'Culture of art must shift'
"Why do you have a creative industry and creative artists, but the door is closed to them?"This is a question Papa Shikongeni, a lecturer in the arts at the College of the Arts (COTA), asked in the run-up to the New Beginnings exhibition that opens on Thursday at the National Art Gallery.
The exhibition is presented by COTA alumni every year.
"Students who graduated in 2008 thought it would be good if they could have a new beginnings exhibit. New Beginnings helps them see the impact of what they got at the College of the Arts. This exhibition is also to bring back the spirit and the network of students of COTA because with technology we are so divided. We think because I use WhatsApp, we are connected, but we must be careful not to the feeling losing humanity," Shikongeni said.
"The most important thing is how we have to see how we approach the marketing of the visual arts and the arts and creative industry and how they have developed their new techniques," he said. Shikongeni believes that the application of the arts in society must be broadened and that the narrow idea of the arts must change.
"Our buildings are designed by architects - they are artists. Our mobile phones and computers - an artist designed them. The fashion designers who design our clothes are artists," he said.
He believes that when our thinking about art shifts, a cultural shift will follow. "What makes our buildings beautiful? Why don't we start that culture? We have artists, and they have the gift."
According to him, the New Beginnings exhibition does not only bring together COTA alumni, but an opportunity for togetherness.
"It's very exciting, but mainly it's a good opportunity to see if we create artists. When you're at school, there's a more theoretical and intellectual approach to art, so sometimes you're also afraid that they're just lecturers or will become curators. This is one thing that one must also realise - some of them will become curators, some of them will become artists and some of them only do it as a hobby, while others really have a gift," he said.
Shikongeni believes that the various departments of art, including the creation of marketing materials and graphic design, must take hands and work together for the success of the art industry.
"They've graduated, so the next thing for me is the sustainability. We have to look at how we as corporate companies get involved in this as a unit. How do we develop this industry? It's become an individual growth that we just look at artists, but the artists are the creators. Someone has to look at it, even if they try to force it for artists to do marketing and be entrepreneurs. You take someone out of his comfort zone, just so he can appear for the market's pleasure, but there are the ones who really have a gift for [marketing], but they don't," he said. - [email protected]