By Ayesha Kazim
On Friday, March 27th, 2020, South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown. What was initially meant to be three weeks of social isolation has now turned into two months and counting as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Within South Africa’s industrialized economy, one of the sectors being hit the hardest is the Arts. Museums, galleries, and cultural organizations have been forced to close their doors to the public until further notice. As artists and institutions begin to navigate their way through the economic and sociopolitical effects of the pandemic, many people are turning to the internet to continue making and spreading creativity during this difficult period.
Moving Online
The effects of the pandemic have taken varying tolls on both emerging and well-established galleries dependent on the level of resources, financial support, and audience commitment which have influenced their rates of success in the virtual world. The THK Gallery for example, founded in 2018 by photographer Frank Schönau, extended their Different Angles: Johno Mellish | Nyasha Marovatsanga exhibition from March 28th to April 16th to increase viewership. The gallery also advised participating artists to keep their expenses low in anticipation for the loss in sales revenue that would likely occur during the transition to solely online displays (THK Gallery, 2020). In witnessing the gradual effects of the pandemic on the arts industry, it appears that smaller galleries have more control when it comes to transitioning to virtual exhibitions. THK Gallery’s director, Linda Pyke, highlighted how the company’s use of the lean operating model, which advocates for customer satisfaction and continuous growth as the central focus of an enterprise, has allowed the gallery to “more easily change and adapt” in response to the pandemic (Pyke, 2020). As a smaller, and fairly new gallery, the use of this model prompted Pyke to reconfigure their strategy and find new online platforms to reach viewers, “while shifting [their] focus to…better connect and engage collectors…[and] build an audience for when the market recovered.” THK Gallery also operates solely from one branch, which means they can quickly develop their strategies in response to the shifting climate more seamlessly than a large gallery that has to account for uniformity across branches in multiple cities.
Modisakeng, Mohau. Still from Passage. 2017. Three Channel HD Video. Mohau Modisakeng Studio, Cape Town.
On the other hand, smaller galleries may not possess the funds or investments to maintain ‘business as usual’ during this dynamic period. If the gallery is not widely known within the industry, a decrease in physical exhibition openings may drastically decline sales due to limited online recognition. In contrast, long-standing galleries with established audiences can easily redirect their community to other platforms. The Goodman Gallery, an international contemporary art gallery founded in 1966, is in the process of transforming its digital user interactions by creating “innovative viewing rooms, virtual experiences, and podcasts launching across the gallery’s website, social media [and] newsletters” (Goodman Gallery, 2020). On the website, the ‘Online Programme’ header guides visitors to online viewing rooms for each of the exhibiting artists, comprised of slideshows of their work, photographic documentation of installations, video clips, and quotes from the artist. The Gallery also constructed a virtual ‘Reading Room’ that provides audiences with the inspiration and texts that drive the exhibiting artists’ creative processes. While Goodman Gallery has establishments in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and London, this online platform has allowed audiences from any location to view the work being exhibited in the other two cities. Such is the case for artist, Shirin Neshat’s London-based exhibition Land of Dreams which has now been made available on the website and can be viewed as I write this from Cape Town. Neshat’s work can be seen in a variety of formats including ‘Exhibition View,’ which showcases the layout of the series in a physical space, ‘Individual Works,’ ‘Films,’ which include the artist’s video and sound installations, and ‘Media,’ which links to external youtube clips of Neshat’s interviews, talks, and appearances on BBC.
In utilizing online platforms more effectively, galleries in Cape Town have been working to increase virtual engagement on social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook as a means of advertising online exhibition openings and fostering virtual creative spaces. The Stevenson Gallery, which has branches in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, has begun broadcasting their upcoming exhibition of the first solo show by South African artist, Neo Matloga, titled Back of the Moon across Instagram and their website. While the exhibition was set to be on physical display from May 15th until June 30th, the gallery instead created a series of 27 Instagram posts showcasing the artwork, direct quotes, and videos describing Matloga’s practice until the show can be installed in person at a later date. In addition, social media has provided individual artists the opportunity to showcase and disseminate their work while interacting with their audiences. One South African artist, Alice Angela Toich Sanchez, created the hashtag #21DaysOfArtSA with the tagline, “Make Art, Not Contact” to motivate her fanbase to get involved in the art-making process on Instagram. Participants were encouraged to create work daily in any medium of their choice, whether they were professional artists or not, and use the tagline when posting the work to their accounts (Proctor, 2020).
