With calls for divestiture and charges of apartheid in Gaza dominating global news, marking the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic election is timely. [...] To commemorate 30 years since this milestone, Three Decades of Democracy: South African Works on Paper at the High Museum of Art is literally and figuratively a sidebar, located in a sliver of a gallery in the Wieland Pavilion. The first step in the curatorial process of such an installation would typically be a search in the High’s collection database for South African art. The result was a selection of works by eight Black and White artists — all men. [ ...] The most famous artist in the exhibition — at least to American and European visitors — is William Kentridge. His Dancing Woman from Zeno at 4am is one of nine etchings he created to accompany a signature shadow puppet play and film Zeno Writing (whether the High owns the other eight etchings is unclear). The project draws parallels between the final years of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the South African post-apartheid regime.

In March 2009, when Strauss & Co held its inaugural live auction of important South African art in Johannesburg, the catalogue included two works on paper by the acclaimed contemporary artist William Kentridge. Both works found eager buyers. [...] The nine works on paper by Kentridge in Strauss & Co’s forthcoming Online Day Sale and live virtual Evening Sale, scheduled for 28 May 2024, endorses this reputation. Leading the offering are two high-value drawings from outstanding international projects produced at the turn of the millennium, as well as an important etching by Kentridge made in 1997.

The William Kentridge's exhibition (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2024/05/04 - 2024/09/01) is a collaborative effort between the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in London, showcasing Kentridge's draftsmanship as the curatorial focus. From his earliest charcoal drawing to the stop-motion short film series of drawing for the projections, and from film directing to stage performances, as well as his recent large-scale drawings of trees and flowers using ink and charcoal, the exhibition meticulously traces his creative trajectory and aesthetic dimensions. Over four decades of dedicated exploration in monochromatic expression, Kentridge has developed a fresh vocabulary of expanded translation from his drawings. In his works, the seemingly limitations of black and white breed boundless energy.

The Fondation Cartier is hosting an art center in residence unlike any other. Based in Johannesburg, The Centre for the Less Good Idea has been inviting local and international artists to create live performances collectively, in complete freedom, since 2016. It offers visual artists, writers, directors and dancers the framework to focus, together, on their creations. “We wanted to create interdisciplinary and collaborative opportunities, a place to play, experiment, take risks, doubt, fail and try again. A safe space where nothing is imposed, either in terms of form or content", explains Bronwyn Lace, visual artist, performer and co-founder of the project alongside renowned artist William Kentridge. The name of this artistic incubator sounds like a manifesto, “or more accurately, an anti-manifesto”, laughs Bronwyn Lace.