Karen von Veh | University of Johannesburg, South Africa (original) (raw)
Papers by Karen von Veh
Paul Weinberg is probably best known in South African photographic circles as a 'struggle'... more Paul Weinberg is probably best known in South African photographic circles as a 'struggle' photographer with a long-standing belief in the importance of documentary photographic archives as part of our democratic right to knowledge.
In South Africa Christianity has a history of underpinning Nationalist state policies that reinfo... more In South Africa Christianity has a history of underpinning Nationalist state policies that reinforced the censorship laws and largely informed Afrikaner dominance under apartheid. The artists to be discussed in this paper parody Christian imagery to disturb complacent viewing and encourage critical engagement with implications that may not be apparent in the original context, particularly those relating to the historic misappropriation of Christianity as a language of power and the narrow interpretation of male and female identity promoted by Christian role models. This paper considers reasons for strong public reactions to these images in the contemporary, largely secular world of state politics and public opinion.
The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg has diverse departm... more The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg has diverse departments ranging from Architecture, Fine Arts and Multimedia to five different design disciplines. After years of being housed in geographically dispersed locations the faculty has recently moved into one building, and is in the process of consolidating and rationalizing the teaching programmes. One area of rationalization has been identified as the theory programme, and we have been assigned the task of identifying theoretical material and drawing up a single teaching programme that most departments could subscribe to. This paper will begin by providing a breakdown of what has been taught thus far in the first year pilot programme of a single offering for the faculty and how it was received. Consideration will also be given to the problems we face in identifying curriculum content for subsequent years. The major concern thus far is that our material is not discipline specific enough to fulf...
The struggle over religious imagery and its significance in sacramental terms has had a complex h... more The struggle over religious imagery and its significance in sacramental terms has had a complex history that has been the topic of many studies regarding the function of images and has ultimately led to the development of current non-religious studies in visual culture. Margaret Miles (2002:62,63) describes the original iconoclastic controversy as “the first debate over representation”, and notes that even today “many of the issues and arguments of iconoclasm are still detectable in…debates over the power of images in media cultures”. In this paper I present a brief theoretical overview of the history of religious imagery and iconoclasm as a background for the works that were displayed in the exhibition Deconstructing Dogma, held at the University of Johannesburg’s Art Gallery from 6-29 May 2014. I explain the strength of feeling ascribed to images that are considered sacred, with the result that they comprise a perfect vehicle for parodic quotation in post-modern terms, leading to ...
Feminist art in South Africa has historically had a mixed reception and was often dismissed as ir... more Feminist art in South Africa has historically had a mixed reception and was often dismissed as irrelevant during the years of apartheid as it was identified with Western ideals so was marginalized as elitist. For many years, only art that dealt with political injustices and socio-political commentary was considered pertinent because race rather than gender was understood as the primary determinant in the levels of injustice in South Africa. Art that employed feminist strategies, therefore, was only acknowledged if it contained some racial or political content. The removal of apartheid and the introduction of a democratic system in South Africa, along with the drafting of one of the most liberal constitutions in the world co-incided with what has been labeled a post-feminist era. Globally feminist strategies for unpacking identity or exposing patriarchally entrenched injustices have now become accepted methodologies for artists engaging with all manner of contemporary social and poli...
The importance of Diane Victor's impressive body of drawings and prints lies not only in its... more The importance of Diane Victor's impressive body of drawings and prints lies not only in its biting social commentary and the sometimes macabre quality of her images, but also in the interplay between the tough and the fragile in her work, between the difficult subject matter of her visual narratives and the delicate mark-making and fragility of her preferred media. Victor's steady output over two decades, her dedication to technique and form, and her courageous and often humorous representation of the world around her have made her one of the most important contemporary South African artists.
Art that was produced in South Africa from the 1960’s until the end of apartheid was largely poli... more Art that was produced in South Africa from the 1960’s until the end of apartheid was largely politicised. Much of it was aimed at protesting against the injustices of apartheid or commenting on social inequalities and problematising the status quo. The Christian message of suffering and martyrdom became a particularly useful metaphor for the suffering of black people during this time and Christian imagery was employed by many artists to this end. During apartheid co-option of such imagery reinforced the underlying Christian message of sacrifice and blamelessness, as these accepted traditional connotations were necessary for a suitable reading of Christian imagery in a political sense. When looking at the re-use of Christian iconography in post-apartheid art works, however, the emphasis shifts dramatically. More recent works tend to employ such imagery in a subversive way, to question its source and to deconstruct certain ‘truths’ and expectations that are promoted by religion. Conte...
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS OF …, 2009
169 INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORY TEACHING: CAN ONE SIZE REALLY FIT ALL? Karen VON VEH, Landi RAUBENHE... more 169 INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORY TEACHING: CAN ONE SIZE REALLY FIT ALL? Karen VON VEH, Landi RAUBENHEIMER Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Johannesburg Abstract The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg ...