The shift in focus to establishing a larger online presence has brought greater international traffic to many galleries and cultural organizations, as well as artists. Strauss & Co., the leading fine art auction house in South Africa, established in 2008, transitioned to online auctions in March and was able to generate R79 million (approximately $4.6 million) due to the company’s loyal clientele and strong catalogue of work by Alexis Preller and Walter Battiss amongst other well-known South African artists (South African Art Times, 2020). However, with the influx of viewers situated outside the country, there are still limitations on the capacity of these virtual events. On their website, Strauss & Co. added a notice to their bidders stating that, “due to high traffic volumes [they would not] send out notifications in the last 60 minutes of an auction,” as the surge in activity near closing led to delays in accessing and navigating the site (Strauss & Co., 2020). In speaking with South African artist, Blessing Ngobeni, the creative verified this reality of a growing digital presence, stating that he has received more “international responses and proposals” as a result of galleries moving to exhibit his work online. A contemporary fine artist working in a variety of mediums to create artwork that comments on themes including “self-enrichment” and “the abuse of power,” Ngobeni shared with me that his sales “have not been impacted in a negative way.” However, the pandemic has restricted his ability to work at his studio, making him more “conscious” of the time he spends creating.
Ngobeni, Blessing. Legacy of Corrupted. 2017. Blessing Ngobeni Studio, Cape Town.
In regards to gatherings, South African arts festivals have had to either adapt to capacity and health regulations or cancel their events entirely. The annual National Arts Festival, for example, created the first South African virtual festival which took place from June 25th to July 5th (LitNet, 2020). The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), which usually draws in approximately 40,000 attendees, has had to postpone their 21st celebration until further notice (CTIJF, 2020). While virtual exhibitions may not do the work of participating artists justice, especially those working in 3-dimensional practices, it allows for a small form of exposure and a resolution to forced closures that appease both artists and audiences. South African contemporary artist, Lionel Smit, had his latest exhibition, Verso, “promoted and viewed solely online” with the Everard Read Gallery. Smit, who is best known for his “contemporary portraiture executed through monumental canvases and sculptures,” told PCPP that he believes “we still have a long way to go, digitally, to get that same life-like feeling of emerging [oneself] into a piece and experiencing a show as a whole.” This comes as no surprise as Smit works on a large scale which calls for the viewer’s eye to focus on “one area at a time.”
South African film director, Mohau Modisakeng, shared with PCPP that he is a “great advocate for experiential work” and is curious as to whether virtual exhibitions would be able to successfully emerge the viewer in such artwork. Born in Soweto in 1986, Modisakeng currently resides in Cape Town where the onset of the lockdown provided him a sense of “stillness,” motivating him to reflect on past projects while considering new forms of experimentation for his film and live performance work. In regards to virtual experiences, Modisakeng explained, “most live audiences tend to have a visceral connection to an artwork that is so powerful a force at times that it guarantees that even once the performance has come to an end, the feelings and thoughts that the work arouses in the audience resonate and continues to affect witnesses beyond the performance stage.” Questioning whether audiences would be able to “take the same from an online viewing room,” Modisakeng concluded that there is “an obvious barrier” when one views artwork via a screen. This act, says Modisakeng, seems to negate the experience of “travelling to a venue” and the similarities that can be drawn between religious gatherings and museums as places of worship, in which “something seems to happen on a spiritual plain [as] people gather to meditate and share one experience.”
South African sculptor, Daniella Mooney, has found the digital realm to be a levelling “playing field” in which “artists can independently represent themselves on social media,” while gaining “recognition a lot quicker than before” and being able to “capitalize on this exposure with sales.” However, Mooney also holds a similar sentiment to Modisakeng that makes her weary of the ability of the virtual world to convey an artist’s message. Because Mooney’s practice incorporates wood and stone, a lot of her work relies on how one “interacts with the material, its tactility” and “its ability to respond to human touch,” which she believes can only be “sensed when personally interacting with the work in a physical environment.”
