TATHAM ART GALLERY IS OPEN

Entrance is FREE

Tuesday to Sunday 09h00 – 17h00 Monday closed
The Coffee Shop will be open as follows: Tuesday to Sunday  09h00 – 16h00
Gallery closed to the public on Mondays
Closed on 25 and 26 December, 01 January, Good Friday, 1 May

EXHIBITIONS

I AM HERE,AND NOT HERE !

by Kristin NG-Yang

Schreiner Gallery

Closes Sunday 24 November 2024 at 17h00

Kristin NG-Yang's 25-Year Artistic Journey in South Africa

This exhibition signifies a momentous milestone in the artists, artistic journey. The 13 paintings showcased  transcend mere abstraction,

serving as tangible manifestations of her personal and artistic growth over the past twenty-five years of residing and creating in South Africa.

Join Kristin Ng-Yang for a walkabout of her exhibition I AM HERE, AND NOT HERE!  

Date:      Thursday 17 October 2024

Venue:   Schreiner Gallery

Time :    11h00.

“YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN” :MANDISI MNCELA 

Schreiner Gallery

Opens: Sunday 04 AUGUST 2024

Closes: Sunday 22 September 2024

The body of work is about the introduction to African Spirituality, and restoration of Indigenous African Spirituality aiming to bring order in social issues that we face in our daily lives.

The Artist (Mandisi Mncela) is inspired by the African Indigenous spiritual teachings by Imboni Dr. Uzwilezwe Rhadebe the founder of the Revelation spiritual home.

During previous years Mncela’s work has been evolving around the questions about Religion, Politics, Poverty and Spirituality using different mediums of art mingling poetic writings and music to symbolize with expressive marks on abstracted figures that portray the daily lives of the people.

The purpose of the show is to bring about order among people which has been used by our religious beliefs and our indigenous African Spiritual knowledge. This use of Art through visionary ideas has the objective of restoring moral values, uniting, decolonising and relearning what has been taught to the people by foreign laws during the colonisation and oppression of Africa. The artist's theme “You are on your own” is based on the independence and unity of the people regardless of colour, race, tribe, religion, or political background by understanding that our differences do not segregate us.

The artist used the basic traditional symbolic style that accommodates African ancestral knowledge to depict a spiritual hierarchy between the Creator, Spiritual World, and physical world involving their concepts that show the importance of recognising the spiritual king, the traditional king around our political society.

“Medium as a Metaphor: art beyond the classroom” is a group exhibition featuring three Pietermaritzburg-based, female teaching artists
Miss. Anda Dodo, Mrs. Ayanda Mthethwa-Siwila and Mrs. Monique van Deventer
Schreiner Gallery, Tatham Art Gallery
Opening on Sunday 02 June 2024 at 11h00
Closing Sunday 28 July 2024 at 17h00
 
“Medium as a Metaphor: art beyond the classroom” is  a group exhibition featuring three Pietermaritzburg-based, female teaching artists; Miss. Anda Dodo, Mrs. Ayanda Mthethwa-Siwila and Mrs. Monique van Deventer. 
Beyond the classroom, they are occupied with making art that serves a narrative purpose. Their artworks engage in conversations which question personal experiences, tradition, conservation, culture, memories, femininity and their medium; clay. Their artworks appear to be familiar while imbued with symbolic meaning beyond its physical appearance. The artists suggest that the medium itself conveys deeper messages and concepts that enhance the understanding of the artworks. The artworks become more than just physical objects – they become carriers of meaning that evoke and communicate the complex emotions and ideas associated with their personal philosophies.
They offer unique discourse and thoughts surrounding sensitive issues seen in their unglazed and bare artworks, and this vulnerability is reflected in their handling of the medium.
Enquiries:
pinky.nkabinde@msunduzi.gov.za or call 033 392 2811

Event: KZN Inland Matric Art Exhibition 2024

Guest Speaker: Dr. Jessica Lindiwe Draper

Date: Thursday 23 May 2024 at 18h00 to Sunday 28 July 2024 at 17h00

Venue: Main Gallery at Tatham Art Gallery

This annual exhibition highlights art works created by Matric art students from schools in Pietermaritzburg and further inland. Art students are challenged by the different themes prescribed by the School Examinations Board and are encouraged and nurtured by their art teachers to explore different techniques and media.

