Outdoor art: Mankebe Seakgoe’s When the Sky Opened Up and Swallowed us Whole (2023), charcoal on canvas.
Photos: Supplied
My university introduction to the art world positioned the city as the heart of art, although now, the landscape faces strange and disheartening shifts.
In less than a year, the industry has witnessed the closure of a few prominent Johannesburg galleries including Guns & Rain, STEVENSON and Kalashnikovv and the censorship of Gabrielle Goliath’s representation for the South African pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie.
The case of the minister pulling funds is synonymous with other long-standing events of significance such as the National Arts Festival, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Joy of Jazz and Open Book Festival.
