Arts are alive

The Absa Art Gallery exhibition brought quality art to communities that are not traditionally exposed to the industry.

In an effort to promote thought, individual art interpretation between artists and most importantly, a platform for emerging artists, Absa and Assemblage invited local talent Audrey Anderson to take part in the group exhibition called Degrees of Separation from 7 until 27 September at the Absa Art Gallery in Johannesburg.

Degrees of Separation is a group of artists who challenge and move beyond their existing practices through a direct or indirect engagement with the practice of their peers.

Through a series of peer mentoring workshops leading up to the exhibition, Anderson and other artists spent six months viewing, interrogating and responding to one another’s practice and artworks.

The exhibition focuses on a collaborative and process-driven initiative by Assemblage – an organisation which seeks to connect the Johannesburg visual arts community.

The Weltevreden Park resident informed, “The launch was great – there where many people and they where very curious about the work. Which is great, when work causes the viewer to want to enquire more,” she added. “Art is a belief that exists deep inside me, like a knowing that is where and what I am meant to be.”

The exhibition aims to encourage conversation, collaboration and peer review among the invited exhibiting artists.

“Being part of the exhibition cause much growth among the artist and myself. Being critisted was not always nice but I realised after each peer critique about my work, I would push myself further,” shared Anderson.

Asked what tool she would not work without, Anderson said that her ink makes all the difference. “My ink, I thought it could be my pen nibs, but I could use sticks and other tools to create line, but ink –hat can’t be replaced,” she said.

The exhibition showcases 17 artists that the organisation has worked with during the four years since its inception