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11 August 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling | Photo Supplied
Art lover Prof Janine Allen-Spies

Prof Janine Allen-Spies is an artist, lecturer in Fine Arts, and image philosopher from the UFS Department of Fine Arts. She teaches painting, drawing, and conceptual art to pre-graduate students and supervises postgraduate students in Fine Arts and other creative practices. In 2020, she was awarded the Stals Prize for her valuable role as a visual artist, academic, mentor, lecturer, activist, and supporter of art. 

What is the best thing about your job?
Working with artists and students who are energetic and passionate and love talking about art. 

What is the best and worst decision you have ever made?
As a second-year Art student, I modelled a psychedelic-looking bikini at a vintage clothing fashion show. Still makes me cringe! The best decisions weren’t really mine – they were godly interventions, so I can't claim them.

What was/is the biggest challenge of your career?
The biggest challenge is to make art. Even in the best circumstances, artmaking is ecstasy and agony. My biggest challenge as a mom is that I have two teenagers at home – working with students doesn't mean you know anything about younger teenagers.

What does the word woman mean to you?
As one of six sisters, I learnt that ‘woman’ implies diversity. We are all entirely different. Luckily, I don't have any preconceived ideas; all people should strive to be full-bodied human beings.

Which woman inspires you, and why?
Hypatia of Alexandria, Emily Hobhouse, Frida Kahlo, Princess Diana, and Caster Semenya – all women who do not fit into any mould. I am also inspired by my friends and my sisters and a lot of other local women.

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?
Make more of an effort to not grow up! Enjoy the beach, because one day you will not live close by. Your body is your own to take responsibility for and to love. Be strict with boyfriends and learn how and when to end a relationship, because nobody teaches you that.

What is the one self-care thing that you do? 
At the moment, the selfcare thing is visiting Nick, the hairdresser of Bella Donna who can fix, colour, and cut my hair, because managing my hair myself is just impossible.

What makes you a woman of quality, impact, and care?
I try to be self-reflective. To forgive and to be accepting are very important; we all have our fault lines, and we should work with each other's shortcomings. 
 
I cannot live without … coffee and ‘my’ psychologist.
My secret weapon is … honesty, and if my honesty fails, it will be having a Plan B.
I always have … fashion clothing items, even if I must make or alter clothing myself. My grandmother was a seamstress and we learnt to love clothing design.
I will never … again take the Free State landscape for granted.
I hope … poverty in the country will be addressed aggressively and in a more directed manner – which 
includes active participation and engagement of all people in South Africa.

News Archive

The Essop twins bring ‘UNREST’ to the UFS
2015-03-19

 

UNREST, an exhibition by Hasan and Husain Essop, is now at the Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery in the SASOL Library on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. It will be on until Thursday 2 April 2015. 

The 28-year-old twin brothers are the winners of the 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Visual Art. Born and raised in Cape Town, they have been collaborating since their graduation from the Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2007. They both completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Art at Michaelis. Subsequently, they earned Postgraduate Certificates in Education at the University of Cape Town.

Husain specialised in Photography, and makes all the important technical decisions when setting up a shoot. Hasan specialised in Printmaking, and therefore has a lot more freedom in the post-production and printing of the work. They both contribute to the subject matter and editing of the photographs, always discussing new ideas and locations to shoot. They speak very visually to each other, and many ideas are born from their conversations. They draw on popular culture, the media, and Hollywood as inspiration because those are the things that interest the youth and shape the next generation.

“Our series of works highlight a multi-cultural clash between religion and popular cultures,” say the Essops. “We explore the dominating influence of Western theatrics and those narratives that are constructed to depict a certain reality. Inspired by Hollywood’s visual language and tactics, we create our own narratives. Each photograph reflects us in a battle of moral, religious, and cultural conflicts. Two dominant personalities appear, East and West, with all their stereotypes. Environments are chosen as stages on which to perform and define our behaviours.”

The Essops’ work has been included in various private and public collections, including the Spier Collection, the Durban Art Gallery, and the South African National Gallery. The Goodman Gallery has hosted two solo exhibitions of their work – Halaal Art (Johannesburg, 2010,) and Remembrance (Cape Town, 2012,).

The Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery hours are Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 16:30.

For enquiries, contact Angela de Jesus at +27(0)51 401 2706 or DeJesusAV@ufs.ac.za

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