Author: Mmutle Arthur Kgokong/mmutleak

Absence

‘the state of being away from a place or person’

At this time of the year people make resolutions to do better in the New Year. For a guy who does not make resolutions I think it is great if the resolutions that they have made the previous year have been realized even if it is partial. Whichever way you look at it this is the time of reflection. A time of taking stock of things. I am not a guy who shoulder New Year’s resolutions very well simply because I just think resolutions can be a strict way of living one’s life. Since in the past when I made resolutions I tended to drop them quarter-way in the New Year after a stern concentration of seeing them through for a spell.  Look, I acknowledge that there are moments when one just makes a decision to do something with their life and the pursuit it naturally. For some people it comes without effort. Like those artists who work day and night, throw consignment all over Gauteng in hope, topped with some spunk, to withstand the torrents until someone gives a big break.

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Intraparadox: Interview with Lebohang Kganye

Mohlokomedi wa Tora

»On the 30 August 2018 at the Pretoria Art Museum I had the privilege of interviewing Lebohang Kganye on her solo exhibition Mohlokomedi wa Torai. The body of work that she has produced for this project gives two matriarchical perspective of her family narratives from where Ke Sa Le Teng her SASOL New Signatures winning video installation left of.

Mohlokomedi wa Tora Installation 1

Mmutle Arthur Kgokong: Thank you Lebohang for agreeing to talk to me once more. Uhm, it is a very interesting exhibition from the winning work last year. When I first saw that it is an installation I was struck by the fact that you have included your old man in this exhibition to give us that familiar element in your work. I just wanna ask you, you know, how has it been for your to create a new body of work for this solo project? Having won the prize last year, how did you produce this work?

Lebohang Kganye: I think it is daunting, I think even when I won it, I have been thinking about working in a particular way or experimenting with something very particular which was installation. I have already done it but I have never really resolved it, I have been doing it for the animation pieces and for the photography element uhm people should experience the work in that was, but I have never resolved it how to… because it was temporal, because it was softer cardboard. How to make it stand. Or be more permanent if you can say so was not really resolved. So this was great because it allowed me the time I had a good budget to kinda figure out and experiment with that. So I think it was great because I already had an idea of what I wanted to do was an installation, even though I wanted it to move, and this and this and that, but it was just such a great starting point and I am extremely excited about how this part of it is resolved

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Mohlokomedi wa Tora

Mohlokomedi wa Tora

Mohlokomedi wa Tora Installation 2

»Lebohang Kganye, SASOL New Signatures 2017 overall winner’s exhibition is up at the Pretoria Art Museum. Her 2017 winning work was groundbreaking in terms of the animation approach she used to make the video installation in telling her family’s journey to Johannesburg. The pop-up book animation effect was pervasive in twofold. While on the one hand it nuanced story telling by way of mimicking leafing through a book during reading it also recalled a stage play mode of representation. Now the results of her winnings which has to be translated into a solo project exhibitions are ready to be perused by all and sundry.

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Seluj ‘oH

From first sip of your cup; to quench the far away ending of a quest to look yonder for another love; its befitting to gesture  that it was dreamy cool.

Oh Seluj; you whose eyes sang of hope and resilience for the dreams that swelled in your delicate bosom, yet in your fragility you gesticulated that even the fragile can dream.

For a while there I came three sixty five complete. In your breath. In your acknowledgement of my soul Seluj ‘oH.

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Itshitshi

Τhere are works of art that braves to tackle contemporary issues with verve and hold water while doing so and there are those that do exactly that within the confines of a small canvas scale, as far as cinematographic time accorded them is concerned, and manage to just get it perfect, leaving no loose ends and nuancing the demise or triumphs of the human spirit for us to think about. Thapelo Motloung’s Itshitshi (2017) fits snugly into the second paradigm∇

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Telkom_LIT_TV_100 and the New Frontier

»More than a decade ago Telkom wanted to enter into the pay television foray. At that time the Soccer World Cup 2010 was just around the corner and there were pay television companies being set up to benefit from that sporting spectacle such as ODM (On Digital Media) and Sentech. Some of these licensed companies efforts would never see the light of the day despite the acquisition of licenses. Such were Telkom and Sentech’s efforts. Naspers Multichoice’s DStv established in 1995, was dominating the space as it is presently and sports coverage was, as it is today, its bargaining chip. Its future was secured«  

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The Imposter

»The consoling thing about Ferguson’s new drama series The Imposter is that the actor producer couple is not appearing in the series. Unless if a cameo appearance is planned down the line of the series airings. It would be great if the present status quo is kept as it is so that we can enjoy their craft from behind the scenes as they erect a stage for other talent to flex their muscles in the burgeoning South African television coliseum•

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Mmmmmm

optical jacket1>>> Of all the expressions that I have encountered to date on the social media networks the expression ‘Mmmmmm’ is an odd encounter. In my limited experience ‘Mmmmmm’ together with its variant expressions which are en-vogue is very illusive in its intent whether read in context or out of context. You could blame me for being insensible, however I for one have always considered this expression closer to the palate than the ear drum. Unless if somehow my wires have become undone ever since hitting the big four zero•

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The (Re)discovery of Sonequa Martin-Green

Sonequa Martin-Green sad exit from the #TheWalkingDead as Sasha Williams to be casted as Lieutenant Commander Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery proves that when one door closes another one opens and sometime that door is filled with better opportunities. She holds her ground as number one to Michelle Yeoh cast as Philippa Georgiou Captain of the USS Shenzhou as the new narrative opens for the new Star Trek. Martin-Green’s convincing performance leaves no traces of Sasha Williams and she looks like she might just take the devoted trekkies where they have always wanted to go …beyond imagination (which can be translated as ‘to boldly go when no one has gone before’).

#MyRating > 3dEFPoints/5 (for now based on the first episode which proposes a myriad of possibilities for a new story)

Image source: https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/star-trek-discovery-cast-timeline-trailer/

© mmutleak 2017