Ivor Markman
Judgement Day for Constitutional Art
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PLACE OF LAW: The Constitutional Court, facing onto Constitution square, stands on the hillside below Johannesburg's old Boer Republic's fort. The name "Constitutional Court" is written in South Africa's 11 official languages and conveys the message: whatever your race, language or situation in life, you're welcome here. The typeface wording was designed by Garth Walker. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
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The 27 fundamental themes of the Bill of Rights are carved onto the nine-metre-high entrance doors of the Constitutional Court building in sign language and all 11 official languages. The door was designed by artists Andrew Verster and Andries Botha, and carved by Smanga Madlala, Richard Maphumulo, Jabulani Mkhize, Dumisani Mthethwa, Ernest Mthethwa, Dumisani Mthethwa, Ernest Mthethwa, Musa Ngcobo, Lindelani Ndinsa and Richard Shange.
Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
APARTHEID MONSTER: Braam Fisher's actual briefcase was used as the basis for this sculpture entitled "The Dogs of War" by the Handspring Puppet Company and which depicts the evils of apartheid. Fisher was an attorney who was denied proper medical care and died of cancer while locked up in Pretoria's Central Prison. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
By Ivor Markman
A court-house is hardly a place you would expect to view compelling works of art, but South Africa's Constitutional Court has one of the country's most exciting and moving exhibitions.
A part-time collections manager has just been appointed to decide whether or not to allow the Johannesburg collection to tour the country so all South African will be able to enjoy the art.
Put together by Judge Albie Sachs, the collection is an eclectic mix of loose art on display in the gallery.
Some art has also been incorporated in the architecture of the building.
The main doors, for instance, are made up of wooden panels inscribed with words and sign-language symbols conveying' the 27 rights enshrined in the Constitution.
"When the court was established in 1994, we entered a completely bare building," said Sachs.
Everyone was given tasks . . . in the end there was only Albie Sachs and (Justice) Yvonne Mokgoro left.
"We were given R10 000 to get the court ready for the inauguration by President Mandela in 1995.
"We bought one tapestry by Joseph Ndlovu, a lovely piece of people hugging each other," he said.
Today there are 200 pieces in a variety of media including tapestries, engravings, sculptures and paintings. The court's collection is worth millions of rands.
Surprisingly, the artworks were not the fruits of a large budget, but the fruits of the generosity of the artists and a tribute to the country`s new Constitution.
All photos and text Copyright, 2018.
FREEDOM DANCER: Based on a photograph of an African Zionist, "Freedom Dancer", an acrylic on wood, was created by Paul Stopforth in Boston in the US. The work was inspired by the first democratic election and was donated to the Constitutional Court by the artist. The luminosity of the painting is the result of thousands of painted beads spread across the surface. Large hands encapsulate the figure and radiate the energy of the dancer's leap out into the space around the work.
Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
HORSE - MAN: Dumile Feni's bronze sculpture, "History," stands outside the entrance to the Constitutional Court. The original clay design was retrieved from the Tallix Art Foundry in Brooklyn, New York, after Feni's death and enlarged with the support of the Dumile Feni Trust. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
DAY OF FREEDOM: Jane Nkata and Billy Makhubele's Day of Freedom is a massive beadwork depicting Nelson Mandela casting his vote in 1994. The work is inscribed with: "Day of Freedom: On April 27, 1994, Nelson Mandela casts the first vote of his life in the land of his birth. He voted at Ohlange High School, Inanda, north of Durban." Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
ANGRY GODZILLA: Poised like a giant monster, this intriguing woodcarving stands guard on the Great African Steps, which were built using bricks from the demolished Awaiting Trial Block. The steps divide the old stone wall of the notorious old Number Four prison and the court's glass frontage - a space between the past and the future. Judge Albie Sachs donated Godzilla to the court. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This impressive multi-media 1989 sculpture by Norman Catherine, is titled "Speaker of the House", and shows a figure with an outstretched tongue and raised left arm speaking into a microphone. It was donated by the artist in 1999. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
WOVEN WIRE: A close-up sectional shot of "Mediator," a wire sculpture by Walter Oltmann. The sculpture stands inside the Constitutional Court building. Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
FREEDOM DANCERS: "Moving into Dance," a bronze tubing sculpture by artist Orlando De Almeida, depicts a group of dancers outside the Constitutional Court building. "The Constitutional Court is the highest court in the country in respect of constitutional matters. The Court hears appeals, direct applications, confirmation proceedings (where a lower court has declared legislation invalid), and may review Bills of Parliament." Photo: IVOR MARKMAN.
