Pieces that touched on women’s struggles within South African society were displayed at an open art exhibition held by the Stellenbosch University (SU) Bachelor of Arts Student Committee (BASC) in celebration of Women’s Day.
This was according to Tshego Mokoena, the exhibition’s organiser, and second-year BA student at SU.
The one-day exhibition took place at the Neelsie Cinema, located inside of the Neelsie Student Centre on SU’s campus, on 9 August.
Mokoena approached BASC with her idea to exhibit artworks that celebrated the female perspective, she said.
BASC is the student body that represents the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, according to Ntokozo Khumalo, head of culture at the BASC, and financial organiser for the BASC.
Second year BA student at Stellenbosch University, Tshego Mokoena, showcased her work (pictured above) that looked at celebrating women of all shapes and sizes, at the Bachelor of Arts Student Committee’s open art exhibition on Women’s Day. This was according to Mokoena. PHOTOS: Talia Kincaid
Opportunities for expression
The exhibition was mainly open to SU students and formed part of the BASC’s culture portfolio’s initiative to “bring people together on this day to celebrate women”, said Mokoena.
It featured the work of five artists, whose works were submitted and then selected by Mokoena, said Heinrich van Rooy, a first-year visual arts student at SU, whose painting was on display at the exhibition.
Events such as this give artists an opportunity to extend parts of themselves to others, said Van Rooy. “Art is fundamental to humanity,” he said.
First-year visual arts student at Stellenbosch University, Heinrich van Rooy (pictured above in blue), created a piece that was inspired by surrealism. This piece was on display at the Bachelor of Arts Student Committee’s open art exhibition on 9 August, he explained. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
Works from independent artists who were affiliated with members of the BA student body, were also featured, stated Rutendo Gora, a fourth-year theology student whose art pieces were on display at the exhibition.
“You could just submit anything; it didn’t have to be perfect. It just had to be art,” said Mokoena.
The university has allocated funds for the BASC to use on events such as this one, “to make things happen for our BA students”, said Khumalo.
Art’s influence
Art on display at the Bachelor of Arts Student Committee’s open art exhibition captured the beauty of women despite the struggles they face, according to Rutendo Gora (pictured above), a fourth-year theology student whose work on display at the exhibition used broken mirror shards to create the silhouette of an African woman. PHOTOS: Talia Kincaid
The Neelsie Cinema’s space catered for 120 attendees, but the morning of the event, the BASC’s RSVP-list had already exceeded this number, said Mokeona.
“[The event] was a way to bring [arts] back into this university,” said Mokoena. “[Also], to give students […] a platform to showcase their work and be celebrated for their talent.”
Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Bachelor of Arts Student Committee’s open art exhibition, which took place at the Neelsie Cinema in celebration of Women’s Day on 9 August, had over 120 attendees, according to the organiser of the event, Tshego Mokoena a second-year BA student at SU. PHOTOS: Talia Kincaid