Beautiful things exhibited

The stunning exhibition was opened on Thursday March 10 by the minister of sport, arts and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and presented by the department as well as the Graskop Gorge Lift Co.

March 20, 2022

Chelsea Pieterse 1 minute read

Thaba Chweu Local Municipality's mayor, Fridah Nkadimeng.

Magnificent and utterly spectacular works from 90 South African artists were presented at the Graskop Gorge Lift Co as part of the national exhibit, Beautiful Things 2022.

Over 1 000 submissions for the exhibition had been received, however, the curators could only select 90 crafters from all the provinces across the country to exhibit, due to limited space.

The arts and crafts represent South Africa’s craft art sector in all its diversity and vibrancy, and is a public showcase of the country’s best contemporary crafts.

The exhibition was held from March 10 to 16, however, it is expected that some of the crafts will remain on display for a few weeks following the exhibition.

The arts exhibited were ceramics, beadwork, wirework, wood, jewellery, paper, fabric painting and printing, quilting, leatherwork, pewter, glasswork, embroidery and mixed media.

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The exhibition was curated by John-Anthony Boerma of Art Aid and co-curated by Mandla Hlophe of Malengs Holdings.

Minister Nathi Mthethwa is shown around the exhibition.

At the opening, Mthethwa encouraged artists to keep producing their stellar pieces to share with both national and international markets.

“This exhibition is indicative of the type of interventions we are supporting to bring about recovering economic reconstruction of the cultural and creative industries, especially following the two most difficult years, 2020 and 2021.

“At the core of the creative recovery should be a solid connection with viable markets, both local and international, for the products and services South Africa has to offer.”

The hybrid exhibition comprised both a physical and a virtual component, for maximum reach and exposure.

Those who were unable to attend can like and follow the Instagram and Facebook pages, @beautifulthingscraft, for updates on how to access the exhibition and the catalogue virtually.