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TRAVEL/TOURS ADVERTORIAL www.nadfas.org.uk NADFAS REVIEW / WINTER 2016 61 Below: Rural landscape in KwaZulu-Natalpaintings by the San people who were effectively annihilated by the early European settlers. The rock paintings may date back 10,000 years and more (and, like the art of most aboriginal peoples, leave us with more questions than answers), but there is a clear link between the pure representations of the animals they hunted, and perhaps worshipped, and their spiritual lives. Perhaps most fascinating is the recurring motif known as the ‘threads of light’ – linear marks which have been described as cords which the shaman used to climb up to the ‘sky world’ to commune with God when they were experiencing a vision. For a glimpse of just how far back those cultures can be traced, and to gain a sense of perspective on our own very recent emergence on earth, the visitor to South Africa can start at the very beginning – with a visit to the Maropeng ‘Cradle of Humankind’ centre just outside Johannesburg. For much of recent history, the strong spiritual and artistic heritage in South Africa has been largely ignored, and in the case of the highly sophisticated Mapungubwe civilisation of around 1,000 years ago, effectively written out of the history books in case it contradicted the idea that indigenous African peoples were incapable of higher culture. To get a perspective on the art scene it’s worth visiting the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Joubert Park, the largest in all of sub-Saharan Africa, with a respectable collection of European and local masterpieces. It’s especially worth looking at the work of perhaps the two pillars of South African 20th-century art – Walter Battiss and Gerard Sekoto. Battiss (1906–82) was South Africa’s foremost abstract artist, and was born in the Karoo where he was deeply affected by rock art which became a life-long inspiration and obsession. A friend of Picasso and a founder of the ‘New Group’, he became one of the most collectable of South Africa’s home-grown artists. His contemporary, the black artist Gerard Sekoto (1913–93), went into exile during the Apartheid era, living in Paris and Senegal, but produced powerful works depicting his life in the notoriously poor District Six area of Cape Town, as well as the artistically and musically vibrant region of Johannesburg’s Sophiatown. Sekoto’s collection in the Johannesburg Art Gallery has recently been refurbished, and it’s sobering to remember that when the gallery purchased Yellow Houses in 1940 it was the fi rst time any public gallery in South Africa had acquired a painting by a black artist. Contemporary galleries now abound, and Johannesburg still offers the broadest array of current artists. The longest established gallery is Everard Read, specialising in rising and established contemporary painters like Amos Letsoalo, whose haunting monochromatic sketches and restricted palette give traditional scenes an almost futuristic feel. If you’re in Cape Town it’s not far to the historic university town of Stellenbosch where the SMAC Gallery specialises in emerging artists from all parts of Africa, like the recent strong show by the Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo. SMAC also has branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Also in Cape Town, the new Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) is scheduled to open on the Waterfront development in 2017, hoping to establish itself as one of the largest collections in the world. In the meantime, visit Worldart, a gallery specialising in emerging and established artists with much of the collection focusing on urban makers. Not everything happens in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The so-called Karoo desert is home to numerous artist colonies, and for those with time there are small independent galleries in towns like Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn. To the east, with a history dating back more than 100 years, the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts has reinvented itself as a vibrant contemporary exhibition space in Durban. They’ve recently been promoting the work of the younger generation of local artists, a cooperative calling itself the Amososha Art Movement. South Africa continues to combine European and African elements in its culture, and to emerge as a place where the social landscape is no less dramatic than its countryside. ■ Images: Shutterstock.EXPLORE SOUTH AFRICA Voyages of Discovery has three cruises on its luxurious small ship Voyager that stop in both Cape Town and Durban. ‘Discover the Mal d’Afrique’ also visits Port Elizabeth and Richards Bay in South Africa before departing for Madagascar, Reunion Island and Mauritius (15 days from £2,047pp, departs January 3, 2018). Its‘South Africa, Wonders & Wildlife’ does the journey in reverse, with an overnight stay in Richards Bay, home to the famous Hluhluwe-Umfolozi game park (15 days from £2,609pp, departs March 18, 2017). Alternatively, spend next Christmas on a round trip from Cape Town, including Zululand and a poignant memorial to Nelson Mandela (‘Yuletide in South Africa’, 15 days from ££2,129pp, departs Dec 20, 2017). Cruises feature guest speakers; prices includes fl ights, meals and more. Call 0843 316 1666 or see www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk.