A 7 part series looking at different contemporary artists throughout South Africa.

For some artists the function of their work is to push the boundaries of what is acceptable and what not. As a result, they often produce work which is controversial or explicit in nature. Aired on Dutch TV.

Canvas Extreme Part 1

WITH: Artists Randy Harzenberg,Tracy Payne and Steven Hobbs

SYNOPSIS:
Years after legislation uprooted people in the District Six area of Cape Town, voices of residents are being heard again.
Harzenberg knocks on a door.

Painter Tracy Payne ventures into the branding of teddy bears, and shows her ‘alter-ego’s’. Steven Hobbs decides to
throw a camera from the top of the Ponte
building in Johannesburg…

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Canvas Extreme Part 2

WITH: Andrew Putter, Minette Vari, Moshekwa Langa and Steven Cohen

SYNOPSIS:

Andrew Putter performs art with people in front of the SouthAfrican flag.
Minette Vari fabricates “Decoy” perfume from the venom of snakes.
Moshekwa Langa is in Amsterdam, mixing maps and art.
Steven Cohen challenges the world of haute couture.

 

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Canvas Extreme Part 3

WITH: Peet Pienaar, Tracy Rose, Mark Coetzee, Samsung Mudzunga and Lisa Brice

SYNOPSIS:
Peet Pienaar states rugby is ‘art’.
He also likes to make “volks-art”, such as ‘boere’ soap mixed with the curly hair of a black person.
Tracy Rose sits in a glasshouse on a television, knitting her hair.
Mark Coetzee’s exhibition has been banned, due to him comparing Apartheid’s use of power with the Christian tradition of suppression.
Samsung Mudzunga makes a humungous drum, which will be his coffin.
Lisa Brice concentrates on the topic of crime in South Africa.

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Canvas Extreme Part 4

WITH: Randy Harzenberg, Noria Mabasa, Kendell Geers, Freddy Ramabulane and Strijdom van de Merwe.

SYNOPSIS:
Randy Harzenberg takes a bucket of salt on a boat to Robben Eiland, where Mandela was imprisoned.
Noria Mabasa dreams about her artworks.
Kendell Geers is a cultural terrorist.
Freddy Ramabulane makes strange carvings out of wood.
Strijdom van der Merwe creates ‘land-art’, and lets nature take its course.

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Canvas Extreme Part 5

WITH: Willem Boshoff, Philip Ricotzo, Brigit Baker andSandile Zulu

SYNOPSIS:
Willem Boshoff creates a ‘suffering’ book, and writes ‘Letters to God’.
Venda artist Philip Ricotzo is an offbeat sculptor.
Brigit Baker dives into her own artwork.
Sandile Zulu uses fire as a metaphor, making ‘artomic’ creations.
Leora Farber’s art is a protest against women’s obsession with their bodies.

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Canvas Extreme Part 6

WITH:Bernie Searle and CJ Morkel

SYNOPSIS:

Bernie Searle uses spices to express her identity in art.
Kay Hassan makes paper construction artworks.
CJ Morkel’s spray painted creations are not for kids.

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Canvas Extreme Part 7

WITH: Pat Mautlo, Isolde Krans, Hentie van der Merwe, Marsha Du Toit, Belinda Blignaut and Pat Mautloa.

SYNOPSIS:
Pat Mautloa, Isolde Krans, Hentie van der Merwe, Marsha Du Toit, Belinda Blignaut
Pat Mautloa explores township-art.
Isolde Krans constructs latex animals that biodegrade, and she rides her biodegradable horse on the streets of Cape Town.
Hentie Van der Merwe is wondering whether photography can dehumanize people.
Marsha Du Toit prefers needlework as artwork.
Belinda Blignaut works with rituals, scarification and bondage.

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