... Journal Title: De Arte; Volume: Volume; Issue: Issue 79; Publication Date: 2009; Pages: 41 - ... more ... Journal Title: De Arte; Volume: Volume; Issue: Issue 79; Publication Date: 2009; Pages: 41 - 48; Authors: Karen Von Veh; ISSN: 00043389; Abstract: From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that it was started relatively recently in ...
de arte, 2012
This article examines selected examples of art made in South Africa which employ Christian imager... more This article examines selected examples of art made in South Africa which employ Christian imagery for the purposes of engaging with political and social commentary. Works made during the apartheid era by Azaria Mbatha, Charles Nkosi and Paul Stopforth are discussed briefly and compared to the more critical approach found in post-apartheid works by Diane Victor, Conrad Botes and Wim Botha. Christian iconography is a useful communicative tool because it has permeated many cultures over centuries, and the meanings it carries are thus accessible to large numbers of people. Examples made during the apartheid regime in South Africa appear to adapt the Christian message to support a political agenda, while those made in the transitional phase (from the late 1980s) and after the dismantling of apartheid are more critical of both religious constructs and politics, and could be termed 'transgressive'. Working in light of Foucault's idea of an 'ontology of the present' I investigate the ways in which religious iconography has been implicated in the regulation of society, by revealing how subversive appropriations of Christian imagery expose these controls and offer a critique of mechanisms which produce normative 'truths'.
Public Art in South Africa
de arte, 2003
On 27 April 2002 at 19:00 a group of people gathered at the I PREMISES Gallery at the Civic Theat... more On 27 April 2002 at 19:00 a group of people gathered at the I PREMISES Gallery at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg to witness the first stage of a work entitled Corpa Delicata (meaning 'delicate. delicious bodies') (1). Part one of Corpa Delicata was a performance. a melting of 750 wax 'chocolates' held in front of a live audience and filmed by four video cameras. It was the destruction of over five months of work during which Leora Farber painstakingly fashioned these miniature 'sculptures' in wax and was. understandably, described by her as a 'massacre'( Farber 2002c). Part two was a video artwork of carefully edited scenes from the performance on a loop that showed events both forward and in reverse. This was displayed at the I PREMISES from 2 to 11 May 2002.
de arte, 2009
From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that... more From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that it was started relatively recently in the post-apartheid era (September 1997, to be exact), which had an impact on the nature of works collected. There was no pressure by a conservative white leadership in the company to purchase classic SA modernist art works, such as Pierneef and Stern.
Paul Weinberg is probably best known in South African photographic circles as a 'struggle'... more Paul Weinberg is probably best known in South African photographic circles as a 'struggle' photographer with a long-standing belief in the importance of documentary photographic archives as part of our democratic right to knowledge.
In South Africa Christianity has a history of underpinning Nationalist state policies that reinfo... more In South Africa Christianity has a history of underpinning Nationalist state policies that reinforced the censorship laws and largely informed Afrikaner dominance under apartheid. The artists to be discussed in this paper parody Christian imagery to disturb complacent viewing and encourage critical engagement with implications that may not be apparent in the original context, particularly those relating to the historic misappropriation of Christianity as a language of power and the narrow interpretation of male and female identity promoted by Christian role models. This paper considers reasons for strong public reactions to these images in the contemporary, largely secular world of state politics and public opinion.
The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg has diverse departm... more The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg has diverse departments ranging from Architecture, Fine Arts and Multimedia to five different design disciplines. After years of being housed in geographically dispersed locations the faculty has recently moved into one building, and is in the process of consolidating and rationalizing the teaching programmes. One area of rationalization has been identified as the theory programme, and we have been assigned the task of identifying theoretical material and drawing up a single teaching programme that most departments could subscribe to. This paper will begin by providing a breakdown of what has been taught thus far in the first year pilot programme of a single offering for the faculty and how it was received. Consideration will also be given to the problems we face in identifying curriculum content for subsequent years. The major concern thus far is that our material is not discipline specific enough to fulf...
The struggle over religious imagery and its significance in sacramental terms has had a complex h... more The struggle over religious imagery and its significance in sacramental terms has had a complex history that has been the topic of many studies regarding the function of images and has ultimately led to the development of current non-religious studies in visual culture. Margaret Miles (2002:62,63) describes the original iconoclastic controversy as “the first debate over representation”, and notes that even today “many of the issues and arguments of iconoclasm are still detectable in…debates over the power of images in media cultures”. In this paper I present a brief theoretical overview of the history of religious imagery and iconoclasm as a background for the works that were displayed in the exhibition Deconstructing Dogma, held at the University of Johannesburg’s Art Gallery from 6-29 May 2014. I explain the strength of feeling ascribed to images that are considered sacred, with the result that they comprise a perfect vehicle for parodic quotation in post-modern terms, leading to ...
