A Joburg art gallery is refusing to let an act of vandalism curtail their freedom of expression.
This follows an incident on Thursday night, in which an apparently intoxicated man gained access to the Henry George Gallery and damaged several artworks. However, all the artists whose artworks have been damaged have agreed to repair them, and incorporate the damage, for a show set to open at the Parkhurst Gallery on November 30.
The show will be themed after Japanese Kuntsugi, an artform in which ceramics are repaired with gold and which embraces the philosophy of seeing value in that which is flawed or imperfect. Over 144 artworks will be on display, although only 20 were damaged during the vandalism, explains the Gallery’s Darryl Gray.
“The gallery has been in contact with all the artists and advised them that they were able to claim insurance, but they have all elected to repair their works,” he says.
Those who had already purchased the works had also been contacted and had agreed for them to be repaired, Gray added.
He stressed that the vandalism was an isolated incident and was opportunistic.
News24 contacted the police for comment, but they were not aware of the incident at the time of publication.
The incident of vandalism resulted in the cancellation of a “fashion meets art” event planned for Saturday, according to a report by Times Live.
