From left, Leana Mare, Rene Heunis, Charne Mungur, Bretten-Anne Moolman, Ania Draper, Ra’ees Bonnasse, Cassian Gower, Tristin van der Merwe (Photograph Jessica Staple)
Guided by director Bretten-Ann Moolman, students gained valuable behind the scenes training to organise and host a public exhibition.
Artists from across the country were invited to submit works for show at the event from 24 July to 14 August at the Art on Target Gallery in Gqeberha.
The event is noted for its unique format: all works are accepted, all are required to be the same size, sold at the same price, and displayed anonymously.
A novelty in the industry, the exhibition invites viewers and buyers to select artworks based purely on their own enjoyment or connection to a piece, rather than according to the name or reputation of the artist.
Since 2022, the University’s Visual Arts Department has collaborated with Art on Target, using the event as a learning opportunity for its students.
This year's exhibition of 192 artworks was curated and installed entirely by Honours students in Fine Art and Photography: Ra'ees Bonnasse, Ania Draper, Cassian Gower, René Heunis, Charné Mungur and Tristin van der Merwe.
From left, Cassian Gower, Charné Mungu, Tristin van der Merwe and Ra’ees Bonnasse (photograph Rene Heunis)
Students are involved in the process from beginning to end, including receiving works of art from participants, curating the exhibition, installation, content creation for the media, managing the opening event and sales, door duty and take down.
Rene Heunis and Ania Draper (Photograph Rene Heunis)
The students are also allocated a dedicated exhibition space to display their own work, giving them an opportunity to share their practice with other creatives and develop meaningful industry relationships.
An annual event, Same Size, Same Price, No Signature has a long history in the Eastern Cape arts community.
The concept was initiated by well-known Eastern Cape arts figure Tossie Theron of Cuyler Street Gallery, where it was hosted annually for many years. In 2019, Art on Target took up the baton and has since grown the exhibition into a thriving annual event that continues to foster community engagement.
Read more on https://visualarts.mandela.ac.za and https://artontarget.co.za
For more info contact Jessica.Staple@mandela.ac.za