South African artists in the Orangerie of the French Senate
SANAVA and the Conseil National Français des Arts Plastiques entered into a Dialogue partnership to arrange reciprocal exhibitions of visual arts.
SANAVA’s participation in the 2012/2013 Dialogues project and programme was made possible thanks to financial support by the South African National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
In 2011, SANAVA and its French counterpart, the Conseil National Français des Arts Plastiques entered into a Dialogue partnership with the objective of arranging reciprocal exhibitions of visual arts in 2012 and 2013.
Co-incidentally, the France-South African Seasons 2012 and 2013 programme for the exchange of the arts between the two countries was established on official level. Approval was granted to include the Dialogue project in the Seasons Programme.
To initiate the Dialogue partnership, SANAVA in 2012 hosted an exhibition of French artists in gallery of the Association of Arts, Pretoria. Three French artists visited and had the opportunity to be introduced to a selection of well-established local artists.
In 2013, as part of the SA Season in France, SANAVA reciprocated by an exhibition of 38 South African selected works in the Orangerie of the Senate, one of the most exquisite venues in the French capital.
Of special interest was the inclusion of works of previous winners of the Gerard Sekoto award which is annually offered by the French Embassy, the Institut Français and the Alliance Français in South Africa. Also, many of the participating artists in the Orangerie exhibition were former residents of the Parisian Cité Internationale des Arts where since 1982/1984, SANAVA has enjoyed occupational rights in three studios for its members who want to benefit from a sojourn in the French capital.
These are some of the South African works displayed at the Orangerie exhibition
