October 2014 South African Art Roundup: Exhibitions, Controversies, and Institutional Shifts

In October 2014, South Africa's art scene featured several notable exhibitions and publications. Chris van Eeden, a recent graduate, held his first solo show at Brundyn + Gallery in Cape Town, where his abstract paintings and installations were reviewed by Mitchell Messina for ArtThrob. At Salon 91 in Cape Town, painters Sarah Biggs and Kirsten Lilford presented figurative works, noted by reviewer Alice Gauntlet for creating an uncanny distance from their source material. Photographer Mikhael Subotzky exhibited at Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, moving from his iconic documentary style to explore medium-specific concerns in 'Show 'n Tell', as analyzed by Chad Rossouw. A book on Brett Murray, published by Jacana in 2014, was reviewed by Sean O'Toole, touching on Murray's controversial painting 'The Spear' of President Jacob Zuma, which sparked racial tensions when shown at Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. The Director General of South Africa's Department of Arts and Culture was suspended following a qualified audit from the Auditor General, linked to earlier scandals including faked invoices from the 2011 Venice Biennale. ArtThrob, the source publication, covered these stories in an online exclusive first published on 3 November 2014.