Visual Art Exhibitions & Curatorial Talks

Timeline of Exhibitions & Talks 

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Opening: 7 November 2021

Exhibition: Propelling Otherness 

Media: Various Media

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Curated by Tsepiso Mahase, 'Propeling Otherness',  was a group exhibition by young Basotho contemporary artuists based in Lesotho and the region. The show included a curatorial talk and ran through the month of November. 

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Opening: November 2020-December 2020

Exhibition: Lesotho Contemporary 

Media: Various media 

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About the Exhibition: To revive contemporary art exhibitions at Maeder House Gallery, Morija Museum & Archives collaborated with Morija Art Centre to bring about a group exhibition showcasing the works of local and international artists working in Lesotho. Co-curated by Innocent Fungurani and Tsepiso Mahase, the show attempts to become an annual presentation on the state of contemporary art in Lesotho. 

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Opening 18 November 2015 - 30 May 2016

Exhibition: Women In Resistance Group Exhibition by the Hub 

Media: Photography  

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About the Exhibition: Women in Resistance was a traveling exhibition, that was displayed in Maseru at Alliance Francaise in May 2015, dedicated to women around the world who exist, resist, argue, survive and rebuild. Vodacom sponsored portraits of ‘women in resistance’ in Lesotho to be added to the exhibition. Following the exhibition, Vodacom ensured each of the women’s inspiring stories were translated into Sesotho. The goal of the exhibition is to raise awareness about the principles of equality and highlight pressing issues with regard to justice, labour, HIV, and the rights of women amongst others. The exhibition shall be accessible to the general community at large but activities aimed at encouraging school-goers in the Morija area to engage with the themes illustrated through the exhibition will be established.

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Opening October 2015 

Curatorial Talk: Conversations at Morija #3: Independence  

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Following the first Conversations at Morija 2013 and the second in 2015, Conversations at Morija #3 will take its departure point from the recent milestone of 50 years of Lesotho’s Independence, and the less recorded but equally significant 10-year anniversary of the Married Person’s Equality Act which for the first time since Lesotho’s independence granted women the right to enter into a contract without seeking the permission of her father, husband or his heir. Before 2006 a woman could not rightfully own land or enter into any legally viable contract under her own name, which has resulted in generations of patriarchal land ownership that has only begun to shift over the past few years.  

The core questions/ thoughts that will spark the conversations are:

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• How does a country become independent?

• How is independence defined, and what constitutes the process of nation-building?

• How to start a country: the practical definition of independence and the steps a country takes. (examples to be used as departure points: Sealand, cyberland as utopian spaces that exist in reality)

• Independence does not necessarily mean freedom.

• Independence from what or who?

• What independence looked like 50 years ago. What was the plan? 

• Why not independence for women, accidental omission, or patriarchal intention? 

• Lesotho in theory, Lesotho in practice. The constitution and how it is put into practice. 

• Where do we stand now, and how do we redefine independence according to our understanding of it today. 

• What then? How can creative freedoms liberate such definitions and create space for new dialogues resulting in new meaning and new outcomes? As creative practitioners how do we serve a social imagination? 

• How do creative spaces become islands of free thought/ dialogue?

 

Conversations #3 seeks to create a dialogue stemming from definitions of independence, whether national, social, gender-based, creative, and literary. With the characteristic of fluidity, the conversations will provide a platform for direct engagement between audience members and invited practitioners in a fluid and non-prescriptive way. 

 

Some useful links:

How to become a country in 3 easy steps:

http://www.livescience.com/33003-how-are-new-countries-established.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-Your-Own-Country

The principality of Sealand:

http://www.sealandgov.org/about

 

Opening  26th September 2015

Curatorial Talk: Conversations at Morija # 2 

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The conversation was held at Maeder House Gallery in Morija on Saturday 26th September 2015. This time around, the event featured live interactions between visiting artists from South Africa, and Lesotho-based artists and members of the public. The event was a collaborative effort between Lerato Bereng, Morija Museum and Archives, and the Morija Arts Centre, with equipment and logistical assistance provided by The Hub. 

The day kicked off with screenings of animations done by Lesotho-based artists Mampolai Thahe, Relebohile Monkhe, and Patrick Rorke. This was followed by presentations of work by curators and artists from South Africa working in a wide range of mediums. Kabelo Malatsie, a self-titled “organiser of things” spoke of artistic projects that she has organised with little or no money in unusual and unexpected spaces – an encouragement to artists with limited resources. Ruth Sacks, an artist, and writer who works with text, installation pieces, and performances, presented some of her most recent work. Photographer George Mahashe spoke of the processes of discovery, exploration, and storytelling in his work. Simon Gush presented an excerpt of “Red”, a project which examines a strike at a Mercedes Benz plant in 1990 and the narratives surrounding the event. Video screenings by artists Kemang Wa Lehulere, Penny Siopis, and Dineo Seshee Bopape were also presented.

