Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
19 January 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo UFS Art Collection
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. 

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.

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. 

News Archive

Anti-Racism Network South Africa launched in Free State
2016-04-19

Description: Anti-Racism Network South Africa  Tags: Anti-Racism Network South Africa

Ms Nokuthula Sithole, Dr Danny Titus, and Mr Qondile Khedama
Photo: Lihlumelo Toyana

“Racism is, and has been, alive among us as the people of South Africa for a long time, and we therefore need organisations such as ARNSA to create spaces for us to speak up on issues of racism.” The Executive Mayor of the Mangaung Metro Municipality, Counsellor Thabo Manyoni, urged South Africans and the people of the local Metro to speak up on issues relevant to racism. He was speaking at the launch of the Free State chapter of the Anti-racism Network of South Africa (ARNSA) in Bloemfontein.

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) at the University of the Free State (UFS) is partnered in this endeavour by the Mangaung Metro Municipality, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, the Foundation for Human Rights, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Churches against Racism in Southern Africa (CARS) and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

The ARNSA launch was followed by a dialogue led by Dr Danny Titus, Mr Qondile Khedama, and Prof Christina Landman. JC van der Merwe, the Deputy Director of the IRSJ at the UFS, said that the ARNSA initiative has the potential to unite all South Africans in appreciating and respecting the humanity of all people, as well as to mobilise people to fight against racism. His sentiments were echoed by Sean Moodley, the national ARNSA coordinator. Moodley said that we all have to take on racism; to learn about it, speak out against it, and act to stop it.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept