Hobbs exhibition to highlight gallery revival
Parts of the Johannesburg Art Gallery have received a major uplift thanks to artist Stephen Hobbes's contribution towards the revival of the gallery.
The project is a part of ongoing efforts by Hobbs and the gallery to revive the Meyer Pienaar extended wing ahead of the gallery’s centenary celebrations next year.
It came after three years of research and discussion between Hobbes and the museum director, Antoinette Murdoch. The end effect was captured in an exhibition launched on 16 March at the gallery.
According to Murdoch, the aim of showcasing the refurbishment was to raise public awareness and to change public perception associated with the gallery.
“Since the Lutyens building is celebrating 100 years next year, we wanted to mobilise for change and encourage the public to get involved in assisting with the gallery,” she added.
Hobbes, a renowned artist focusing on site specific exhibitions, added that the aim was also to highlight challenges, such as roof leaks, faced by the gallery and to expose it to the public.
“The state of the art gallery and adjoining park [Joubert Park] also represent bigger problems faced by the city and I wanted to capture that,” he added.
Included in the exhibition were the original designs of the gallery, the current state it is in and Hobbes’s various efforts to revive it throughout the three years.
Murdoch said the public could assist in maintaining the gallery by contributing financially and also joining the volunteer programme.
“In order to celebrate this milestone that the gallery has reached, the parts that are falling apart need to be fixed,” Murdoch concluded. The exhibition will run until 27 July 2014.
