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Curated pieces from UFS Art Collection on virtual display

19 January 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo UFS Art Collection

3. Lucas Sithole_web read more — Lucas Sithole, I won’t stop crying (detail), 1987, Iron wood, 70 x 58 x 33cm.

Click here to view the online exhibition

Recent times have brought much uncertainty but one aspect of our modern life which remains a constant is our art. For the past 80 years the art collection at the University of the Free State (UFS) has been a significant aspect for research, teaching and cultural heritage. The current online exhibition called Something Contemporary is testament to that endurance and is open until the end of January 2021.

The exhibition is curated by Angela de Jesus, Assistant Director of the Johannes Stegmann Gallery at the UFS, and artist Teboho Mokhothu, and includes prominent artworks by renowned South African artists. “Noteworthy are the artworks Terra Incognita (1990) by Penny Siopis and I won’t stop crying (1987) by Lucas Sithole,” says De Jesus. The curated exhibition features a selection of contemporary artworks from the UFS art collection. “The artworks on exhibition are works that were created after the mid-1970s,” says De Jesus.

Making art collection more accessible

This virtual exhibition and online tour of the Centenary Art Gallery on the Bloemfontein Campus was put together due to the current restrictions imposed by COVID-19. It also utilises the digital platform for audiences across all the campuses to engage with the collection. “In line with the transformation objectives of the Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP), several projects are currently underway to display artworks in various UFS buildings,” says De Jesus.

UFS art collection of great significance

The UFS art collection boasts more than 1 200 art pieces and is a valuable source for research, scholarship, exhibition and education. “The art collection also greatly enhances the cultural life and aesthetic niveau (level) of the UFS and the surrounding region. Cultural collections are an integral part of the societies in which they exist and serve as foundations for collective memory, learning, debate, research and critical thinking.” says De Jesus.

The gallery also had re-imagined several of its 2020 projects into the digital space. “New exciting projects were also initiated which responded to the pandemic and feelings of isolation, uncertainty, gender-based violence and the digital overload,” says De Jesus. Some of these projects are part of the Programme for Innovation in Artform Development (PIAD), which was sponsored by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation.

View some of the projects here:

Stories in die Wind a short film animation web series about a young girl finding her purpose, based on the Nama story |!hûni //gāres |(The Rain Flower) Die reën blom: /Nanub !Khas.

WATCH THE ANIMATED SERIES HERE: https://www.storiesindiewind.co.za/

Digi-Cleanse a satirical artwork disguised as e-commerce website that mimics and critiques the contemporary wellness industry and its reliance on marketing and advertising.

SEE DIGI-CLEANSE HERE: https://digicleanse.co.za/

My Internal Oppression a musical theatrical performance of emotional content dedicated to women who have toiled with internal oppression as a result of the psychological and emotional trauma of gender-based violence caused by intimate partners.

SEE PERFORMANCE HERE: https://vimeo.com/468883494/376f3573d4

Sonic Re-Dress a collaborative meeting point between music, visual art, science and art therapy, the project specifically acknowledges the insecurity, fragility and discord within our current global pandemic context, by working with ‘universal’ human emotions.

SEE PROJECT HERE: https://www.sonic-redress.com/

Imaginary Futures an experimental project of live and participatory experiences with over more than 40 creative practitioners, consisting of sound and film mixing, drawing, animation, puppetry and performance.

SEE PROJECT HERE: https://imaginaryfutures.org/

Penny Siopis, Terra Incognita, 1990, Oil and collage on board, 175 x 165cm. UFS Art Collection.

4. Mohau Modisakeng, Lefa I, 2016, Ink-jet print on Epson Ultrasmooth, 200 x 150cm. UFS Art Gallery, Image courtesy of WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery.

Richard Letsatsi Bolleurs, Shattered Innocence, 2009, Oil on canvas, 140 x 110cm. UFS Art Collection.

3. Lucas Sithole, I won’t stop crying (detail), 1987, Iron wood, 70 x 58 x 33cm. UFS Art Collection.

News Archive

UFS launches expansions to Biotechnology Building

2015-11-04

Biotechnology Building
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

To support the strategic focus of the University of the Free State (UFS) on teaching and learning in the field of Biotechnology, the Department of Microbial, Biochemical, and Food Biotechnology introduced upgrades and additions to the value of R23 million to the existing Biotechnology Building on its Bloemfontein Campus. The funding was provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The new section, together with renovations to the existing part of the Biotechnology Building, was opened on Thursday 29 October 2015.

The Department, consisting of three disciplines - Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Food Biotechnology - is extremely diverse. Two of the three disciplines – Microbiology and Biochemistry – are housed in the Biotechnology Building.

Additions and renovations to the Biotechnology Building include:
- Four new research laboratories
- Nine revamped research laboratories

At the launch of the Biotechnology Building were,
from the left: Nico Janse van Rensburg,
Senior Director: University Estates;
Maureen Khati, University Estates,
Prof Nicky Morgan, Vice Rector: Operations
and Ria Deysel, Director: Facilities Management.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The work to the building will have dramatic effects on the quality, as well as the quantity, of postgraduate students. Given the national priority to deliver students, this is very important, particularly at the doctorate level.

Prof Koos Albertyn from the Department said these were the first renovations and expansions done to the building since 1 January 1990. “We welcome the extra space. Forty-six more postgraduate students can now be accommodated in the department,” he said.

Construction took place on the south-western corner of the existing building. Further developments to the building include:
-   Six new offices
-   A lecture hall for 70 students
-   Laboratories that can accommodate 56 postgraduate students

Prof Martie Smit, Academic Head of the Department, said: “This new and refurbished facility enables us to give our best. As academics, we are committed to doing our part in delivering high-quality education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to students envisaging a future in biotechnology.”

The James Charles du Preez Seminar Room was also opened at the event. The seminar room is dedicated to Prof Du Preez – who was Head of the Department from October 2002 until the end of 2014. He played a major role in raising funds for upgrading the Biotechnology Building, including the addition of a new wing.

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