JAG has joined the list of 50 cultural institutions worldwide whose collections of contemporary art, encompassing more than seven thousand works, are now available to explore online.
JAG has a growing collection with an exhibition space that can’t reflect its full scale. There are... “in excess of 10 000 objects, many of which cannot be seen often because of the number of internal and external exhibitions we host. As a museum we are interested in finding new modes of display and engagement, with collaborative projects such these as a key to increasing access”, says Tara Weber, JAG Registrar. “Along with our regular online platforms, the Google Cultural Institute provides a great vehicle for the Friends of JAG to reach new and more diverse audiences and showcasing JAG’s impressive collections”, says the Friends’ Eben Keun.
The Google Arts & Culture team is an innovative partner for the cultural sector and puts more than a thousand cultural institutions at the public’s fingertips. It is a new and immersive way to explore art, history and world wonders. In March 2018, Google Arts & Culture launched a new collection that celebrates the world of contemporary art. The project builds on an initial launch of contemporary artworks on the platform in October 2017 "What is Contemporary Art?", enabling users around the world to explore even more art stories and artworks. The global initiative and online exhibit brings together more than 7,000 pieces of art like paintings, sculptures, and videos from more than 50 cultural institutions in 27 countries for the very first time.
Now the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) has become the latest contributor to this global project, which includes more than 120 exhibitions from renowned institutions like the Bienal de São Paulo and New York’s MoMa. Anyone with a smartphone or computer can now gain access to new collections, exhibitions, artists and stories from Africa the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia to explore contemporary art like never before.
JAG’s debut on Google Arts & Culture, includes three interactive stories about some of our important works of contemporary art and a recent solo exhibition by Johannesburg based artist Richardt Strydom.
The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Photography and Resistance provides an important visual and art contemporary historical context for the influential role photography played as a visual weapon and means to document the struggle against apartheid - and its immense influence on contemporary South African art practice
The evidence of things not seen: Performing gendered and queer identities in South African art centres on works from the JAG collection exclusively by artists of colour, and takes a look at the performance of gendered and queer identities in contemporary South African art.
Bleek, a solo exhibition by Richardt Strydom curated by JAG's Contemporary Curator Musha Neluheni, encompasses a number of photographic series that sets out to interrogate the performance of white masculinity from different points of entry.