News & Events
Playing John Knox Bokwe Today: Launch of Plea for Africa
Thursday, 19 June 2025 from 17h00, the musician, performer, inventor and community builder Dr Thokozani Mhlambi will be presenting Playing John Knox Bokwe Today: Launch of Plea for Africa at the University of Cape Town’s Bindery Theatre Lab on the Hiddingh Campus.
Playing on a custom-designed, handmade Baroque cello with gut strings, Dr Mhlambi creates innovative work, both for himself as a solo musician and for ensembles. He regularly plays with ensembles in South Africa and North America.
For Playing John Knox Bokwe Today: Launch of Plea for Africa Dr Mhlambi’s presentation begins with an intellectual sketch of Bokwe, which follows the approach of Ntongela Masilela in his New African Movement website. After the talk, musical rendition will be performed by Mhlambi and contemporary dancer, Kholisile Theo Ndindwa as well as the launch of the music video: Plea for Africa composed by John Knox Bokwe and recorded by Dr Mhlambi (feat. Lonwabo Mafani).
The music video was made possible with the collaborative support of the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Cape Town and Afropolitan Explosiv.
This event is free of charge. RSVP is required via admin@creativeknow.org.
Refreshments and light snacks will be served.
At their Feet
Friday, 13 June 2025 from 18h00, Baloyi launches an exhibition she has curated — inspired by the title of Nadia Davids’ seminal play (2006), At their Feet — that breaks down the silos of artistic production by pairing artists and asking them to instill practices of care by being in service to their fellow colleague. The exhibition will be held at Lemkus Gallery in Cape Town.
Each artist has produced artworks that grapple with themes personal to their identity, worldview, lived experience, or what they find themselves contending with at this particular moment in their practice. These artworks have then been further engaged
with by one of their contemporaries who produces a work in response to theirs. At every step each artist has had to consider what acts of care have meant for them, how they would wish to approach a fellow artist’s artwork, and how they would wish for their work to be approached.
In the end, with the help of you as our audience, we will produce a working lexicon of what responsiveness, reciprocity, and relativity can look like within the context of artistic production when dealing with a diverse set of worldviews, experiences, and identities. Here, the concept of revolutionary (m)othering finds root within the exhibition’s working methodology.
Achmat Soni presents The Art of Devotion: Embracing the Spirit of Islamic Art in Africa
Islamic Art is not confined to history books or museums; it is a living, breathing tradition that continues to evolve. From the grand mosques of Istanbul to the contemporary galleries of New York, Islamic calligraphy, architecture, and illumination are finding new audiences and new interpretations.
Next Thursday, 20 March 2025 at 12h00 self-taught Islamic artist, Achmat Soni will be presenting a guest lecture on The Art of Devotion: Embracing the Spirit of Islamic Art in Africa at the University of Cape Town’s Beattie Room.
Soni has succesfully achieved commissions to decorate the domes, panels and mihgrabs of 76 mosques throughout South Africa. He has painted well over 2000 Islamic artworks to date, of which no two are alike and taught Islamic art to many students over the years. His recent works include indigenous African art in his endeavour to encapsulate the art form of Africa.
In his lecture, Soni explores the global tapestry of Islamic Art across the world and in particular, Islamic Art in the African context.
This lecture is free of charge and no RSVPs are required.
'eBhish book launch
Creative Knowledge Resources presents:
eBhish’ publication launch event series
Saturday 27th July 2024 13h00 — 15h00
The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember — 44 Stanley Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose in conversation with Thulile Gamedze, Maneo Mohale & Lindiwe Mngxitama.
eBhish’ published by Archive Books, presents a chorus of voices on notions of Black social life, public communion and humanities of the Indian Ocean. While some contributors respond to the ongoing series eBhish’ others share their critical perspectives and ponder on the intimacy and vastness of being Black at the beach. Contributions by Thulile Gamedze, Russel Hlongwane, Nomusa Makhubu, Amogelang Maledu, Kopano Maroga, Lindiwe Mngxitama, Maneo Mohale, Vusumzi Nkomo, Julie Nxadi and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose. Edited by Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose.