A presentation on Africa Day will be given on Thursday 23 May 2024 at 17h30.

Booking is essential, as numbers are limited. Please RSVP to pinky.nkabinde@msunduzi.gov.za or call 033 392 2823 and to reena.bhoodram@msunduzi.gov.za or call 033 392 2811:  to reserve your seat.

JEAN ELWORTHY ARTIST’S STATEMENT --
FRUIT, FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE EXHIBITION   TATHAM GALLERY 2024

Botanical Art has an important part to play in the heritage and preservation of our plants.  Exploring and depicting intricate details and their variety brings an awareness and reverence for creation, which inspires and creates a desire to imitate and conserve. And with that comes a responsibility – by painting natural flora, we draw attention to what might be regarded as commonplace to the notice of others. To bring the so-called “ordinary or simple” to the public’s notice is our task as botanical illustrators. 

In gardening, there has been a significant shift from exotic to indigenous plant material to utilize our country’s various biomes.  We have great inspiration from designers such as the renowned Dutch Piet Oudolf, who has brought grasses to the fore. Botanical artists are now also encouraged to include plants’ pollinators and natural habitat. One can’t have the butterfly without the caterpillar. We can’t have the food without the pollinator. And perhaps there is a message for humans too, we need the diversity and symbiosis of both the “butterflies and the caterpillars” in our lives.  

I don’t believe anger and anguish are the only authentic human experiences. The future must be about hope and education. While much is spent on purchasing works of art, it is a pity that not enough attention is drawn to the source of inspiration, our natural habitat. The joy of discovering perfection and alignment of petals, or symmetry of veins, draws one in closer to an appreciation of the natural world. Founding and funding botanical gardens, educating and exciting through lectures and walkabouts, would create an awareness, a desire to learn more. Commenting on a bloom, recording it’s glorious detail, uplifts and nourishes the soul. It enables us to look at the wider picture, a respite given to us from worldly woes, something eternal that appears season after season.

We are fortunate in South Africa to possess a wide variety of plants in all regions. And the most wonderful characteristic of plants is that there is no waste product- for the artist, a plant is fascinating to record from seed to dried seedhead.

Mark Twain:  “Training is everything, the peach was once a bitter almond, cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.”  ( this always makes me laugh! )

 

PROPOSED BOTANICAL 2 DAY ART COURSE WITH JEAN ELWORTHY

This will be a 2 Day course from 9.30 to 4.00pm.

Students to bring their own materials and equipment.

    DAY 1

Brief discussion of materials, subjects, shapes , composition and tonal values.

How to measure, foreshortening, veins.

Lighting, and pencil drawing on cartridge paper.

Transferring drawing onto watercolour paper.

          DAY 2

Colour charts, short demo on paint application and glazing.

Building up glazes, dry brushwork.

A brief walkabout.

Final glazing.

I will supply more detailed notes to prospective students.

“Ordering Chaos”

an exhibition of sculptures

by Carl Roberts

Main Room, Tatham Art Gallery

Opening on Sunday 10 March 2024 at 11h00

Closing Sunday 21 April 2024 at 17h00

“Ordering Chaos” an exhibition of sculptures

shows the development and growth of this artist (Carl Roberts) over a number of years. From a student and lecturer to a full-time artist. The body of work which consists mostly human figures and which varies in mediums; from wood and stone to bone and bronze finds unity in that that works are made from chaotic natural materials that are organized (modelled, assembled, carved and cast) into expressive works.  The exhibition shows the process of chance and discovery that this artist has used to find a uniqueness and one that articulates himself and his world.

Enquiries:

reena.bhoodram@msunduzi.gov.za or 033 392 2823

Anything and everything:

A self-portrait: Mary-Ann Hartley

Schreiner Gallery

Sunday 3 December 2023

Sunday 28 January 2024

Mary-Ann Hartley’s exhibition is built on the premise that all art is a self-portrait. Her artworks capture not only her physical being but also reflect objects, spaces and landscapes that have been a meaningful part of her life. In this, way her work is a visual diary, a visual memory, a self-portrait. She explores this theme in a variety of media such as oil painting, etching, lino and mono printing, drawing, collage and mixed media. She takes some of her images through a series of transformations, pursuing the idea that abstraction is arrived at when we approach the real meaning of things. She sees her work as a continuous self-portrait and her way of making sense of the world.

