Live Art Weekend at the Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender was presented from March 13-15, 2025, which despite the serious topic, featured play and fun in some of the works. To be clear there was nothing fun in Mamello Makhetha’s grief saturated film, Ore Phelele, sparked by and sparking off a conversation on “the public crisis of femicide and GBV in South Africa.”

See pics below and a video of Roland du Preez, performing on stage with a recording of their mother – the two of them in conversation in Haireditary, a delicious conversation around hair, femininity, the need to conform to society pressures, shame, guilt and stripping back the mostly un-talked about – landscape of menopause. Loved. Could have listened/watched all night. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHLaRwYqH3o/


Three of the pieces, featured recorded voice overs. Voice is a robust medium and it was great to see it used viscerally at Live Art Weekend. See extended captions for each performance.


Roland du Preez – Haireditary at Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. The mother of the Artist and Artist engage in an animated and poignant discussion around hair – being “feminine” in society, in the face of perceptions of what is acceptable. Through a recorded conversation between the Artist (28, assigned-male-at-birth non-binary) and their mother (60, cisgender woman), they talk about “attaining and maintaining femininity”. The Artist “celebrates and challenges femininity through a queer lens, their mother discusses the shift in her ties to femininity as a post-menopausal woman.” Watch a snippet from the performance here, with the Artist preening and primping the body as a container and expression of femininity: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHLaRwYqH3o/ Video and pic: Robyn Cohen/TheCapeRobyn. And see interview: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/
The beautiful work by Andi Colombo at Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. The visually and aurally powerful work titled, Seep featured a stirring and gentle voice-over by Colombo, in ‘conversation’ in parts with the voice of Colombo who was on stage, shrouded in a box by shadows and washing on a line. Seep is a piece about water – fables, legends, here and now, washer people around us. Stunning writing. Pic: Stephanie Gericke. For more about Seep, seehttps://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/
Squishy breasts [my tag, not the artist’s], part of the visual art installation by Aimee Pullon, titled Aequitas (Pissing Contest) at Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. The installation was in the foyer of the Masambe, The “breasts” made out of stockings, filled with sugar, reminded me of stumps of amputated legs, There was an invitation to squeeze and squish the breasts, like stress balls. The urinal in the installation was placed deliberately at high level, inviting one to contemplate the absurdity of this contraption and ponder those that aim their urine into it. Pic: Stephanie Gericke. See https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/
Mamello Makhetha’s arresting film, Ore Phelele was screened at Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. A film which beautifully evokes the lived experience of grief, violation in an intersection of the personal and public. The Artist says: “It is a personal process that sits in conversation with the public crisis of femicide and GBV in South Africa. This digital short film is a response to the personal and public sexual trauma we hold within ourselves and our nation.” More here: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/ Pic: Stephanie Gericke
Grace Storm yanks up SPANX® and squeezes her feet into stiletto heels in her performance Un-becoming at Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. The performance was presented on a narrow balcony ledge, outside the Masambe and injected site specific elements as Storm tripped a few times as she teetered on the heels, batting to balance, which is emblematic of the piece – finding a balance for one’s gender in this world as people size us up. Pic: Robyn Cohen/TheCapeRobyn. See https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/


 

❇ Featured image – Roland du Preez – Haireditary – Live Art Weekend, March 13-15, 2025, Baxter Masambe, Cape Town, (de)Constructing Gender. See https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-de-constructing-gender-at-live-art-march-2025/Pic: Stephanie Gericke.