Trade Re-routed is produced in partnership with the Joburg Fringe and the Goethe-Institut. At the Joburg Fringe the work is featured as an unjuried artwork, submitted by the Goethe-Institut.Curated by Nontobeko Ntombela. An intervention by Anthea Moys and Donna Kukama in collaboration with Shannon Ferguson and Jamie Gowrie.
The Goethe-Institut asked Nontobeko Ntombela to formulate a curatorial strategy that would connect the Joburg Fringe in Braamfontein and Joburg Fringe Booth at the Joburg Art Fair in Sandton. Her strategy, rather than selecting individual artists’ work, was to invite selected artists to engage in the art ‘trade' central to both platforms.
What artists Donna Kukama and Anthea Moys have conceptualized is a system of exchanges that re-evaluates art, its market value, and the economies surrounding its trade. The Analysts (Donna Kukama and Anthea Moys) will embark on a tour of the Fringe and Joburg Art Fair collecting works to be traded between the two spaces. The collection process takes on the form of a game where The Analysts describe selected works via walkie talkies to two artists who will create real-time interpretations (drawings) of the works based on what they hear, without any visual references. These interpretations of the works “collected” at the Fringe will be traded for interpreted works “collected” at the Art Fair, resulting in an auction of Fringe works at the fair, and vice-versa.The result is a game of chance that allows for the “original artwork” to be potentially re-routed from its original location in order to be traded in its counter-universe.
The process is outlined below. See more about the project here.
Wednesday:"Collecting of artworks" at the Fringe. The Art Analysts, Donna and Anthea, describe artworks via Walkie-Talkie to the 2 artists located at the Fringe. Each artist has 3 minutes to complete a drawing based on the description sent by us, without visual references. The aim is to collect as much “Art Fair Worthy” work as possible. In simple terms, as much work from the Fringe as possible. The audience where the artists drawing are located will have text announcing the project and its upcoming events off a screen in the space.)
Thursday: “Collecting of artworks” at the Fair (the same process happens as the day before, with all four participants at the Fair).
Thursday: “Collecting of artworks” at the Fair (the same process happens as the day before, with all four participants at the Fair).
Friday: “Trading of works” (6h30-08H00) The Analysts will set up at the Fringe booth at the Art Fair. They are to evaluate and physically trade the drawings produced over the past 2 days.
These should lead to three piles:
1. Worthy of the Fair
2. Worthy of the Fringe
3. The Museum Collection (neither “sellable” nor “art”).
These should lead to three piles:
1. Worthy of the Fair
2. Worthy of the Fringe
3. The Museum Collection (neither “sellable” nor “art”).
Saturday: “The Auction” (13h00-15h00)
Two auctions are to be held simultaneously at both the Fringe and the Fair. Work that is “worthy of the Art Fair” will be auctioned at the Joburg Art Fair. “Fringe-worthy” work is to be auctioned at the Joburg Fringe. Audiences at both locations will see proceedings of the auction at an alter-space. Bidding is allowed across the two spaces, and buyers have to bear in mind the risk of only accessing the price of the work, with no clear visual reference of what is being sold.
Two auctions are to be held simultaneously at both the Fringe and the Fair. Work that is “worthy of the Art Fair” will be auctioned at the Joburg Art Fair. “Fringe-worthy” work is to be auctioned at the Joburg Fringe. Audiences at both locations will see proceedings of the auction at an alter-space. Bidding is allowed across the two spaces, and buyers have to bear in mind the risk of only accessing the price of the work, with no clear visual reference of what is being sold.
