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11 June 2021
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Story Rulanzen Martin
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Photo Courtesy of artists and the Johannes Stegmann Gallery.
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Liminality is an exhibition of first-, second- and third-year student’s work in the
Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Free State (UFS). The works are from 2019 and 2020. Created during the hard lockdown of 2020, the artworks provide a glimpse of what students had to deal with and overcome during these times.
In a proposal for the exhibition, Angela de Jesus, Curator of the UFS Art Galleries, wrote: “The subtitle of the exhibition is ‘threshold, transition, transformation’ and it refers to the creative processes that students engaged with
in these adverse circumstances resulting in a wide array of artworks in both traditional and adapted mediums.”
The exhibition speaks to our shared experiences of insecurity, fragility, and discord, and to the resourcefulness and immutability of creative expression.
The virtual exhibition runs until 2 July 2021.
The exhibition is also currently available for viewing at the Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery, Sasol Library, UFS Bloemfontein Campus. Monday - Friday 09:00 - 16:00.
MEGAN JOHNS, Battleground, Tobacco, charcoal dust, plaster of paris and resin, 93.5 x 50 x 7.5 cm
JACOBETH SELINGA, Linda, Installation: Found bed, wool and thread, 257 x 196 x 91 cm
POLOKO MOHANOE, Prayer for rain, Gouache on Fabriano, 66 x 72.8 cm
SEBOTSE SELAMULELA, In my image (Coronavirus head), Clay, 35 x 40 x 60 cm
WILLIAM SHAER, Creator, Deconstructed chair, koat wood and Imbura wood, 100 x 75 x 45 cm
Johannes Stegmann Gallery
Interior of the Johannes Stegmann Gallery
UFS Library book launch programme fosters dialogue between students and authors
2017-03-30
The University of the Free State (UFS) Sasol Library has hosted a series of book launches since 2016, bringing to the Bloemfontein Campus various new and seasoned authors who share their stories with the campus audiences. The Launch Your Book at the Library Programme hosted two authors on 23 March 2017, Itumeleng Sekhu and Marcia Ramodike. Both authors spoke about their life-changing experiences and shared their heart-wrenching stories, filled with courage and hope.
“Libraries must take the lead in creating dialogue, expression of ideas and inculcating a culture of reading and writing. This programme was also established to bridge the gap and find ways to encourage students to read and write, by creating a platform where they can interact with authors and see that people who write books are ordinary people with real stories to tell,” said Marcus Maphile, Assistant Director: Library Marketing and Community Engagement.
Speaking about her book, Itumeleng Sekhu described her experiences from childhood and her life as a disabled person after being severely burnt in a fire accident in her home as a baby. She said: “I tried to commit suicide several times because I had lost hope. Eventually after failing to do so, I realised at some point that it was time for me to let my light shine through.” She wrote her book, titled What Do You See?, which has received substantial media coverage, to encourage others who live with painful experiences, disabilities and what she terms “internal wounds”, hoping that her experiences could help to heal them.
Marcia Ramodike’s book, An Empty Pride to a Full Price, paints a picture of her life as a youth grappling with adult issues. She describes her pain after her mother’s death, and her constant battle with the legacy of the difficult socio-economic conditions she grew up in. When students asked Ramodike what she thought the right time was to write a book, she responded, “today is the right time to write your story”.
The UFS Library has hosted 16 book launches since 2016, with the biggest being the launch of Zubeida Jaffer’s book Beauty of the Heart. The programme aims to provide access to information and to share and debate ideas in support of democracy and freedom of speech.