Join us at Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Monday, 16 December 2024, for the Day of Reconciliation celebrations. This day is dedicated to promoting national unity, social harmony, and the core values that bind all South Africans together, including human rights and equality. Bring your loved ones to enjoy a relaxing day in the museum’s serene surroundings from 10:00 to 15:00.
Pack a delightful picnic to savour in the front garden while you explore the fascinating art exhibitions. A DJ will provide a lively soundtrack, and various stalls will offer tasty food, snacks, and refreshing drinks. Don’t miss the chance to stroll through the Sculpture Park or along the scenic walking trails.
For the children, the unique African Carousel will be a highlight, offering rides for just R5, ensuring a memorable experience for both kids and adults alike. Come celebrate this special day with us and create lasting memories in a beautiful setting!
The exhibitions on show are:
Blind Alphabet A by Willem Boshoff
On exhibition is a selection from Willem Boshoff’s Blind Alphabet A, a fragment of the project, which is part of Oliewenhuis Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. All the words that initiated the shapes for the blind in this section begin with the letter A.
As an artist, the desire for audiences to engage with one’s creations is paramount; however, individuals who are blind face a significant barrier in experiencing visual art. To address this, Boshoff developed the Blind Alphabet, an innovative artwork designed specifically for tactile exploration within galleries. While blind individuals are permitted to interact with and touch the pieces, sighted visitors are restricted from making contact. Boshoff aimed to provide a glimpse into the experience of blindness for those with sight, thereby fostering empathy through the concealment of the artworks.
Ethereal: A journey through colour and imagination
Ethereal: A journey through colour and imagination invites visitors into a captivating and serene world where colour, texture, and light converge to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The curators have selected artworks from both Oliewenhuis Art Museum’s Permanent Collection and ArtbankSA’s contemporary collection, all of which share a light, airy, and playful tone. The works evoke a sense of weightlessness, with dreamlike qualities and heavenly abstract forms that transport the viewer into a realm of quiet beauty and stillness.
Christ and the other person, a series by Father Frans Claerhout
On permanent loan to Oliewenhuis Art Museum from The Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, this beautiful series of 25 oil paintings by Father Frans Claerhout showcases the work of a self-taught oil painter with a unique expressionistic style. He painted mostly people, scenes from around the mission stations where he was based, and religious scenes, using a distinct expressionistic style. He was commissioned to paint several murals at mission stations throughout South Africa, including in Bloemfontein Schweitzer-Reineke, Thaba ‘Nchu, Potchefstroom and Witsieshoek. Father Claerhout died in 2006 at the age of 87.
Venture: Exploring through ArtbankSA’s evolving Contemporary Collection
Venture is an exhibition that artfully interweaves recent acquisitions with established works from ArtbankSA’s contemporary collection. Venture transforms viewers into adventurers, inviting them to discover fresh perspectives through diverse media displayed in the Reservoir at Oliewenhuis Art Museum. The collection showcases cutting-edge artworks that explore South African diaspora and rich cultural themes.
30 Years of Democracy: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Freedom
This exhibition was inspired by the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections that took place on 27 April 1994. Visitors have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the richness of South African art, and gain some insight into the post-1994 transformative era. Artworks were mindfully selected from artworks acquired, through donation or purchase, over the last 30 years for Oliewenhuis Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. The exhibition includes well known South African artists like Paul Emmanuel, Noria Mabasa, Amita Makan and Cedric Nunn. The selection of artworks aims to encourage dialogue and reflection on both the progress made over our democratic journey so far, as well as addressing current issues and challenges.
Parking fee: R10 per vehicle. Cash only.
African Carousel rides: R5 per ride per child. Cash only.
Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein. For any enquiries or more information please contact Oliewenhuis Art Museum at 078 968 4300 or ontwerp@nasmus.co.za. Oliewenhuis Art Museum is a satellite of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
