Nathi Gumede

Izimvo has the pleasure of introducing curator and visual artist: Nathi Gumede.

Nkosinathi (Nathi) Gumede is an artist and a curator who feels that we South Africans need a 12th official language: Visual Art. Over the past few years he has been a familiar face on the Durban art scene at KZNSA Gallery, Kizo Galley and now at the DUT Gallery. During his term at Kizo, he also curated the annual Heritage Arts Festival.

Nathi has exhibited his own work in galleries such as the Norman Dunn gallery in Pietermaritzburg, the KZN Society of Arts Gallery and the African Art Centre Gallery just to name a few.

Location: Durban

Nathi was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Depending on who that friend is and also the type of function we are in. If it a work friend at a work function, He or she will introduce me by name and the company I work for. If it is a personal friend at a function that I am attending in a personal capacity, they will just introduce me by name only.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I don’t like talking on a phone. When you are done saying what you called for, hang up and don’t make small talk. I also don’t like being indoors.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Reading and listening to music.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you like it to be?

A: Small, three bedrooms at the most and the area will have to be KwaMashu in Durban.

This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property

Art in South Africa

Q: What is the average day like as an art curator?

A: The average day will include a lot of emails, basically glued to a computer for almost the entire day. I guess that goes for all the Art Galleries that I worked for.

Q: Do you feel that government is doing enough to promote and develop the arts in South Africa?

A: No. I have a feeling that the Art industry lacks political support, which will in turn foster things like policy, white paper, infrastructure development etc. You may find that all the above mentioned factors are already in-place, it is just a case of poor communication and follow-up strategies.

Q: You’ve been a curator for over 10 years and have previously worked for prestigious galleries such as the NSA Gallery and the KZNSA Gallery. What advice would you give those wanting a career as a curator?

A: Do it for the love of it and you will have a sustainable career.

Q: Can you tell us about your role as Executive Director Committee member for the African Art Centre?

A: The African Art Centre is a NPO and they need the board of directors for guidance, strategic vision, leadership and general support. I guess my role and the role of the members who I served with was to provide that.

Q: How do you go about selecting an artist for an upcoming exhibition?

A: It is combination of things, among others is the kind of value the artist brings to the partnership, merit of His/Her work and relevance of the artist’s work to the vision and mission of that art gallery. That relevance could be socially or otherwise. That goes for all the Art Galleries that I have worked for.

Q: Which young South African artists have recently impressed you the most?

A: Lerato Shadi, Mary Sibande, Nontobeko Ntombela, Mlu Zondi and Daniel Halter.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: Yes we have, I don’t however think that we have taken it to the extent of it changing our perception of the country. At the risk of speaking for my family, I will say we have treated them as just isolated unfortunate sets of events.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: No.

Q: If you were given the opportunity of sitting down with the president, what advice would you offer him?

A: That is a tough one. I guess the issue of Art development is of interest to me at this point in my life, beyond that is just normal issues, HIV and AIDS, crime, rural development, education etc.

Q: In your opinion, what is South Africa’s greatest artistic export?

A: I will have to be biased on this one and say Visual Art. Artists like Dumile Feni, Gerald Sekoto, Irma Stein have been flying the SA flag for decades now even long after their unfortunate deaths.

I also think we have something to offer the to world through our music. Without stating the obvious, the likes of the late Miriam Makeba, Leta Mbuli, Jonny Clegg, Black Mambazo, Hugh Masekala did a lot of work internationally in raising and ensuring that the world new about the plight of South Africans during the apartheid years. Even the contemporaries like Vusi Mahlasela, Thandiswa Mazwai and many others are.

Life in Durban

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in Durban?

A: My family and the people. Generally I find that people in Durban are warm and friendly to that of other cities that I have been, both here in South Africa and overseas.

Q: Where in or around Durban is the best place to view great South African art?

A: Durban Art Gallery, Artspace Durban, Gallery 415, Artisan, BAT centre, KZNSA Gallery, and the DUT Art Gallery.

Q: Favorite restaurant for a lazy Sunday afternoon lunch?

A: Circus Circus in Musgrave. My fiancé likes it there although we havent been there for a while.

Q: What are your thoughts on the FIFA World Cup and are you working on anything special for during the tournament?

A: I think the World Cup will offer a lot of awareness about the country. Obviously the Visual Art sector will benefit from that as well. Although I hear that studies show that majority of the people who travel with the World Cup, spend most of their time in their hotels and shopping malls. There is that small percentage of them who are culturally inclined and will make the effort to visit art galleries.

I also think that as South Africans we will have to derive strategies to ensure that we capitalise on the influx of people visiting our country during the tournament.

General

Q: If you could invite any three South Africans to dinner, who would you invite and what would you serve?

A: It is a bit corny I know, but it will have to be the old man, our former President Dr Nelson Mandela. I think the old man will make for an interesting dinner conversation. To serve, it will have to a sea food something like prawns or sushi. I am a sea food fanatic.

Q: If you were able to pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be and why?

A: Old man aside, it would have to be Oprah Winfrey. I have great respect for her. I don’t think I am able to articulate as to why because I wouldn’t know where to start. Maybe the Dalai Lama as well.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: ha ha ha. “I write What I Like” by the late Bantu Biko. I still want to read a book called “The story of Edgar Sawtelle” but I am yet to come across a store that has it.

Q: Favorite South African brand?

A: Stoned Cherrie.

Q: Where would you like to wake up tomorrow morning?

A: New York, just for the fun of it.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?

A: Mlu Zondi. The question will be, how does he sustain his practice as a performing artist in this difficult industry of ours.

We’d like to thank Nathi for taking the time to answer our questions and wish him every success at the DUT Art Gallery.

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