Peter Clark artwork on show at Springs Art Gallery
The exhibition opens on Saturday, November 25.
For Some the Pathway to Education Lies Between Thorns is a solo art exhibition of Peter E Clarke’s work.
The Springs Art Gallery in partnership with William Humphreys Art Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition of the renowned South African artist, writer and poet Clarke (1929-2014).
The exhibition opens on Saturday at 12:00 and entrance is free.
It showcases Clarke’s linocut and woodcut prints, rarest paintings and watercolour drawings that explore the themes of education, space and social justice.
Clarke was born in Simon’s Town, a naval town near Cape Town, and grew up under the oppressive apartheid regime. He was forced to relocate to Ocean View, a designated area for coloured people in 1972.
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Despite the hardships and discrimination, he pursued his artistic passion and became one of the most influential and celebrated artists in South Africa and abroad.
In 2005 he was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) by President Thabo Mbeki for excellence in the fields of arts and literature, and received a lifetime achievement award in 2010.
This exhibition promises to be a celebration of Clarke’s distinctive vision. Clarke’s works are renowned for their capacity to capture the beauty and dignity of daily life.
Though the titled artwork for this exhibition was made in 2008, the inspiration came to him earlier in his career while visiting a rural village.
Clarke cared a lot about education and always encouraged young and old to empower themselves through informal and formal learning, despite his generation being denied such privileges under apartheid. Looking at the state of schools in rural villages in South Africa today, not much has changed.
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People in the rural villages still face real difficulties such as the lack of classrooms, poor access to services such as water and electricity, no Internet connectivity, and very few public or school libraries.
This national traveling exhibition, which initially premiered at William Humphreys Art Gallery, will afford the people of the City of Ekurhuleni the opportunity to enjoy Peter Clarke’s over six decades of work shown collectively in a solo presentation.
This exhibition project forms part of a number of partnership programmes implemented between the SRAC Department of the City of Ekurhuleni’s visual arts and galleries section, artists, art groups and institutions from the City of Ekurhuleni and beyond.
The exhibition is curated by WHAG’s chief curator, Chepape Makgato and the City of Ekurhuleni’s visual arts curators, Thabo Sekoaila and Nomcebo Sithole.
The selection of work will be on display at the Springs Art Gallery from November 25 until January 27. The art gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 09:00 to 16:00 for public viewing (closed on Sundays and public holidays).