Workshop

Mono printing and mixed media workshop with Mary-Ann Hartley

Thursday 07 December. 9:00am to 12:00 noon

Students over 14 years and adults.

Cost: R300 including materials

The workshop will enable participants to explore the medium of mono printing in a few different ways. This will include 3 mono printmaking techniques and the chance to ‘play’ and experiment with the techniques and explore their own creativity. It will be fun and very productive in terms of the volume of work each participant will produce and the skills learnt. It’s a useful process for both teachers and  students to learn.

PLEASE CONFIRM  YOUR BOOKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THIS WORKSHOP AS SPACE IS LIMITED.

For bookings and enquiries relating to this workshop, please contact Reena Bhoodram  (reena.bhoodram@msundusi.gov.za or 033 392 2823)

UKZN Fine Arts Honours Degree Exhibition 2023:  Exchange of Breath
Schreiner Gallery
Opens Sunday 19 November 2023  at 11h00
Closes Sunday  25 February 2024 at 17h00

This group exhibition showcases the work of postgraduate students who have completed an Honours in Fine Arts at the Centre for Visual Arts (CVA) in 2023. The Honours programme involves creating a body of practical work, and a written research paper on a topic that emerges from the creative process. This practice-led methodology recognises that knowledge exists in many forms, including the non-verbal, and is capable of igniting processes that extend artists explorations into new territory. The Honours programme introduces students to research methods, in preparation for further study, and/or enhanced creative practice.

The title of this exhibition, Exchange of Breath, expresses the dialogue that has emerged through the practice of the Honours group. Our explorations of identity have intersected, leading to a discovery of unexpected commonalities. We have found ourselves reflected in each other’s work, despite our individually nuanced experiences, subjectivities and the different modes in which we choose to represent them.

Artists: Georgia Settler; Londeka Duma, Muzi Ndlela; Naledi Maboee; Ndlovukazi Ngilande; Saskia Dorland, and Siphokazi Mlangeni

Enquiries/Bookings:

reena.bhoodram@msunduzi.gov.za or 033 392 2823

Aspects of Abstraction
an exhibition by
Hussein Salim 

 Opens: Sunday 16 July 2023 at 11h00
Closes: Sunday 17 September 2023 at 17h00
 Venue: Schreiner Gallery

The exhibition will be opened by Dr. Louise Hall on Sunday 16 July at 11h00.

The artist will conduct a three day abstract painting workshop where he will share his art making experiences and skills in working with mixed media paints.
Workshop: Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 August from 09h30 to 12h30 daily 

Enquiries Pinky Tel: 033 3922 811 or Pinky.Nkabinde@msunduzi.gov.za

Sudanese artist Hussein Salim is one of the great abstract artists to emerge from the African continent. For the past 25 years, he has exhibited his work globally, with more than 40 featured and solo exhibitions. Fleeing his home country, Sudan, in 1997 to escape political unrest and economic upheaval, Hussein Salim has sought to tell the story of his complex life as a refugee. Themes such as his Sudanese culture, dislocation, love, and death are prominent in his artworks, expressed through layering and vibrant colours that are symbolic of his African heritage. With a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from the University of KwaZulu Natal, Hussein Salim’s artworks are academically informed yet artistically expressive for a global audience. 

His journey as a refugee and  being part of the diaspora whilst a tumultuous war rages in his homeland Sudan,  have informed the artist’s creative process and the works on this exhibition.  He has brought together his deeply rooted African heritage, his training as a fine artist and his many years of exploring themes of dislocation, to produce a profoundly contemplative and moving body of work.

WORKSHOP WITH HUSSEIN SALIM
Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August 2023

Due to unforeseen circumstances the three day workshop organised by The Tatham Art Gallery with the highly-skilled practising artist Hussein Salim has been rescheduled for 29/30/31 August 2023 from 09h00 to 12h30.  We would like to invite you to participate in this workshop.
 
Please see details of the Workshop below.
 
Title of Workshop: Uncommon (work with recycled paper and everyday paints: a three day  workshop.)
Workshop with Hussein Salim
Tatham Art Gallery
Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August 2023
09h00 – 12h30
Course  Fee :   R600
 
Hussein Salim, a resident of Pietermaritzburg, is a highly skilled practising artist originally from Sudan.
In this hands-on workshop in the Gallery, Hussein will share his art making experiences and skills and show participants how to be creative with basic,  inexpensive and recycled materials. This course will be useful to a wide range of artists and teachers who are hindered by the high cost of art materials.
 
