Introduction
There are many works of art which are taken round and round the globe showing not only the creativity of artists such as Shari Boyle, Jackson Pollock and many other contemporary artists but also to pass messages across to lovers of art and observers. Note that the essence of presenting arts in exhibitions is to introduce different cultural and traditional values of a people and this in the form of creative art. In this essay, a discussion is done on an exhibition that took place in Cape Town South Africa.
Cape Town Exhibition
The Design Indaba Expo took place in Cape Town in February 2011 in a most artistic way. Over two hundred exhibitors were evaluated and endorsed by a panel of designers, stylists and other experts in the industry. The conference indeed set an unmatched standard due to its originality and innovativeness bearing in mind that it was conceived and masterminded in South Africa. What made the expo unique are the multi-sectoral, fully featured and advertised architecture, fashion and graphic design. Furthermore, one cannot help but awe some of the greatest people in the art and design industry who attended the exhibitions including the fashion star Martha Stewart. However, the most fascinating thing that one should learn from the Indaba design event in Cape Town South Africa is the fact that art has not lost the swagger it has had over centuries.
Dada arts have been a signature of the contemporary art in South Africa, and this could by no means have escaped being an attraction to lovers of the works of art in the Cape Town exhibitions. Some of the artworks that are so common in South Africa of the dada origin include Van Vuuren, whose works were on display in the exhibitions. Perhaps it would be necessary to shed light into the dada art in order to make one who is not familiar with the work to come to an understanding of what has driven to the foundation of dada south, an art genre that is limited to the south African region. This is because Dadaism was founded by artists who wanted to introduce liberalism and freedom, and therefore it became popular in the South African nation when it was still under colonial rule. This has driven the love for Dadaism in the nation since it addresses issues as they come and will not shy from creating its mark about issues.
One of the works of Van Vuuren that featured in the exhibition is, at the edge, a painting that he uses color to bring about motion, moods and emotions in the painting. This painting is done with different colors being painted side by side with the least mixing and therefore creating a contrast that therefore attracts the eye of the observer towards the calm focal point as depicted by the artist. It should be noted that in painting colors side by side without mixing helps the artist to establish different moods in the same painting so that it will be interpreted differently depending on the time of day that observers are watching the paintings. Since Van Vuuren is a South African, and the impacts that the art piece has on lovers of art world wide, it would be a lie to argue that South African art is not as authentic and creative as any piece of art should be. In fact, dada south is rightly their and this should be commended for doing such kinds of art.
Artists in south Africa, just like many other artists globally use their works of art to communicate, like Van Vuuren opens to the world the beauty of Africa in his work, at the edge. This has been seen more clearly in the exhibition of February 2011 as most of the pieces of art from the colonial to the contemporary south Africa show themes that indicate collision from what has traditionally been the view of many people, not only in one of the fastest growing country in the dark continent but across the globe. It is also worth mentioning that at the gallery, artists were seen to pass across good social messages for the environmental conservation efforts in the country, and globally. They ran a slogan, wildfire burn more than tress, and then made animals, replacing their fur and skins with matches. This is an indication of how animals are vulnerable to forest fires, and how trapped they get when these fires occur. If this is not the most creative methods of contemporary art communication, then there is nothing like creativity in art.
There were two main objects of art that were very good and necessary in the 2011 exhibition. One of them is a chair of hope that has been designed as a backrest chair with wings made in the shape of the African map to suggest hope to whomever seats on it. The chair is also designed with different colors that Africans all over the continent are associated with for one reason or another. This is an indication of hope and unity for Africa as a continent, and not limited to one location of Africa.
The second most important thing that was seen in the exhibition in Cape Town is the use of beads in creative jewel making. Note that in Africa, beads have traditionally been used as ingredients for beauty products, not only in the southern Africa but also in the eastern where these is greatly manifested among the Maasai community in Tanzania and Kenya, a people who have maintained their cultures. As a result, it is the duty of artists to ensure that culture and cultural values that are in certain communities remain intact, even with the modernization in most parts of the globe. Unfortunately, however, this is not possible as so many people in Africa due to modernization. However, it was shown in the exhibition that this can be made possible by using beads in designing necklaces and other jewellery that have the same appeal to other high priced jewels made of things like gold and silver.
These are some of the bead chains that were up for exhibition
Conclusion
The South African exhibition, the indaba, which occurs at least ones a year, presents the works of art, not only from the African artists but also the artists that are reknowned internationally. Exhibitions run in helping individuals learn more about the cultures of the African nations and the life of people but it also plays an important role in promoting the art, especially the dada south although there are also other genres of art that are exhibited, all in glorification of what art really, is; expressing emotions, moods and feelings in creative arts.