Feminist art in South Africa has historically had a mixed reception and was often dismissed as ir... more Feminist art in South Africa has historically had a mixed reception and was often dismissed as irrelevant during the years of apartheid as it was identified with Western ideals so was marginalized as elitist. For many years, only art that dealt with political injustices and socio-political commentary was considered pertinent because race rather than gender was understood as the primary determinant in the levels of injustice in South Africa. Art that employed feminist strategies, therefore, was only acknowledged if it contained some racial or political content. The removal of apartheid and the introduction of a democratic system in South Africa, along with the drafting of one of the most liberal constitutions in the world co-incided with what has been labeled a post-feminist era. Globally feminist strategies for unpacking identity or exposing patriarchally entrenched injustices have now become accepted methodologies for artists engaging with all manner of contemporary social and poli...
The importance of Diane Victor's impressive body of drawings and prints lies not only in its... more The importance of Diane Victor's impressive body of drawings and prints lies not only in its biting social commentary and the sometimes macabre quality of her images, but also in the interplay between the tough and the fragile in her work, between the difficult subject matter of her visual narratives and the delicate mark-making and fragility of her preferred media. Victor's steady output over two decades, her dedication to technique and form, and her courageous and often humorous representation of the world around her have made her one of the most important contemporary South African artists.
Art that was produced in South Africa from the 1960’s until the end of apartheid was largely poli... more Art that was produced in South Africa from the 1960’s until the end of apartheid was largely politicised. Much of it was aimed at protesting against the injustices of apartheid or commenting on social inequalities and problematising the status quo. The Christian message of suffering and martyrdom became a particularly useful metaphor for the suffering of black people during this time and Christian imagery was employed by many artists to this end. During apartheid co-option of such imagery reinforced the underlying Christian message of sacrifice and blamelessness, as these accepted traditional connotations were necessary for a suitable reading of Christian imagery in a political sense. When looking at the re-use of Christian iconography in post-apartheid art works, however, the emphasis shifts dramatically. More recent works tend to employ such imagery in a subversive way, to question its source and to deconstruct certain ‘truths’ and expectations that are promoted by religion. Conte...
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS OF …, 2009
169 INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORY TEACHING: CAN ONE SIZE REALLY FIT ALL? Karen VON VEH, Landi RAUBENHE... more 169 INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORY TEACHING: CAN ONE SIZE REALLY FIT ALL? Karen VON VEH, Landi RAUBENHEIMER Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Johannesburg Abstract The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg ...
... Journal Title: De Arte; Volume: Volume; Issue: Issue 79; Publication Date: 2009; Pages: 41 - ... more ... Journal Title: De Arte; Volume: Volume; Issue: Issue 79; Publication Date: 2009; Pages: 41 - 48; Authors: Karen Von Veh; ISSN: 00043389; Abstract: From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that it was started relatively recently in ...
de arte, 2012
This article examines selected examples of art made in South Africa which employ Christian imager... more This article examines selected examples of art made in South Africa which employ Christian imagery for the purposes of engaging with political and social commentary. Works made during the apartheid era by Azaria Mbatha, Charles Nkosi and Paul Stopforth are discussed briefly and compared to the more critical approach found in post-apartheid works by Diane Victor, Conrad Botes and Wim Botha. Christian iconography is a useful communicative tool because it has permeated many cultures over centuries, and the meanings it carries are thus accessible to large numbers of people. Examples made during the apartheid regime in South Africa appear to adapt the Christian message to support a political agenda, while those made in the transitional phase (from the late 1980s) and after the dismantling of apartheid are more critical of both religious constructs and politics, and could be termed 'transgressive'. Working in light of Foucault's idea of an 'ontology of the present' I investigate the ways in which religious iconography has been implicated in the regulation of society, by revealing how subversive appropriations of Christian imagery expose these controls and offer a critique of mechanisms which produce normative 'truths'.
Public Art in South Africa
de arte, 2003
On 27 April 2002 at 19:00 a group of people gathered at the I PREMISES Gallery at the Civic Theat... more On 27 April 2002 at 19:00 a group of people gathered at the I PREMISES Gallery at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg to witness the first stage of a work entitled Corpa Delicata (meaning 'delicate. delicious bodies') (1). Part one of Corpa Delicata was a performance. a melting of 750 wax 'chocolates' held in front of a live audience and filmed by four video cameras. It was the destruction of over five months of work during which Leora Farber painstakingly fashioned these miniature 'sculptures' in wax and was. understandably, described by her as a 'massacre'( Farber 2002c). Part two was a video artwork of carefully edited scenes from the performance on a loop that showed events both forward and in reverse. This was displayed at the I PREMISES from 2 to 11 May 2002.
de arte, 2009
From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that... more From its inception, the MTN Art Collection has differed from other South African examples in that it was started relatively recently in the post-apartheid era (September 1997, to be exact), which had an impact on the nature of works collected. There was no pressure by a conservative white leadership in the company to purchase classic SA modernist art works, such as Pierneef and Stern.