Cost R230 per person   To book email gerald@joburgplaces.com Tel 082 894 5216

Jessica Webster’s exhibition Mainly Benoni. And Paintings opens at 12 pm today at Nirox Projects on Arts on Main

Showing at In Toto is She@Intoto a group show on women by women. The invite includes Georgia O’Keefe’s aphorism: ‘I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore’.   Closes 28th Feburary so plenty time to visit.   6 Birdhaven Centre, 66 St Andrews St Birdhaven

Closing on 28th January is John Phalane’s Malete an exhibition of his map art , currently showing at AOP at 44 Stanley Ave

Voice and Citizenship is a group show with a difference.  Showing at Artist Proof Studio at the Bus Factory in Newtown until 31st January, this exhibition depicts the visual journey that five Artist Proof Studio students and Cloudia Harwig their facilitator have undertaken over the last year as part of her masters study titled: ““The role of screen-print projects in enhancing awareness of active citizenship: a case study at Artist Proof Studio”.  The exhibition presents the processes, concepts and final artworks in the sequential stages that took place throughout the study. The screen-printed results present the different varieties of stencil-making techniques that screen-printing has to offer.   

Diane Victor’s exhibition at University of Johannebsurg Gallery finishes on Wednesday 25th Jan with a closing ceremony at 19.00

Anton Momberg’s show at Circa Gallery opened on 13th January and runs until 11th February.

Tinsel the fabulous store with jewellry designed by Geraldine Fenn and other award winning SA contemporary jewellers is moving at end January to Parkhurst . So visit them at their current location (until 31st January) in the Bamboo Centre in Melville. 

But still to open are:

Candice Breitz’s Extra! at the Standard Bank Gallery which runs from 8th February to 5th April.  

And it seems Goodman’s 2012 programme only opens on 2nd February with a Group Show Advance/…. Notice with a stellar line-up including works by Candice Breitz, Mounir Fatmi, Robert Hodgins, Sam Nhlengethwa, Sigalit Landau, Walter Oltmann, Willem Boshoff ,William Kentridge, Langa Moshekwa, Mikhael Subotzky, Kudzanai Chiurai ,David Goldblatt, Frances Goodman, Gerhard Marx, Hank Willis, Thomas Hasan & Husain Essop,Jodi Bieber, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Kendell Geers, Kentridge and Gerhard Marx – many of the who’s who of contemporary South African art.  Closes 25th February.

Jozi Carnival   The 2011 theme of the annual Joburg Carnival is Jozi my Jozi 125 celebrating the anniversary of the city’s existence.  It will take place on 31 December from 12pm and leaves from Kotze Street, moving across Nelson Mandela Bridge to Newtown.  

Laser show at Carnival City   On 31^st go along to Carnival City at 7 pm where their annual fireworks display will be replaced by a more animal-friendly but equally spectacular laser light show.  The show is free. Carnival City is situated on the intersection of the N17 toll road Snake Road (Heidelberg Road or R23) and Elsburg Road (R554) Johannesburg, South Africa

Nutcracker on Ice at Monte Casino   There are still tickets for Pieter Toerien’s  presentation of the  Imperial Ice stars in The Nutcracker on Ice at Monte Casino at 7.30 pm.

* Sat …5th Nov at 14.00 Join Parktown Heritage Association for the last Jacaranda Walk of 2011; park at the La Roche offices, 54 The Valley Road; no booking necessary; R40; stunning views of Parktown & Forest Town; more info phone 011 482-3349 

OR
* Meet at Arts on Main at 9.30 on 5th Nov for an Inner City Walk exploring the east of the city

And if you have explored the east of the city on Saturday with Main Street Walks, then you can explore the west with Walk and Talk Tours on Sunday.  Meet at Museum Africa Bree Street Johannesburg at 8am.  The walk will be approximately two to three hours.  The route will go Mary Fitzgerald square, Newtown,  past the old stock exchange,  going past the City Hall, Rand Club, Library Gardens, Corner House, Rissik Street Post Office, also going up Main Street Mall, Hollard Street, Standard Bank Mine Stope – also with a special visit to two to three buildings in Kruis and President Streets.  enquiries@walktours.co.za Cell: +27 83 269 9769

* and for something very different look for mushrooms and fungi (yes, I did say Fungi!) at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve Two-hour walk from 9am led by Bernice Porter, a fungi expert. Contact Karin Spottiswoode 011-674-2980 or 072-595-6991  

20 Fine Years is an exhibition by 20 artists of a new portfolio of prints in created in celebration of the joint 20th anniversaries of the Bag Factory Artists Studios and the Artist Proof Studios. This exhibition returns to the Bag Factory from its success the FNB Joburg Art Fair.    The portfolio contains prints by respected artists Kim Berman, Philemon Hlungwane, Diana Hyslop, David Koloane, Nelson Makamo, Senzeni Marasela, Lehlogonolo Mashaba, Colbert Mashile, Patrick Mautloa, Paulina Mazibuko, Jacob Molefe, Paul Molete, Lucas Nkgweng, Charles Nkosi, Richard Penn, Helen Sebidi, Senzo Shabangu, Pontso Sikhosana, Velile Soha and Motsamai Thabane.   

The Market Theatre’s write up summarizes the play:  

Death of a Colonialist tells the story of Harold Smith, an aging, eccentric, unpredictable but extremely passionate history teacher at a high school in Grahamstown. His passion is South African history, most specifically the history of the amaXhosa. Harold is at the end of his powers and his increasingly erratic teaching techniques are making the school’s hierarchy look for some new blood in the history department. He is aware of the moves against him but believes his passionate teaching will always win the day.

What Harold is not aware of is that his wife has terminal cancer and has decided not to tell him. His two children, who have moved overseas, decide to come home for an unconventional family reunion. Some hard truths await Harold, who is so wrapped up in his own life and his passion for history that he is unaware of the personal tragedy unfolding in his own life. Dealing with questions of identity, history and terminal illness, this is a funny, sad, profound and passionate play that weaves between the tragedy of our past and the challenges of our present. Ultimately, Latter’s play reinforces what it means to be South African.

The Girl in the Yellow Dress, written by Craig Higginsons and directed by Malcolm Purkey,  is another excellent production which is returning for a re-run at the Market.  I missed it last time around so am going to make sure I see it this time before it comes off on the 18th December.  The Market Theatre’s synopsis : ‘Originally inspired by Ovid’s story Echo and Narcissus and psychoanalytic writings on narcissism, The Girl in the Yellow Dress is set in contemporary Paris and deals with the exchanges between Celia, a beautiful English teacher in her late twenties, and Pierre, her younger French-Congolese pupil.  

Brimming with humour, rage and longing, this internationally celebrated South African play provides a minute exploration of an increasingly hazardous romantic entanglement and an insight into some of the tensions between the ‘first’ and ‘third’ worlds.