'Ugqozi Lwentambende…spirit of the long rope from iSimangaliso', a body of work from nine sculptors from the iSimangaliso area, is on exhibition at the Dube TradePort (Durban’s uShaka Airport) as part of its activities leading up to the COP17.

The iSimangaliso Art programme has discovered and enabled local talent to access creative thinkers, and move from the fringes of the art circuit to the centre. These sculptures are an edgy and innovative representation of our culture and embody the values of world heritage.

One of the artists, Nhlanhla Mabaso, says “producing these artworks has been a long and difficult journey, much like making a rope from natural material...the twisting and shaping of a rope where it breaks and splits, wrapping and plaiting it together with new pieces - it eventually results in something strong and difficult to break. Even when we were exhausted and at times our families were not understanding our commitment to art, we are fortunate to be guided by our ancestors who gave us the spirit to persist”.

The artworks have arrived in Durban after a successful three month long exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG). The exhibition represents the creative journey that began three years ago in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s first world heritage site. A group of 50 apprehensive yet, bold men and women took a leap of faith, and joined the iSimangaliso Art Programme in 2008. The programme is currently entering a second phase, which will include 50 new artists living in and around iSimangaliso.

An exciting part of the Dube TradePort exhibition is the three day long residency of five of iSimangaliso’s sculptors to create a collaborative artwork on commission to Dube TradePort. The artists have been mentored by Andries Botha and will explore the theme of climate change.

The exhibition will be opened by Andries Botha and Andrew Verster, and is running from the 23rd of November to the 16th of December. You are cordially invited to visit the exhibition and view the work.

Newsflash No.: 2011.11.20