The Portrait Company, which includes works by artists from all over South
Africa and the world, pays tribute to the President in various mediums.
The exhibit has over 110 portraits executed in various media. The exhibit
has a kind of international appeal, which allows it to travel very well;
it is also an important historical document, which becomes particularly
sharp in light of the bans on the representation of images of Nelson
Mandela during his imprisonment. The exhibit opened in Johannesburg and
will open to a wider audience in Durban in late February. As the
collection has not been researched and artists biographies compiled, there
is great scope for research possibilities and for the creation of history
text, educational materials, changing, exhibits on the Net and the
creation of a CD Rom to coincide with the history and rise of the ANC.
Included in this collection is all of the honorary doctorates and medals
which have been conferred on the president. There has already been a
proposal to have an interview with the President and have him walk through
the collection of his portraits and talk around them for a documentary
which would include commentary and curation from myself.
pillai.j@ufhcc.ufh.ac.za
Janet Pillai
Curator
Center for Cultural Studies
University of Fort Hare
Private Bag X 1314
Alice
5700, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Tel: 27(404) 22269/22442
Cell: 082 200 3326
Fax: 27(404) 31926