Previous experience will be advantageous but not essential. 

You will need the following equipment
 
1.   Apron/old painting shirt
2.   Any paints, pastels ,crayons , you have at home             
3.   Any brushes, rags you have at home.
4.   Two water containers.
 
A selection of recycled materials will be provided by the artist.
 
Please confirm with me as soon as possible if you would like to attend this workshop as space is limited.
 
For more information contact Reena  reena.bhoodram@msunduzi.gov.za or 033 392 2823

EDUCATION

The Tatham Art Gallery has an extensive Education and Outreach programme, including art classes for the youth, Art Educator training, an Artist’s Forum and Lectures and Talks.   Continue reading →

Tatham Art Gallery

The Tatham Art Gallery is one of the major art museums in South Africa. This art museum is funded by the Msunduzi Municipality and belongs to the residents of Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal. The Tatham Art Gallery serves the Msunduzi region through the Visual Arts.

A core function of the Tatham Art Gallery, established in 1903, is to display art. This is accomplished through the hosting of a range of art exhibitions. These include travelling and researched exhibitions as well as exhibitions initiated by the Gallery, and based on art works in the permanent collection.

The Permanent Collection

A selection of the Tatham Art Gallery's permanent collection is always on display. Work by South African and European artists is displayed upstairs. The work of KwaZulu-Natal artists is displayed downstairs. A selection of ceramics is displayed in the Ceramics Room.

The Main Exhibition Room

The Tatham Art Gallery displays major exhibitions in the Main Exhibition Room downstairs. Exhibitions change on a regular basis. These include travelling and researched exhibitions showing the works of groups or individual artists of significance. There are also exhibitions organised by the Gallery that draw on the works in the permanent collection or from artists of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Schreiner Gallery

The Schreiner Gallery is an exhibition space dedicated to smaller temporary exhibitions. Artists may apply to use this space for solo or group exhibitions. Visit the EXHIBITIONS page here for more and for requirements if you wish to apply.

Education

The Tatham Art Gallery has an extensive Education and Outreach programme, including art classes for the youth, Art Educator training , an Artist’s Forum and Lectures and talks.   Continue reading →

Current Exhibitions from the Collection

Making Conversation

This eclectic display of European and South African art works spans more than three centuries. Each art work has its own story to tell.

Diana Stanley and Hussein Salim use materials in different ways, and their art works show differences in style and technique, but on observation make for an interesting dialogue. 

Preller’s painting, Still Life with Pomegranates (1951), is a typical assembly of objets trouvé used by the artist in his still life paintings. The patterned vase, fruit and wooden fruiterer’s box are all talismans to which he frequently turned for artistic inspiration. The patterned Persian vase becomes a central object. This vase, given to him as a boy by his mother, was cherished and was often referred to by Preller as one of his 'household gods', a collection of modest but important objects that were to inspire works throughout his lifetime.

Brendan Bell’s art work, Meditation: Avalon Springs (below) , is a gouache work on paper, with elements of collage. It was created after a family holiday at a holiday resort. Viewers are invited to make their own interpretations of this complex work, which is structured like a medieval altar piece, by considering texture, water, landscape, religious icons, multicultural figures and even furniture.

Conversations are created by juxtaposing art works created in different places or at different times, but which have interesting visual connections. The display also invites the viewer to make other comparisons, whether stylistic or symbolic. 

Paintings on display by Siyabonga Sikosana and Thami Jali consider South African township life. The artisits’ use of materials and differences in style and observation, make for an interesting dialogue.

Continue reading →

• Perimeter Gallery

Containers for Liquid

The glass cabinets in this venue are filled with a variety of liquid-holding containers from the Gallery’s permanent collection. They represent different cultures, purposes, designs and materials. On show are  vessels  made  from materials as diverse as earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, glass wood and bronze. Their designs vary according to the liquids they are meant to hold. They could contain water, milk, beer, wine, tea or coffee, from functional ware to those designed as containers for flower arrangements. 

Porcelain originated in the East and has been widely used to hold hot liquids. René Lalique (1860-1945) was a famous French designer of glass containers, often used as vases. The Nala and Magwaza families are renowned for their exquisitely decorated burnished earthenware forms, based on traditional Zulu beer vessels.

