Festival news: FynArts 2024 at a glance, thrilling offerings June 7-17 in Hermanus

The FynArts Festival in Hermanus is gearing up for fabulous fare from June 7-17, 2024: Performances (includes theatre, concerts, dance, classical music), talks and presentations, book readings; conversations about books; art exhibitions, food and wine events, workshops, films and demonstrations. Internationally renowned artist, William Kenbridge is the recipient of the FynArts Legacy Award 2024 for his “longstanding and distinctive contribution to the arts in South Africa and beyond”. Mikhael Subotzky is the FynArts Festival Artist. Check out his solo exhibition, showcasing his photographic work. Sculpture on the Cliffs, the festival’s flagship outdoor sculpture exhibition is at Gearings Point – open to the public, at no charge. Stage offerings include Bo Petersen’s Pieces of Me, directed by Royston Stoffels. Petersen lives in the US and this is “a personal story of the unspoken histories that many people carry within them is an exploration of family secrets, with resonances that still echo today”.  Jazzart Dance Theatre Company. Is presenting Limitless – featuring new dance works and repertoire from Jazzart’s 50 years of Dance Celebratory Festival. As always, the FynArts website is seamless to navigate, There are hard-copy festival programmes Clock here for collection points https://hermanusfynarts.co.za/?s=Collect  If you cannot locate a programme, WhatsApp 060 957 5371 (Chantel), with your physical address or nearest PostNet outlet and she will do her best to organise a programme.Read on for more about FynArts2024. Info as supplied:

For the Love of the Arts #FynArts2024

Hermanus is gearing up for the twelfth FynArts Festival from June 7-17, 2024, when a burst of creative activity will provide mid-winter entertainment and inspiration to festival goers from far and wide. 

With an extensive programme jam-packed with exhibitions, performances, talks and presentations, various workshops, and food and wine events, FynArts appeals to a broad palate of artistic tastes and preferences. 

This fusion of an arts festival and a winter school is also enthusiastically supported by art lovers for the range of exhibitions showcasing both groups and individuals. And the many charms of the town itself, nestling between fynbos-clad mountains and the ocean, with quaint coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries and specialty shops, are an added bonus.

FynArts Legacy Award

William Kentridge is the recipient of the 2024 FynArts Legacy Award, bestowed in recognition of his longstanding and distinctive contribution to the arts in South Africa and beyond. William will also be the opening speaker of the Strauss & Co Series of Talks and Presentations on SAT June 8 at 09:00 in the Dutch Reformed Church, Hermanus. He will present his talk directly after being presented with the Legacy Award by the author, Christopher Hope, a member of the FynArts Advisory Board. 

Sculpture on the Cliffs

The visual arts remain a cornerstone of the Hermanus FynArts Festival, with its flagship outdoor exhibition of large sculptures taking advantage of the natural splendour of this popular seaside town. Exposed to the elements and weather conditions of all four seasons, these large sculptures have become part of the landscape, always engaging with the environment and the changing moods of the sea.

Strategically installed around the panoramic lookout at Gearing’s Point, Sculpture on the Cliffs features eleven artists, five of whom have previously taken part in the exhibition. They are Gordon Froud, Ian Redelinghuys, Jaco Sieberhagen, Jean Theron Louw, and Strijdom van der Merwe. The new artists who will take part for the first time this year are Janko de Beer, Wehrner Lemmer, Nkhensani Rihlampfu, Paul Stein, Mark Swart, and Francois Visser.

Following William Kentridge’s talk, festival goers can head off to the Windsor Hotel for the panel discussion titled Talking Sculpture. During this session a number of the eleven artists who have contributed to this year’s exhibition will engage in a discussion on the artwork each has created within the context of public art. Directly after Talking Sculptures on SAT June 8 at 11:00 in the Windsor Hotel, the opening of the Sculpture on the Cliffs exhibition will follow at Gearing’s Point at 12:30.

Indoor Sculptures

All previous participants in Sculpture on the Cliffs are invited annually to exhibit a number of smaller works at an indoor venue. Previously known as Art in the Auditorium, this exhibition will be on display this year in The Marine Hotel. The thirteen participating artists include Nanette Ranger and Karen Lijnes, along with all eleven who will have a large work as part of Sculpture on the Cliffs.

