Cape Town, South Africa – The exhibition Art from Southern Africa is at the Anglican AIDS and Healthcare Trust’s Office; 1 Braehead Rd, Kenilworth. Made up of nearly 140 paintings, graphic works and sculptures the exhibition incorporates emerging and established artists from South Africa and Zimbabwe with styles ranging from realism to abstraction and everything in between. There is no theme as such, the art is left to speak for itself and it definitely does. From social and political to whimsical the artists strive to share their lives through their work. The artists interpret and absorb western artistic traditions and make them their own with a unique cultural stamp.  On exhibition until the 3^rd of July, 2009. 

Each artwork in the exhibition clearly indicates the desire of the artists to empower themselves and their communities in the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’ (I am because we are). Creative and vibrant the artworks encourage the viewer to see, recognize and celebrate their difference. The works reflect a diverse plural world where huge inequalities exist.   As such, the genuine value of the artworks lies in the fact that they speak of the initiative of the artists and the times in which we live.

The exhibition is the result of a gift of 77 works of art from Ms. Gail Dörje of The Cape Gallery to support and further the Anglican AIDS and Healthcare Trust’s, AAHT’s, HIV and AIDS work. This generous gift has, subsequently, been augmented by gifts and consignments from individual artists seeking a means to show their support for AAHT’s work. All of the artwork is for sale and the funds raised are going to the implementation of AAHT’s programmes.

The Anglican AIDS & Healthcare Trust is the Provincial (6 nation) organization under Archbishop Thabo Makgoba which is responsible for the Anglican Church’s response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic and other health issues. The Trust is responsible for designing and implementing HIV prevention and AIDS support programmes which it administers throughout South Africa and the other five countries in the Province.

This initiative represents a completely new fund-raising effort by AAHT. Through this exhibition AAHT hopes to draw attention to the HIV and AIDS pandemic; to provide artists access to a new audience; to contribute to reducing/eliminating the stigma associated with AIDS; and to raise funds to further its work ameliorating the impact of AIDS on individuals and communities.

The exhibition has been curated by Mareike Wolf from the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Germany who has taken both a professional and personal interest in African art and graciously donated her time and energy to this project.

For more information on AAHT’s projects please visit the website: www.anglicanaids.net  or call 086-100-1171 in South Africa.