In classical pre-colonial Zulu myth, Unkulunkulu brought human beings and cattle from an area of reeds. He created everything, from land and water to man and the animals. He is considered the first man as well as the parent of all people. He taught the Zulu how to hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food. Unlulunkulu is the creator God in traditional Zulu culture. In isiZulu the name means “the very great/high one”. 

The vessel by Hendrik Stroebel (below) is too large for a cabinet and is mounted on a free standing wrought-iron stand. The design represents different cultures and religions, and is a surprizing combination of metal, clay and embroidery.

On show are vessels made from materials as diverse as earthenware, porcelain, glass, wood, and bronze. We challenge you as the viewer to compare the various forms and functions.

There are a number of earthenware vessels. Some are high fired, but the bulk are low fired and burnished. The vessel by Maggie Mikula has been embellished with a beaded design, rendering the vessel more sculptural and decorative than functional.

Continue reading →

• Ceramics Room

The South African Landscape

This display, selected from the Gallery’s permanent collection, features landscape paintings by South African artists. For concert goers they have become a serene background to the world-class music performed in this room. While listening, the  audience could  focus  on  a painting and ponder on the meaning of land from different perspectives. One could ask: Who painted this landscape? How has the scene changed over the years? What impact did the changes have on people’s lives?

Landscapes by South African artists can stir up different associations with the land for different viewers, such as elements of memory and place.

This display, selected from the Gallery’s permanent collection, focuses on landscape painting by South African artists, but makes room for some exceptions. To a greater or lesser degree, all these artworks deal with abstraction.

Terrence King’s painting, Wind Pump, is founded on the collapsed, scattered blades of utilitarian farm implements, a reminder of the constant presence of these structures in, particularly, the more arid parts of this country. Something of this resistant terrain is suggested by his choices of colour and the manner of paint application.

Human figures are often completely absent from landscape paintings. When they do appear, they are often dominated by their surroundings. Figures can play various roles to enforce the artist’s view of the rural or urban environment. Images can range from detailed observation to simplification or even distortion, often to enhance a mood or express feelings. You are invited to ponder the depiction of figures in these two paintings on display.

The title of the painting Absence/Presence by Virginia MacKenny raises more questions than answers. The composition is strange with the focal point being a draped green cloth on the left side which dominates the painting. There is absence of water in the dry dam with the jetty standing exposed in the middle section  of the composition. A post with a sign only known by the artist is facing away from the viewer. Three boats lie abandoned on the sand.

Continue reading →

• Lorna Ferguson Room

Friends of the Tatham Art Gallery

June 2021 - June 2022
FOTAG Membership Subscriptions

For FOTAG to continue publicising the Gallery activities, we need your support. Please join the Friends of the Tatham Art Gallery by subscribing and paying an annual membership fee of R150.

Subscriptions run from July until the end of June . If you join now, your subscription will be valid until the end of June 2022. The subscription form can be found here!

You can also join the free e-mail lists to receive updates and news from FOTAG. And don’t forget to follow us on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM too!

Visit the Tatham Shop for gifts, crafts, ceramics and artworks

The Tatham Shop
Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 to 16h00
Saturday from 10h00 to 13h00

The Tatham shop stocks a wide and interesting variety of hand-made crafts, primarily sourced from craftsmen and women in Kwa-Zulu Natal. These include traditional baskets and ceramics as well as contemporary ceramics. We also stock intricate beaded animals, jewellery and eye-catching embroidery. If you have any interesting items or crafts you may be interested in showing us, please call or email to make an appointment. Continue reading →

Enquiries bryony.clark@msunduzi.gov.za or 033 392 2825

Visit the Cafe Tatham

Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 to 16h00
Saturday and Sunday from 10h00 to 16h00

Café Tatham by Injabulo Foodworks is situated on the first floor of the Gallery. It is a great place to break a visit to the Gallery, or to hold a private function. Nonjabulo Nzuza looks forward to hosting your bridal shower, baby shower, or birthday celebration. Contact her to discuss possibilities or to book a table.

Keep an eye on Facebook for details of weekly specials and events.

Enquiries/Bookings
ssfoodsgroup@gmail.com Tel. 081 888 5844 or Whatsapp 061 233 1247

Facebook: Café Tatham by Injabulo Foodworks

Find out more about your possible experience at the Tatham! Go to VISIT!