Mooney, Daniella. My Winter Your Summer. 2011. Jelutong, American Poplar, Walnut, Slate. Whatiftheworld Gallery, Cape Town
Relief Programs
Development agencies including the Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) have been working to ensure that artists and organizations are aware of the COVID-19 relief funds and resources available to those affected by the pandemic. In May, VANSA began hosting free webinars titled, “COVID-19 Perspectives” with the goal of bringing together VANSA directors and industry professionals to discuss the evolving role of the network and how its resources can be used to mitigate the current financial crisis in South Africa. The organization’s website also has a page dedicated to information and COVID-19 related resources which range from updated statistics provided by the WHO, financial assistance programs from the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) and smaller trusts, as well as legal information pertaining to taxes and unemployment.
Artists and organizations have also begun selling work to raise money for affected communities. In the beginning of April, the Goodman Gallery began selling limited edition blankets designed by artists including Nolan Oswald Dennis, Samson Kambalu, and Broomberg & Chanarin to raise funds for the Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic in South Africa (Proctor, 2020). The Anton Smit Initiative curated a selection of works by South African sculptor, Anton Smit, to be sold at significantly reduced prices to raise money for homeless children and the elderly. Similarly, the Acuity Art Advisory decided to utilize their platform to create their first online auction, Artists First, to showcase work by contemporary and emerging South African artists. All the proceeds were given back to participating artists (minus administrative fees). Initiatives such as the South Africa Artist Relief Grant created by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) are providing short-term relief and supporting grants to artists, freelancers, and independent contractors to finance “COVID-19-related medical care” and “offset the loss of income due to the cancellation of confirmed engagements, as a result of the nationwide lockdown or other emergency measures” (BASA, 2020). While it has been inspiring to see the South African arts governmental sector come together alongside museums, institutions, and individual artists to provide relief for creatives in need, the main concern moving forward will be how long this period of economic recession will last and whether there will be enough relief funds to sustain artists throughout this period of financial stagnation.
Smit, Lionel. Image from VERSO Exhibition. 2020. Lionel Smit Studio, Cape Town.
Paving the Digital Landscape in the Age of COVID-19
While events such as livestreams can offer a unique and valid way to engage with audiences, the cost of data in South Africa is high, with the country ranking amongst “the most expensive mobile data in Africa” (Business Insider, 2020). These expenses can add up, especially for poorer communities and those now out of work. This means that events and activities requiring extensive amounts of data such as livestreams will be lower in priority to audiences who have other pressing expenses. Prior to the pandemic, South Africa’s economic activity was already in decline, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the hardships faced by the community, especially in relation to the creative economy. In light of the spread of COVID-19 and the lockdown, the South African Reserve Bank predicts that the final growth rate within the 2020 year will range between -2% to -4%, with growth being “unlikely to exceed 1% in 2021” (Monetary Policy Review, 2020). Thus, creative organizations and institutions will need to take into account the financial limitations of their audiences and strategize ways to work around this so as to make exhibits available online in the easiest modes of accessibility. Considering the platforms museums and galleries employ to livestream could be the first step to mitigating some of these costs. Social media outlets such as Facebook and Youtube are the most accessible and operate at essentially no-cost to the viewer. Incorporating mobile-friendly options including Instagram’s Live feature and Periscope (created by Twitter) could offer a greater flexibility for those that do not have access to laptops, therefore motivating institutions to engage a wider, untapped audience (The Space, 2020).
The pandemic has prompted arts organizations to refine their online presence and become more technologically skilled while also motivating them to consider how they will better distribute funds moving forward. As a result, galleries and museums need to learn to utilize virtual openings as a means of gaining traction and establishing interest for when their physical doors are reopened. The use of social media has meant that content can now be easily shared across varying communities and platforms. This shift has helped owners, institutions, and artists gain traction with new audiences and create sustainable marketing models that will help arts-related businesses thrive in the digital sectors of the market (The Balance Careers, 2020). As we have seen, artists including Mooney and Modisakeng feel motivated by the growing reliance on social media as a platform for marketing and selling their work, yet remain skeptical of the digital landscape’s ability to convey the impact and meaning of their art effectively. Nonetheless, for organizations and artists who have an established fanbase and online presence, social media has allowed them to continue engaging with their existing audiences, while also recruiting new audiences of creators and collectors that can be sustained and built upon when the Arts market recovers. While Cape Town holds the title as Africa’s leading art capital, the pandemic has set the country back in terms of the resources and finances that can be allocated to the Arts. As a result, the country will have to spend time rebuilding as it comes out of this idle period. The local and international art community’s decision to donate to relief funds, take part in auctions, and uplift artists in their community will help to preserve the industry and continue the expansion of South Africa’s contemporary art scene.
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