Oliewenhuis Art Museum, an art museum based in Bloemfontein, in the Free State Province of South Africa, is excited to announce that it will be showcasing Great Expectations: Selected works from ArtbankSA Contemporary Art Collection, from the 14th of March until the 5th of May 2024. This poignant, yet inspiring exhibition, travelled from the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria, and will be on display for the local and surrounding audiences.
As South Africa gears for the 2024 general elections, Great Expectations takes a moment to reflect on the dreams and hopes held for a free and equal South Africa when South Africa became a democratic country in 1994. The exhibition is a thought-provoking and meaningful exploration of identity, society, the built environment, and the spirit of the times in the context of the country’s 30-year journey towards democracy.
Great Expectations exhibition was curated with a selection of artworks from Art Bank of South Africa Contemporary Art Collection by the entity’s Project Manager Nonto Msomi. It features works by notable South African contemporary artists including Banele Khoza, Luyanda Zindela, Zakhale Hlabisa, and Mellaney Roberts to list a few. The selected artist’s works make a monumental contribution in capturing the complex tapestry of experiences, aspirations, and challenges that have shaped the nation during its post-apartheid era.
74 x 126 cm, Image courtesy of KZNSA Online
While the ArtbankSA’s mandate is to purchase artworks from South African artists, particularly that of emerging artists to lease and sell the artworks to South African government departments, private companies, and private individuals, Msomi is tasked with establishing and developing the entity’s Contemporary Visual Art Collection. She has extensive experience in the art world having worked as the Assistant Director at the William Humphreys Art Gallery (2020-2021), the visual arts coordinator, curator, and facilitator at the BAT Centre Trust (2017), lead for the Cultural Activities and Youth Programming for the International AIDS Conference (2016), and the KZN regional coordinator of Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) (2013-2015).
The public is invited to join Oliewenhuis Art Museum for the opening of Great Expectations: Selected works from ArtbankSA Contemporary Art Collection at 19:00 on Thursday, 14 March 2024. Everyone is welcome and entrance is free of charge. Refreshments will be served. The exhibition will be on view until Sunday, 5 May 2024. The Museum is open to the public from Monday to Friday, operating hours are from 08:00 to 17:00. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, the museum is open from 09:00 to 16:00. There is secure parking available for visitors at a cost of R10 per car, payable in cash. Wheelchair access is provided through a ramp at the main entrance, and there is also a lift available for access to the Permanent Collection display areas on the first floor.
