The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) is a much loved Capetonian attraction. Unfortunately, we can’t visit them in person just yet. However, the museum is ensuring we don’t miss them too much, by hosting an interactive online event that includes talks with SA style leaders, music, and the secrets to gourmet food prep, amongst other things.
Join Zeitz MOCAA online on August 8, from 6 p.m. (GMT+2) for WOZA at home, an evening of style, beautiful food, and art-making.
This virtual event picks up from the museum’s pre-lockdown WOZA Friday sessions when it would stay open late. There would be live music, art sessions on the rooftop, and museum scavenger hunts.
Now that it’s going online, they’re kicking up the lineup.
This month is all about style. The evening will include three virtual rooms: MOCAA Insights will feature conversations about fashion, MOCAA Making where attendees will be guided through art and food making, and MOCAA Vibes showcasing a musician and DJ.
For the fashion-conscious types
In MOCAA Insights, businesswoman and designer Papama Mtwisha will talk about her clothing label, Africa Your Time Is Now™. Her iconic black and white slogan t-shirts capture the energy and potential of AfriCANs and are a best-selling item at the Zeitz MOCAA store. Mtwisha has now secured a deal to feature the brand at luxury US department store Bloomingdales.
Next up, the museum’s Gallery Guides, Michael Jacobs and Siseko Maweyi, consider what our clothes say about us and society through multiple artworks exhibited at Zeitz MOCAA. Audiences will have the opportunity to participate in the discussion and dressing your best is highly encouraged.
The evening concludes with a panel discussion with style leaders Gabrielle Kannemeyer, Trevor Stuurman, Amanda Laird-Cherry, Mzukisi Mbane, and Onesimo Bam, who will dive into the question of authentic South African fashion in 2020.
Kannemeyer is a stylist who has worked for, among others, G-Star RAW, Adidas, and Lukhanyo Mdingi.
Stuurman is an acclaimed multimedia visual artist and has worked with brands and personalities such as Mini cars, designer Rich Mnisi, Vlisco, DJ Black Coffee, singer Ciara, and artist Nelson Makamo. He also features in Beyoncé’s latest visual album Black Is King.
Amanda Laird-Cherry is an award-winning fashion designer with more than 30 years’ experience under her belt. In 1999, she co-founded The Space which now has 11 outlets across South Africa.
Cape Town-based Onesimo Bam, is a designer, collaborator and artist whose origins are rooted in the Eastern Cape. He says his work combines art, poetry and music.
Mzukisi Mbane is a self-taught designer from Cape Town who learned on his seamstress mother’s sewing machine and was first inspired by the styles of his grandmother.
For the foodies and budding artists
For a little less conversation and more hands-on activity, viewers can go to the MOCAA Making room. The museum’s restaurant team will show attendees how to turn simple homemade dishes into gourmet works of art.
No good meal is complete without dessert. Enter Cape Town cake artist Lynne Glass who will create a sugary treat inspired by South African artist Jody Paulsen, known for his brightly coloured felt collages. Paulsen’s art has been shown in South Africa, Europe, and the US. He has also collaborated with fashion designers such as Neil Barrett for whom he created a backdrop for his Men’s Spring 2020 runway collection.
After that, the museum’s art educators Liesl Hartman, Mandisa Ngqulana and Richard Kilpert will guide the audience through creating a doll inspired by Senzeni Marasela, a South African artist who makes use of distinctly coloured material, textiles, and embroidery in her art. Her work has been shown at, among other spaces, MoMA in the US, and Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Art.
Get into the groove
In the MOCAA Vibes room, attendees will hear the music of Andy Lund, a prominent voice on the South African music scene. His album The Year of the Knife will be out later this year.
After Andy, DJ KONG hits the decks so be prepared to dance.
Different price options, starting at R30, allow guests to pay what they can, and all proceeds go to bringing a love of art to children. Head to https://www.howler.co.za/events/woza-at-home-4aba for tickets.
Picture: Supplied