The Marine is an iconic establishment with a colourful history. Perched on the cliffs above Walker Bay, this venue enjoys an equally spectacular setting and is filled with natural light. The Municipal Auditorium, which previously hosted the smaller sculpture exhibition, will be utilised as a festival hub this year – a place where festival goers can sit back and relax between events, or meet up with friends and enjoy light refreshments.

Chromatic Clay- annual ceramics exhibition

Once again curated by Liz Coates, the annual ceramics exhibition in the Windsor Hotel has become a favourite among festival goers. After many years it was decided the time had come for this highly successful group exhibition to have a slightly new format. This year it will feature a larger selection of works by twelve artists – Catherine Brennan, Sandile Cele, Mark Chapman, Ella Cronjé, Gretchen Crots, Dale Lambert, Carin Dorrington, Adela Friedmann, Charmaine Haines, Sonia Kastner, Hennie Meyer, and Margot Rudolph. The focus will be colourful, fun, quirky, different.

As is always the case with the highly skilled contemporary artists who take part in FynArts ceramic exhibitions, these participants also have their own artistic approach and specific language to address their audience in the way they want their work to speak and communicate their own distinctive meaning. Chromatic Clay will be opened by guest speaker Nada Spencer on SAT June 8 at 10:30 in the Windsor Hotel.

Festival Artist- Mikhael Subotzky

The fourth major exhibition is a solo show of photographic work by this year’s FynArts Festival Artist, Mikhael Subotzky, in the FynArts Gallery. Curated by the Subotzky Studio and Goodman Gallery, this exhibition draws from Mikhael’s early photographic works as well as more recent related collage and works on canvas. Currently based in Johannesburg, Mikhael’s works are the results of his fractured attempts to place himself in relation to the social, historical and political narratives that surround him.

As an artist working in film, video installation and photography, as well as more recently in collage and painting, he engages critically with contemporary politics of representation. His works are found in public and private collections around the world, including the MoMA in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London and South African National Galleries, among others. The opening of this exhibition by Bina Genovese will be on SAT June 8 at 14:00 in the FynArts Gallery.

Hermanus Art Walk

In addition to the group shows and the Festival Artist exhibition, the galleries in the Hermanus CBD that form part of the First Fridays Art Walk will each be hosting an exhibition specially curated for the festival, as well as a number of studios. Festival goers are welcome to stroll from gallery to gallery, where they will meet the artists and gallerists who have contributed to Hermanus’ growing reputation as an art destination of note.

How to Book

Ticket sales and the full programme, which includes several art-related presentations and various art workshops, can be found at hermanusfynarts.co.za. For accommodation options, click on Stay in Hermanus/Accommodation.

Tickets can be booked via the website, at Webtickets, Pick ‘n Pay stores countrywide, as well as Hermanus Tourism and the FynArts Gallery. The 2024 FynArts programme booklet is available at selected outlets in Hermanus, Cape Town, and further afield. These outlets will be listed and updated regularly in the coming weeks. The details can be found via a link on the home page of the FynArts website.

Art exhibitions at FynArts 2024

The Kentridge presentation at 09:00 on Saturday June 8 in the Dutch Reformed Church, Hermanus will be followed by the opening of the three major FynArts exhibitions – the ceramics exhibition at the Windsor Hotel titled Chromatic Clay, the flagship outdoor exhibition at Gearing’s Point, Sculpture on the Cliffs, and the exhibition of photographic work by Mikhael Subotzky, this year’s FynArts Festival Artist, in the FynArts Gallery.

Curated by the Subotzky Studio and Goodman Gallery, this exhibition draws from Mikhael’s early photographic works as well as more recent related collage and works on canvas. Currently based in Johannesburg, Mikhael’s works are the results of his fractured attempts to place himself in relation to the social, historical and political narratives that surround him. As an artist working in film, video installation and photography, as well as more recently in collage and painting, he engages critically with contemporary politics of representation.

Mikhael’s works are found in public and private collections around the world, including the MoMA in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London and South African National Galleries, among others. His FynArts exhibition will be opened by Bina Genovese on Sat 8 June at 14:00 at the FynArts Gallery.

Dance and drama at FynArts

Hermanus will come alive from June 7 to 17 with a versatile FynArts Festival programme that includes treats for both theatre lovers and dance enthusiasts.  

