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On show in the wonderful winelands
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July 29, 2009
By Melvyn Minnaar
Exhibitions: Various in the Stellenbosch winelands; ongoing.
MELVYN MINNAAR reviews.
Of course, a trip into the vine-bedecked hills and vales of Stellenbosch is mostly motivated by the pleasures wineries offer. But these days there's added value to the adventure: a couple of jacked-up wineries show smart art as sideline to their tasting business.
And as winter moves past its axis, activity in the winelands starts picking up. The chirpy, annual Stellenbosch wine festival, for example, kicks it into high gear, for three days, from Thursday.
It's a good time to visit - for the primal beauty of the deep-green vineyards and, naturally, the wine, but also for art that is often surprisingly more than your pretty decor add-on. Although there is still plenty of inferior stuff lurking around, some of it very expensive.
Spier, the Lynedoch winery that set the tone for the Afro-Disneyfication of Cape-Dutch, has long boasted its support for the arts. The kitsch-surrounded, amphitheatre has died, but the estate did host, on the banks of the Eerste River, the Spier Contemporary in 2007 in stylish, kick-ass fashion.
While many of the buildings of the old farm have fallen victim of the gross "tourification", the original old cellar has been turned into a lovely, simple exhibition space. And the present show called Art and Violence (until August 13), which fits the space like a glove, is pleasing in presentation and its lack of over-reach.
A lot of the art comes from the Spier collection and it is worth going there if only to read and admire a selection from master printmaker Diane Victor's finest work, her ongoing series The Disasters of Peace. It defines vigorously the tight curatorial reach of this group show.
A group show of a different kind is on at the Helshoogte winery Tokara. Here resident curator Julia Meintjes has her tongue in her dealer's cheek with an exhibition she calls Cabinet Reshuffle.
It's a mixed affair with even a few surprises (which was part of Meintjes's plot, of course). In this, a funky Zakkie Eloff finds its match in Andrew Verster's nice 1980s Hockney-style picture.
Hop across the road from this swanky winery to another - one that clearly aims to upstage the neighbour. You cannot possibly miss a visit to the newly reopened Delaire Graff.
Top-league jeweller-art collector Laurence Graff has spent millions on an upgrade of this well-known winery. Architecturally stylish and subtly impressive, it showcases a typical jeweller's attention to detail and (costly) finishes.
A well-known collector, Graff has spent a pretty penny on acquiring art and such for his state-of-the-art winery. These are placed, for public enjoyment, in carefully considered spaces and positions. But one wonders whether any of the pieces are superior to the stunning panoramic view. An artist like Deborah Bell is given plenty of display, and her pieces suit the handcrafted decor nicely and soothingly.
It's a question visitors to the glamorous Glen Carlou winery a few kilometres down the road may well want to ask another rich international collector. Owned by the Hess Group, the winery's attractive, custom-built gallery has had the same show for the past year and a half. While the Andy Goldsworthy pieces are ever cheerful to see, the rest, rather dull from the start, surely, need a rest.
On the way back to the city, on the other Stellenbosch route, prime estate Kanonkop's art gallery space has proven to be as popular to tourists as its famous wines.
While some of the artworks on show play up to such popularity, the standard is solid.
At Bosman's Crossing, Stellenbosch's somewhat recently activated buzzing wine/food hub surrounded by wineries, Pier and Jo-Marie Rabe have a useful, large art space in their new Red Black and White gallery.
Shows, often quite quirky and colourful, change monthly and have added attraction to the area.
In Stellenbosch, of course, the Smac Gallery is now a favourite arty fixture. Two current exhibitions are well worth a visit.
The group show Abstract South African Art from the Isolation Years: Part Three is upstairs, while Ricky Burnett's Twombly-influenced solo show On Skin has the locals in a twitter.
For information, call Spier at 809 1100; Tokara at 021 808 5900; Delaire Graff at 021 885 8166; Glen Carlou at 875 5528; Kanonkop at 021 884 4656; Red Black and White at 886 6281; and Smac at 021 887 3607.
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