WAM - Publications

This book arose from an exhibition of the same name curated by Fiona Rankin-Smith, at the Standard Bank Gallery in 2006. In full colour and lavishly illustrated, this 288 page book documents and extends the exhibition, bringing together the debates and discussions on faith and art that the exhibition gave rise to. It also sheds light on the ways in which art interprets, exemplifies and challenges belief and ritual.

This catalogue accompanied Halakasha!, an exhibition of the same name held at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg in 2010. It celebrated and ran concurrently with the first FIFA World Cup™ soccer tournament to be held in Africa. The book includes a diverse range of essays and interviews that explore the beautiful game from personal, creative, political, historical, and social perspectives. Images included run the gamut from historical photography to images of football related popular culture and contemporary artwork.

Essential reading for all those interested in classical African art and contemporary South African art, this 152 page full colour lavishly illustrated publication accompanied the national touring exhibition of the same name. It celebrates the wealth of expertise that both resides at and emanates from Wits, alongside the rich diversity of the African artworks in the Standard Bank African Art Collection. 54 authors with strong Wits associations, from different disciplines and areas of expertise but all with a known interest in African art, were invited to select a work from the collection and contribute a short piece of writing on their choice. Authors include artists, academics, architects, mathematicians, historians, anthropologists and museologists, and their submissions range from creative writing to scholarly essays, art-making to art historical research.

This unique 28 page fully illustrated publication (including 4 full colour pages) accompanied an exhibition of the same name in 2004. The project was the outcome of a fascinating joint project by artist Joachim Schonfeldt, writer Ivan Vladislavic and critical writer Andries Oliphant. Schonfeldt produced 26 'illustrations' for a yet-to-be-written text, and then approached Vladislavic who began writing a response to the images. Short epigrams or captions were anticipated, however the work evolved into a full-length book of fiction published independently as The Exploded View. A 'reader', Andries Oliphant was then approached to consider the images and text together and select extracts for an exhibition. The Model Men combines Schonfeldt's images, with Vladislavic's text, as selected by Oliphant.

In this vibrant 96 page full colour catalogue of over 165 works, selected from the Standard Bank African Art Collection, the authors explore some of the different forms of modernity in African art. Objects from across the continent have been selected and include a North Sotho front apron embellished with a digital watch, a Yoruba crown in the form of a British barrister’s wig, an Ndebele beaded Barbie doll and a Bafana Bafana soccer player made in Côte d'Ivoire. All are powerful statements of identity by Africans who assert their place in the modern world at the same time as maintaining forms of traditional practice. Engaging Modernities explores the dynamism of Africa's art and cultural heritage.

This important 139 page catalogue was produced to accompany the exhibition that celebrated a decade of collecting for The Standard Bank African Art Collection. Essays by leading South African academics examined art produced by Venda, Zulu, Pedi, and Ntwana people. Ndebele, Cape Nguni and Tsonga-Shangana beadwork is also a focus. Work by some black South Africans that conformed to more traditional notions of fine art was also considered. A complete catalogue of the Wits Art Galleries holdings of classical African art, at that time, is also included.

This significant catalogue accompanied an exhibition of the Burton Collection in 1992. It was curated by Fiona Rankin-Smith and Nessa Liebhammer and held at the Wits Art Galleries. At that time the collection was housed in the Department of Social Anthropology at Wits. Essays include biographical information about Burton, the context in which the collection was assembled as well as probing investigations of some of the objects and photographs in the collection. Included is also a complete list of the objects collected by Burton.