Nia Thorpe

Nia Thorpe lives and works in South Africa. Originally from the UK she studied a Philosophy and Cultural Criticism undergraduate degree and graduated in MA Curating, from Dartington Arts College in 2005. She worked in community arts and non formal arts education before embarking on a career in galleries. During 2005 she succesfully raised funding to take a group of young people to Russia on a cultural exchange for the British Council. In 2006 she was employed by Spacex Gallery, Exeter to work on their education programme, including curating an education specific exhibition during Summer 2009, Our Place, Your Space. She has worked on projects funded by engage (the National Association of Gallery Education, UK), these include delivering a young curators' project within the Envision programme, employed to work on the South West en-quire programme and acting as an area representative for the South West gallery education network. She has most recently facilitated a young curators visit to the 53rd Venice Biennale and is involved in initiating gallery education projects in South Africa. 


Janet Botes

"Create, breathe, repeat. Working in a variety of creative mediums, techniques and disciplines, Janet Botes aims to not only express, but inspire new thinking, especially regarding eco-responsible practices."

Brendon Bussy

Brendon Bussy is an electro acoustic performer and sound artist. Recently he has been exploring the role of sound in aggressive learning processes as part of his project IMPRINTER.
www.brendonbussy.co.za


Eveline van de Griend

Eveline van de Griend is currently a visiting artist in residence at Greatmore studios from Berlin, Germany, studied in the Netherlands and works in sculpture and painting. She graduated at the Academy for Art and Design, ’s-Hertogenbosch The Netherlands in 1997.

She describes her work and process as follows:

In my work I study the (im)possibility of identification between one person and another. My creations display a symbiosis of African /Afro- American and (my own) Dutch cultural inheritage, symbolism and the mundane reality of today’s world, often inspired by modern-day people or events. The new series of paintings titled 'History Shall Be Kind To Me..' reflex on the golden age. Hiphop artists, African Kings and Queen in portrait. The monochrome series ' Rainbow Nation' are one colour paintings. The complexion is no longer an issue. Colour is just an interpretation but not a fact, as facts are often misinterpreted. The meaning and power of colour is questioned. Giving the viewer a renewed view on different topics as history, religion and war. Latin sayings as 'MIHI CURA FUTURI', (My concern is the future) and 'MULTIS E GENTIBUS VIRES' (from many peoples strength) reflect on our history. And the paintings 'What if God is Black.. ' and 'Master M.G. of the U.N.I.A.' represent politics, present and history. Important themes of my work are the expression of cultural identification and the reinforcement in one’s own identity.
The influence of the immediate surroundings plays a greater role in my new creations. One example is the installation entitled 'Umuntu Ngamuntu Ngabantu' (an individual is a person, through other persons.) Xhosa /Zulu. The title of the work is a saying in the Bantu language which is primarily spoken in the province of Eastern Cape in South Africa. The saying tells us that we become someone when we meet someone else. This work is inspired by the idea of Pop Art. Art which is accessible for everyone!? In this work I depict a charcoal pastel drawing entitled 'Umuntu Ngamuntu Ngabantu' blown up to billboard format and on show in the garden of the museum in Alphen, The Netherlands.

The drawing shows 5 boys standing with their arms around each other in front of the graffiti they have just finished painting. Their fingers are still wet with paint. If you look carefully, you can see that the drawing contains a number of symbolic references. As a response and a way of drawing attention to this work, posters were pasted into existing and illegal billboarding locations in the area around the museum. Communication with the surroundings is consequently central, a discussion is provoked, as is a possible physical response by the onlooker.

The wonderment I intend to generate through the layers in this work is also present in the installation entitled ‘ROLIHLAHLA’ (which means ‘creating disquiet’ and which is the birth name of Nelson Mandela). Enormous portraits of prominent world leaders, hanging upside down on steel cables, fill a room at De Pont museum of contemporary Art – Tilburg, The Netherlands. The work consists of four black Nobel peace prize winners (Nelson Mandela - Wangari Maathai - Desmond Tutu - Kofi Anan) and the white activist Michael Moore.

From an entirely new position, they enable the onlooker to share in a different environment of perception. That reflection shows us our imperfections and our human similarities. Our search for acknowledgement and recognition at a variety of levels in inter-human communication.

Grant provided by Fonds BKVB, NL for artist in residence, Capetown, South Africa, 2010