A daily practice of noticing the world. More images on instagram: @lavendhri
all images ©lavendhriarumugam
Curatorial advisor on Equations for a Body at Rest, a series of public posters and screenings of a film made by Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi. Shown during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, 2022 with Eastside Projects. www.equationsforabodyatrest.com
The Back of a Monk’s Head is a book in development. Support from the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and the London Writers Awards 2021.
I contributed remotely as a writer & artist on Papertrails at A4 Arts Foundation in Cape Town, 2022. Papertrails engaged a selection of South African books, pamphlets and other print-and-paper matter from the 1950s to the present – a working studio, creative library and exhibition in A4’s Reading Room with francis burger and Jonah Sack. (Images and text are two separate strands)
Ongoing
The Reading Room (Goethe Institut Johannesburg) was a place for contemplation, conversation, screenings, small-scale events, and reading. The starting point for this engagement was the series of portrait paintings entitled Heroes (by Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi). It was an inquiry into the subjective nature of the term ‘hero’: What is a hero? Do we need and therefore create our heroes? Who gets memorialised and who is forgotten?
With Minenkulu Ngoyi and Isaac Zavale, Andile Buka, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Mooki Mooks, Kgomutso Neto Tleane, Jack Dyamonds, and the Danger Gevaar Ingozi collective.
Exhibition designer, documenter, zine contributor and facilitator of a six-week writers workshop. I started an iteration of the Silent Book Club at the Goethe Institut which is now an ongoing event.
Photographs feature artworks from Andile Buka, Danger Gevaar Ingozi and L Arumugam (2018)
In collaboration with Francis Burger. A series of drawings, listenings and makings. Gallery at Stanley Avenue Johannesburg. (2019)
Photo Colour Services was a lab in the Jo’burg inner-city. While on residency at the Bag Factory, UK-artist Stuart Whipps came across it and salvaged bags of negatives that were about to be destroyed in the lab shut-down. In 2014, Whipps printed the negatives and returned the images to Johannesburg as an archive during Lab: An Exhibition in Three Parts.
Curated in collaboration with Amy Watson, PCSII invited Stuart Whipps back to Johannesburg to deepen the investigation. Whipps presented the archive to Market Photo Workshop students, WITS Creative Writing MA students, academics and artists. He also produced a collage of some of his findings which were installed on the street-facing facade of the Ithuba Gallery as a billboard.
In collaboration with Katrina Schwarz, Eastside Projects, Banner Repeater and Auto Italia.
A text for Katherine Mager’s exhibition Trace. Exhibited at the Norwich Arts Center in 2018.
A collaboration with the Hillbrow Theatre Kids, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Nhlanhla Mngadi, Lesley Perkes and João Orecchia. An exploration of the many meanings, moods and manifestations of the Hillbrow Tower in relation to those who live below it. Images ©Lavendhri Arumugam
I contributed to the design (in collaboration with Citiq and Josef Mounser) of an old bank vault which would become the Ithuba Gallery in 2012. As director of Ithuba Arts Fund & Gallery (2011-2015), I programmed, facilitated and curated all projects in the space.
Ithuba Arts Fund recipients group show and opening of the gallery. ft. Farieda Nazier, Jason Larkin, Andrew Sprawson, Tshepo Mosopa and Mandy Johnston
Artworks for Dion Monti’s musical biography series (2015)
In the final winter months of 2015, Ithuba Arts invited and hosted the Visual Arts Network of South Africa and independent curators Mika Conradie and Amy Watson to put the gallery to use as a working, meeting, reading and sharing space.
A photographic conversation with artist Katherine Mager spanning nearly a decade [www.ttwwoo.tumblr.com]
Curated in collaboration with Natalia Palombo of Many Studios and The Gallow Gate in Glasgow. Artists Lindiwe Matshikiza, Dean Hutton and Anthea Moys produced a billboard artwork with the view to bring the gallery to meet the public. Neighbours, passers-by and fellow artists were invited to add to the work or sign up for short residencies in the gallery space.
An Experiment to Test the Destiny of the World (2013) curated by Sober&Lonely institute for Contemporary Art
In Thokoza (2013) curated by Rubis Mecenat
Propaganda (2013) artworks by Sifiso Seleme and Robert Carubba curated by the artists, Lavendhri Arumugam and Josef Mounser
Tension Torsion (2014) curated by Farieda Nazier
Louise Ross Solo Show (2014) curated by the artist and Lavendhri Arumugam
Compendium (2014) curated by Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi and Pamela Sunstrum
Preview (2014) artwork by Natasha Christopher
Whitman Independent (2013/2014) Curated by Sibs Shongwe La Mer and Dion Monti
Anthea Moys, Winning, 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year exhibition at Ithuba Arts.
A month-long residency of play, experimentation, childhood games, frog-folding, secret lives, sin waves, live music and radio recording sessions. Ft Thando Lobese, Mushroom Hour Half Hour, João Orecchia, Lauren Mulligan, Joni Barnard, Vishanthi Kali, The Brother Moves On, Anthea Moys, Kyla Davis, The Paper Bags and Lindiwe Matshikiza.
Ithuba Arts Fund group exhibition ft. Alexia Webster, Jenna Burchell, Desire Seko, Tjorven Bruyneel, Kutlwano Moagi and Vivien Kohler (2013) Images ©Alexia Webster ©Kutlwano Moagi and ©Jenna Burchell
Ithuba Arts Fund Pilot Show ft. Benon Lutaaya, Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi, Mocke Jansen Van Vuuren, Theresa Collins, Louise Ross and Dirk Bahmann