 

Opening: 19 December 2013

Curatorial Talk:  Conversation with Maya Freelon Asante

 

About the Talk: Maya Freelon Asante, is an award-winning artist and daughter of jazz musician Nnenna Freelon – held a one-of-a-kind art workshop in Morija, Lesotho. The workshop took place at Linotšing art studio (Morija Arts Centre Studio), adjacent to Maeder House Gallery. The workshop involved 35 local youth between the ages of 4 -25. Throughout the afternoon, young people were given the chance to discover and create with a range of materials. In the space of a few hours, Linotšing was transformed into a bustle of activity as the children discovered the myriad of exciting creations that could be made by combining paper, water, and multi-coloured tissue paper. 

Finally, working together under Maya’s guidance, the children helped to glue and stitch together a quilt of tissue paper, which will be used by Maya and Nnenna in their multi-discipline theater project – Clothesline Muse – set to premiere in the US in April 2014. At the end of the workshop, as the children contemplated the final creation, Maya said to them: “with your hands, hearts, and your energy, you have made art that is going to help your community.”  

The workshop coincided with a fundraising concert – A night with the King – to benefit the renovation of Morija Scott Hospital, where Nnenna was the headline performer, invited by King Letsie III. Auctioned at the concert were two collages, created by Maya and the group in Morija the day before, with proceeds also going to Scott Hospital.

 

More information about Maya Freelon Asante:

 

Maya Freelon Asante is an award‐winning artist whose artwork was described by poet Maya Angelou as “visualizing the truth about the vulnerability and power of the human being,” and her unique tissue paperwork was also praised by the International Review of African American Art as a “vibrant, beating assemblage of color.” She was selected by Modern Luxury Magazine as Best of the City in 2013 and by the Huffington Post’s “Black Artists: 30 Contemporary Art Makers Under 40 You Should Know“. Maya has exhibited her work nationally and internationally including in Paris, Ghana, and US Embassies in Madagascar, Italy, Jamaica, and Swaziland. She has been a professor of art at Towson University and Morgan State University. Maya has attended numerous residencies including Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Korobitey Institute, and the Brandywine Workshop. She earned a BA from Lafayette College and an MFA from the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

More info: www.mayafreelon.com | theclotheslinemuse.com

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Opening: 5 October 2013 - 21 October 2013 

Exhibition: Boleng Ba Sefahleho Face Value An exploration of mood, character, and strength

Media: Various Media 

About Exhibition: A group exhibition by Basotho artists exploring the question of artistic aesthetics and cultural value. 

 

Opening: 27/28 September 2013

Exhibition: Life Thru A Lens Film Screening and Curatorial Talk @ Morija Film Festival

Featured Films: Meshu (Life In Pictures) by Philip Leteka; Untitled by Kaizer Matsumunyane;

Mercy by Thabiso Mohapeloa; Monna Oa Motsamai by Tumelo Matobako; Word World by Mpho Ngakane

Organiser: Morija Museum & Archives and Sesotho Media

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Opening: August 2013 

Curatorial Talk: Conversations at Morija: Curatorial talk  

 

About the Talk: In 2013, Maseru-born curator Lerato Bereng held an interactive event at the Morija Arts and Cultural Festival titled Conversations at Morija. The event was free of charge and open to the public and engaged with several members of Lesotho’s diaspora in a series of live Skype conversations. Through the event, Bereng – who has a strong interest in promoting accessibility within the visual arts – hoped to encourage other members of the diaspora, as well as creative practitioners living in Lesotho, to initiate more creative projects and platforms in the country.

Building on the themes and concerns of the first event, a follow-up event. 

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Opening: 18 December 2012 - 29 December 2012

Exhibition Christmas Group Show @ Maeder House 

Media: Various Media

About Exhibition: This exhibition features small works by local artists to reflect on the year. 

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Opening: 15 December 2012

Exhibition: René Paul Gosselin Online Exhibition presented by Maeder House Gallery 

Media: Photography

 

Opening: 24 November 2012 -15 December 2012 

Exhibition: Rorke Solo Exhibition @ Maedar House Gallery 

Media: Mixed Media 

About Artist: Patrick Rorke, a local Morija artist explores the environment that has given him a fiery and overwhelming inspiration.

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Opening: 10 November 2012 - 20 November 2012 

Exhibition: Group Exhibition @ Maeder House Gallery 

Media: Sandstone & Wood: Sculpture 

About the Artists: This exhibition showcased some of Lesotho’s finest wood and sandstone sculptors working from different districts of Lesotho as well as neighbouring South Africa. 

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Opening: 21 October 2012 – 3 November 2012. 

Exhibition: Lesenyeho Solo Exhibition @ Maeder House Gallery,

Medium: Watercolours

About Artist: Ts’episo Lesenyeho is a  Mosotho watercolourist who has worked and exhibited in many parts of the world. From the 21st of October to the 3rd of November 2012 a solo exhibition showcasing his watercolours of Lesotho and Basotho daily life was held.

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Opening: 2012 

Exhibition: Animation Exhibition @ the Morija Museum & Archives Amphitheater 

Media: Film

About the Exhibition: A showcase of animation film produced at Linotseng Studio Morija Arts Centre. Linotšing Studio @ Morija Arts Centre was run by renowned artist Patrick Rorke.