Ann Bryant Art Gallery hosts student art exhibition

East London’s Ann Bryant Art Gallery hosted the opening of an exhibition by final year Walter Sisulu University art students on Tuesday night.  

Supervising lecturer of the Walter Sisulu Arts Department, Dr John Steele, said the annual exhibition, which runs until November 19, is the culmination of two years of hard work by the institution’s B-tech students.

“It serves as a great public platform and is highly competitive as it counts towards a great percentage of the students’ final mark,” said Steele. Ann Bryant Art Gallery curator Leon du Preez said: “The  exhibition is not only good publicity for the students, but also promotes community involvement and benefits the Ann Bryant as a fine art establishment.”

The nine students involved in the exhibition presented their art through four different mediums; sketching, painting, printing and ceramics and each student had a theme that inspired  their artwork.

Filita Sango, who specialises in painting, said he drew his inspiration from the small village near Queenstown where he grew up and the different types of people who live there.  “Even though the people in my village are culturally different, they tolerate one another because they recognise that, on a social level, they are all the same.”

Wandile Ntlanganiso is a relief printing specialist and he focused his art theme on self-employment in the South African business sector.  “I gained my inspiration by going out and observing entrepreneurs and listening to their views on the business sector,” he explained.

Sandiso Wangama is an aspiring print-maker and chose human trafficking as the main theme to explore in his artwork.  “I chose the topic because my brother was a victim of human trafficking, so I used that traumatic experience as the inspiration for my art,” said Wangama. Many of the students admit there are not many career opportunities in creative arts and said they know of many artists who struggle to find jobs. Nonetheless they were all optimistic about their futures and confident in their talents.

All the artists intend pursuing careers that allow them to give back to the community through art. The launch evening ended with the exhibitors receiving awards and prizes for the area of art in which they excelled. Exhibitions by Lovedale College students and those at Duncan Village Gompo Art Studio are also currently on display at the gallery.