In Pieces of Me, the acclaimed South African actress Bo Petersen, currently living in the US, brings her powerful autobiographical playto FynArts for its first showing in South Africa. This profoundly moving personal story of the unspoken histories that many people carry within them is an exploration of family secrets, with resonances that still echo today. Directed by Royston Stoffels and with Chris Petersen on piano, this multi-layered piece of storytelling renegotiates personal histories and asks questions about identity: “Who are you, if you can no longer be who you are?” Don’t miss this powerful performance. WED June 12 at 15:00 and 18:30 in the Municipal Auditorium.

Limitless is an exciting programme of contemporary dance performed by professional dancers from the award-winning Jazzart Dance Theatre Company. The production features new dance works and repertoire from Jazzart’s 50 years of Dance Celebratory Festival. Under the artistic direction of Dane Hurst, Jazzart has cultivated a diverse collection of powerful, thought-provoking, and celebratory works created by award-wining artists and choreographers. Limitless promises to be a vibrant and entertaining showcase of dance. SAT June 16 at 15:00 and 18:30 in the Municipal Auditorium. 
Jazzart Dance Theatre is acknowledged as the oldest contemporary dance company in South Africa that continues to exert a powerful influence on the development of dance in South Africa. The Jazzart methodology ensures that strong technique is matched with a uniquely South African dance philosophy that is rooted in the diversity of the culture and traditions of our country. 

Artist and Artworks – Strauss & Co Series of Presentations and Discussions

This year the Strauss & Co Series of Presentations and Discussions includes enlightening and thought-provoking sessions, each dedicated to a specific artist and their artworks. 

Gavin Younge, who has both exhibited in Sculpture on the Cliffs and curated the 2020/21 exhibition, will chair a panel of artists who will take part in this year’s exhibition on the cliff tops. Talking Sculpture will provide each participating artist with the opportunity to discuss their artwork with reference to their creative process and the inspiration that resulted in the creation of their sculpture placed on this spectacular stretch of coastline. Gavin Younge, Emeritus Professor in Fine Art at the University of Cape Town is also a past Director of the Michaelis School of Fine Art.

Sidney Kumalo and Ezrom Legae, are modernist sculptors who are two of the most important artists of the 20^th Century. Their story will be told by Marion Dixon, senior art specialist at Strauss & Co. This presentation will be based on 25 years of research and writing by the authors of The Sculptures of Sidney Kumalo and Ezram Legae – A Catalogue Raisonne, Gavin Watkins and Charles Skinner.

Diane Victor – Prints, Drawings, Smoke is the topic of a presentation by artist and curator, Gordon Froud. An important South African artist, Diane is known for her biting critique, satirical and social contemporary of South African society, on political corruption, violence and economic exploitation. Gordon will also touch on her upcoming museum shows in France and on her works made at the Atelier le Grand Village.

Flowers appear in artworks as early as ancient Greece ad Egypt. In Peeling back the Petals, Kayleen Wrigley, fine art specialist at Strauss & Co, will delve into the history of flowers in both classical and botanical art. And through the petals we love so much, she will explore topics as diverse as world trade, passion and economics.

And for a different perspective on those who have modelled for artists over the centuries, Felicity Jervis, well-known local social historian, will offer a light-hearted historical introduction to some people – not all beautiful – who took off their kit to be painted and sculptured by world-famous artists. In Some Nudes I have Known Felicity goes behind the scenes of world-famous artists and their models, who often faced ridicule, outcry, ex-communication, even demonization, yet finally, fame. Hundreds of visuals will accompany this documentary.

In the series of Book Talks, Amanda Botha, award-winning art journalist and documentary filmmaker will talk to Frans Meyer, brother of the artist, Walter Meyer about Frans’ memoir, Impossible Skies. In this memoir about his brother, Frans and Amanda will explore the artist’s roots, his legacy as a fine painter of distinctly South African landscapes. Walter’s wounded psyche and struggles with alcoholism ultimately led to his death.

Festival Update

Repeated events: the presenters of the following sold out events have kindly agreed to offer a repeat session on the dates below. Don’t be disappointed again!

Morning Tea – Only Specials: Mon June 10 @ 11:00             Book now

Discussion: Finding Endurance: Mon June 10 @ 15:00        Book now

Workshop: Kintsugi for Beginners: Thurs June 13 @ 10:00  Book now