COLLECTION
FOUNDING STATEMENT
Our artifacts are the seeds,some dating back to the beginning of colonialism and apartheid,which grew and bloomed even under the most dire circumstances as they adapted their DNA to modern thought, materials and technologies.
talking beads,love from you know who so far away
beauty that heals
The maddening statement in wood that speaks of loss,
frustration, anger and hopelessness released by the artist from
deep within a tree or beaded
onto a Cloth of Memory.
memories
Every stone, rock, tree, every blade of grass and every living
thing has within it secret voices that guide the artist in the revelation.
COLLECTION POLICY & FOCUS
We collect for beauty. For intention and meaning. And for the craft, materials, tools and circumstances that shape the final product.
One learns about the meanings things had for the makers, the recipients and the wider public.
Hlupekile Mchunu
Most of the works are simple objects made by rural people for use in their everyday life. A life that is deeply influenced by local traditions.
It is always respectful to the household, the community and the ancestors. And therefore beautiful.
The needs are modest, the environment is balanced and relationships are harmonious.
It is respect, love, care and beauty that regulate life. Times change, new influences invade, welcome or unwelcome.
Other traditions are absorbed or repelled.
New cultural environments form in urban areas. Formal education, new tools, new materials, new ideas.
Money and consumerism rear their ugly heads and the world becomes small.
There is the constant traffic of ideas between the rural and urban areas. In both directions.
Many of the old ways of doing and making things and the materials employed are forgotten. Yet the artists keep on creating and telling new and old stories and exploring the numerous possibilities created by new technologies, materials and ideas.
We love this Transitional Art and have built much of the collection around it.
Art at the cutting edge of mindboggling change.
The policy when out collecting in the field, is to introduce ourselves in an area and explain our mission.
Some sellers are proud that their items will be displayed and curated in a museum. Others have changed their lives and have no more need of them.
The focus on the collection is on the life of the ordinary residents of our region, what they make, why and how using the materials, skill and influences available and prevalent at the time.
Homesteads are fragile structures and for different reasons not much of the history and art survives.
STORE & CURATE
We have an open storage system as we believe that it is in its totality that one experiences the sheer genius of it all.
We always try to show our respect for the artworks in the way we care, display and talk about them.
TOURS
Our tours are led by extremely spirited guides who themselves are familiar with many of the traditions and objects on display, and who are also part of the creative world that is forever producing more and more amazing things. For those interested to visit the areas and meet some of the people who initiated the collection, we can arrange dedicated tours. Self-guided tours will soon be possible via a downloadable PDF.
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