DURBAN - Matric pupils were hit by a wave of inspiration as the art they read of in their textbooks came to life in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cape Town last weekend.
Visual arts pupils from the Phakathi Secondary School in Klaarwater, Pinetown, were invited to three art galleries in the Western Cape through the Zinyathi Foundation, an NGO focusing on arts, culture and education.
Organised with the aid of world-renowned visual arts activist Professor Zanele Muholi, the 12 matric pupils were awarded the opportunity to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, the Noval Foundation, and the Stevenson Gallery, where the works of Thenjiwe Nkosi are displayed.
Phakathi Secondary’s visual arts teacher, Zanele Nsindane-Ndabezitha, said the pupils were excited as the words and art featured in their textbooks came to life.
“Our pupils were truly beyond words at the practicality of having the works of art they read and examine themselves on, in front of their eyes. It was a sight to behold. They were motivated and saw the worthiness of the hard work they put into the subject, that it was not a fickle dream,” said Nsindane-Ndabezitha.
Matric pupil Ziyanda Ndlovu said the artworks were not always shown in textbooks.
“In the textbooks we read at school, the artwork is not clearly shown, some details are often hidden, which requires us to do more research on the internet and download pictures.
“I remember artwork done by Arm Stan called the Ramadan – in the book it shows one man leaning and the other passing by. But, when I got to see the actual piece that was displayed at the Noval Foundation, I realised that the two men were both leaning. It made me appreciate the complexity of art,” said Ziyanda.
Daily News