VISUAL ART

AZARIA MBATHA



Azaria Mbatha is probably the most distinguished of all the artists who trained at the historic ELC Art and Craft Centre at Rorke's Drift. He was one of the first students at the centre to graduate in 1964 and later taught there for a year before settling in Sweden.

A much-respected artist, he is known internationally and his work is represen-ted in all the public collections in South Africa as well as in important art museum collections abroad. New York's Museum of Modern Art was the first foreign public gallery to acquire his work as early as 1967.

Mbatha has won many awards and over his long career as an artist has received commissions both here and abroad. He has held numerous exhibitions in South Africa and abroad. His last visit to Durban coincided with his exhibition at the African Art Centre which he dedi-cated to the memory of the centre's long-time co-ordinator Jo Thorpe.

RETROSPECTIVE

The Durban Art Gallery, in conjunction with the BAT Centre, the African Art Centre and the Campbell Collections of the University of Natal, will present a major retrospective exhibition of his work in October and November.

All who own linocuts or silkscreen lithographs or, rarest of all, etchings by Azaria Mbatha are being asked to contact Jill Addleson at the Durban Art Gallery on 332-7286 or PO Box 4085, Durban, 4000. Fax 368-3093.

DANCE FINE ART

A feature of the Playhouse Dance Com-pany's forthcoming season, A Mid-summer Night's Dream and Les Nuits d'Et‚, is the exhibition of fine art laid on by members of the NPO and their sup- porters in the Playhouse Inner Foyer.

HUGUIER EXHIBITION

The Alliance Fran‡aise of Durban and the French Institute of South Africa will be jointly responsible for the visit of well-known French photographer Fran‡oise Huguier to Durban.

Fran‡oise Huguier has visited Durban several times and now returns to present her photographic exhibition titled Women of Durban in the dance studio of the BAT Centre until the end of September.

She will also conduct photographic workshops during her stay in Durban.

"This exhibition is aimed at promoting the people of KZN and can be regarded as one of the highlights on Durban's exhibition calendar for 1997," says Alliance director, Fr‚d‚ric Dart.

The Women of Durban collection is expected to appear at the European Photographic Museum in Paris during 1998 as part of Fran‡oise Huguier's photographic exhibition featuring other African countries.

For details of the workshops, contact the Alliance Fran‡aise on 23-9582.

FASHION DRAWINGS

Running in conjunction with the exhibitions by Stan Shevil and Lee-Ann Boulter at the NSA Gallery in Bulwer Road is a collection of fashion design drawings.

Durban fashion designers will show storyboards and drawings in the NSA's Park Gallery. This is another innovative art form being presented by the NSA for the first time.

LEE-ANN BOULTER

An exhibition of work by Lee-Ann Boulter, representing her first one person show, runs at the NSA Gallery until September 18.

Lee-Ann Boulter makes paintings that are bold and aggressive. The paint, thickly applied with a painting knife, explores the frontier between abstraction and representation.

Although many paintings reflect the immediate concerns of her home and family, she has increasingly turned to landscape as subject matter which allows her to extend the tactility and boldness of the painted surface.

AFRICA ART GALLERY

Featured artist this month at Africa Art Gallery in Umhlanga is Francois Malherbe. Born in 1954 in Kroonstad, Free State, he studied at the PF Olivier Art Centre while he was at school and later at the University of Stellenbosch.

His current work has a strong ethnic influence which is inspired by the post-election era and his passion for African art. The artworks depict love, nature and family life with rhythm, earthy colours and form.

The Africa Gallery is situated in the Granada Centre, Umhlanga Rocks.

VIRGINIA ART

The Virginia Preparatory School will host its annual North Durban Spring Art Exhibition from September 9 to 11 in the school hall, Margaret Maytom Avenue in Durban North. Ring 83-6986 for details.