakasha! , an exhibition celebrating the historic first FIFA World Cup in Africa and which runs concurrently with the tournament. This flagship exhibition, housed in both the upstairs and downstairs exhibition spaces at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, showcases a range of artworks dealing with the global phenomenon of soccer and the passion it evokes in Africa in particular. Running from 2 June to 17 July 2010, it also features the enthusiastic support for the South African national team.

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VIEWPOINTS OF THE EVERYDAY. An exhibition of contemporary South African artists.
Wednesday 2 June 2010. 17:30 for 18:00. Opening speaker Jenny Cryws-Williams.
Curator Teresa Lizamore presents a group exhibition of artists presenting the mundanities of everyday life in extraordinary ways.  Lionel Smith, Wilma Cruise, Regi Bardavid, Brad Gray, Karin Preller, Riaan Vosloo, Richard Smith and Mark Swart.
Miele Gallery Of Fine Living. 63 Peter Place, (cnr William Nicol), Johannesburg

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STAD/CITY : TO LET / FOR SALE
EXHIBITION OPENS 6:30 PM, Thursday, 3rd June, 2010
The changing face of the Johannesburg CBD (2003-2010) as witnessed and photographed by, artist in residence, Alastair Mclachlan from the INTERMISSION gallery. Part documentary, part lyrical reverie, part location scout look out.
The INTERMISSION Gallery. 18th floor. Lister Medical Building. No. 195 Jeppe Street, Johannesburg
http://www.intermission.co.za/

Michael Poliza Photographer
Event in Johannesburg!
3 June (Thursday). Exclusive Books – Melrose Arch. 18:00 for 18:30
RSVP: 011 684 1260 or kgosi@exclusivebooks.co.za
You must register !
http://images.michaelpoliza.com/
http://www.facebook.com/Michael.Poliza.Photography

Abdullah Ibrahim & WDR Big Band
South African jazz artist Abdullah Ibrahim is one of the world’s most famous jazz legends and his biography shows the cracks and transitions of South African history.
3 / 4 June – Workshop, City Hall, Johannesburg
5 June – Concert, Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, Johannesburg
Book tickets to all concerts at http://www.computicket.co.za

Ethiopian Encounter
Saturday, 05 June 2010. 10:00 – 14:00
Meet at the Main Entrance of the former Joburg SUN next to King Pie, 84 Smal Street.
We will learn about Ethiopian Culture & Cuisine ~ Experience traditional hospitality.
The tour will include a coffee ceremony ~ there will be a talk on Amharic language, Orthodox Christianity & Ethiopian food & spices ~ we will also share a typical traditional meal after the talk ~ and there is an opportunity to shop.
Cost R50-00 per person. Booking details: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121972427826081

THE MAD HATTER’s TEA PARTY AT NORTHWARDS
Saturday, 5 June 2010. 14:00 – 17:00
Northwards, 21 Rock Ridge Road, Parktown
Don your pretty dresses and your favourite hats (preferably a trifle outrageous). Hats are essential so wear your own or hire one from us for the afternoon. Gloves are optional, but it won’t do to let your hat down! You will experience the life of a bygone era with a Victorian tea at historic Northwards. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111738858845271

Resolution Gallery is pleased to be exhibiting Jessica Hilltout’s outstanding photographic work, ‘AMEN‘, which ultimately captures the essence of Africa’s passion for the game of football. 
Saturday the 5 of June @ 12h00.
http://resolutiongallery.com/web/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,94/?g2_itemId=13

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PARIS/JOBOURG – ALLER/RETOUR PARIS/JOBURG – BACK AND FORTH.
ON TOUR > Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June 2010 : Wits University (Johannesburg) .
The project is the result of several months of collaboration between French percussionist and composer Braka and South African bass player Carlo Mombelli. The idea behind the project is to have the same repertoire played at first by two different quartets, one in France and one in South Africa, and then to have both quartets fuse their musical style (representative of Valse Musette from Paris and fifties/sixties African Jazz from Johannesburg).   http://www.alliance.org.za/PARIS-JOBURG-ALLER-RETOUR.html

KATHY RAVEN’S ‘HIGH TEA BLUES’
Sunday 6 June. Show starts 6pm sharp. Admission: R70
Come and enjoy a delicious and sizzling acoustic musical revue.
Cash bar available. Join from 4-30pm for a sumptuous high tea in the historic villa for an extra R110 p/p consisting of a number of dishes created to replace Sunday dinner. Bookings: admin@foxwood.co.za
Foxwood Theatre, 13 5th Street, Houghton.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122736907753584

Deep Play by Harun Farocki from Documenta 12 opening at JAG on Sunday 6 June.

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Umuzi Johannesburg exhibition: Mi Kasi es tu Kasi
Opening Wednesday, 09 June 2010 at 18:30
Street: 44 Stanley Avenue, Millpark
Description.Umuzi Photo Club puts cameras into the hands of learners from Johannesburg’s townships, empowering them with the skill of photography while promoting artistic self-expression and critical thinking as means for raising social awareness.
It is our pleasure to invite you to join us in celebrating the very first African FIFA World Cup with the launch of our second annual exhibition of our learners’ work. The arresting images offer a very personal insight into township life in South Africa, through children’s eyes.  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117591031609090

“The Memory Box” Dramatic Arts Theatre Productions
The Alliance française of Johannesburg is proud to present the theater performance “Memory Box” on sunday 13th June at 6pm.
The Memory Box is a play based upon the South African experiences told to the co-author, a psychologist, who has been working extensively with OVC children. It explores the realities faced by everyday people whose families are living with a major crisis, in this case, HIV and AIDS. The plot focuses on real situations that families face and, in the process, resonates with children from the general population, as well as with orphans and vulnerable children. R100 / person ! Booking essential Please contact Pauline culture.jhb@alliance.org.za to book.
Alliance Française of Johannesburg. 17 Lower Park Drive corner Kerry Road, Parkview – opposite Zoo Lake. http://www.alliance.org.za/The-Memory-Box-Dramatic-Arts.html