This event series is supported by Creative Knowledge Resources, an Interdisciplinary project by the National Research Foundation & the University of Cape Town studying socially engaged art in Africa and its diaspora.
Design: Matthew Bradley @matthewbradley
'eBhish book launch
Creative Knowledge Resources presents:
eBhish’ publication launch event series
Saturday 20 July, 10h00 — 12h00
KZNSA — 166 Bulwer Road, Berea, eThekwini Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose in conversation with Russel Hlongwane.
eBhish’ published by Archive Books, presents a chorus of voices on notions of Black social life, public communion and humanities of the Indian Ocean. While some contributors respond to the ongoing series eBhish’ others share their critical perspectives and ponder on the intimacy and vastness of being Black at the beach. Contributions by Thulile Gamedze, Russel Hlongwane, Nomusa Makhubu, Amogelang Maledu, Kopano Maroga, Lindiwe Mngxitama, Maneo Mohale, Vusumzi Nkomo, Julie Nxadi and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose. Edited by Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose.
This event series is supported by Creative Knowledge Resources, an Interdisciplinary project by the National Research Foundation & the University of Cape Town studying socially engaged art in Africa and its diaspora.
Design: Matthew Bradley @matthewbradley
'eBhish book launch
Creative Knowledge Resources presents:
eBhish’ publication launch event series
Friday 12 July, 16h00 - 18h00
Under the Aegis — 17 Jamieson St, Gardens, Cape Town (as part of Heat Winter Arts Festival) Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose in conversation Nomusa Makhubu, Amogelang Maledu, Julie Nxadi & Vusumzi Nkomo.
eBhish’ published by Archive Books, presents a chorus of voices on notions of Black social life, public communion and humanities of the Indian Ocean. While some contributors respond to the ongoing series eBhish’ others share their critical perspectives and ponder on the intimacy and vastness of being Black at the beach. Contributions by Thulile Gamedze, Russel Hlongwane, Nomusa Makhubu, Amogelang Maledu, Kopano Maroga, Lindiwe Mngxitama, Maneo Mohale, Vusumzi Nkomo, Julie Nxadi and Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose. Edited by Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose.
This event series is supported by Creative Knowledge Resources, an Interdisciplinary project by the National Research Foundation & the University of Cape Town studying socially engaged art in Africa and its diaspora.
Design: Matthew Bradley @matthewbradley
EVENT: SENSES panel discussion closing
Join us as we navigate through the sensory journey of SENSES, discovering the myriad ways in which art transcends the boundaries of perception and stimulates the essence of human experience at Michaelis Galleries at 17h00 on Tuesday, 16 April 2024.
Creative Knowledge Resources in collaboration with the Michaelis Galleries invites you to the closing conversation of the exhibition SENSES curated by Kamogelo Walaza.
The conversation will be facilitated by Dr Thabang Monoa, a lecturer in the art history department at the Michaelis School of Fine Arts. He will be joined by panellists, curator of the exhibition Kamogelo Walaza; art writer and researcher Nkgopoleng Moloi; Professor of Art History and mentor to the exhibition curator, Nomusa Makhubu, art writer and curator Voni Baloyi; artist, writer and lecturer Vusumzi Nkomo and artist Zenaéca Singh.
This conversation seeks to unravel the intricate layers of the SENSES exhibition, by bringing together the perspectives of the artist, curator, and writer who have been part of SENSES. Through their unique lenses, they aim to look into the creative process, the curation rationale, and the literary interpretations that shape engagements with the SENSES exhibition. Through this discussion, they’ll unpack everyone’s involvement in bringing the exhibition to life through delving beyond the visual and how the attempt to create an enriched and deepened connection with the artworks was achieved. Join us as we navigate through the sensory journey of SENSES, discovering the myriad ways in which art transcends the boundaries of perception and stimulates the essence of human experience at Michaelis Galleries at 17h00 on Tuesday, 16 April 2024.