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‘Curating (South African) Architecture: The Red Location by Jo Noero’ is an exhibition curated by Mia Borman for the practical component of her Honours in Curatorship research course at the Michaelis School of Fine Art (UCT). This exhibition, which opened at Roodebloem Studios in Woodstock on the 24th of October 2013, attempted to examine the role and state of architectural exhibitions within the South African context. Through the display of works by renowned South African architect, Jo Noero of the firm Noero Architects, this showcase re-evaluated the often-disconnected relationships between art and architecture.
The exhibition was focused on the on-going Red Location Precinct project in Port Elizabeth designed by Noero. This architectural development project, which commenced in 1998, is a vital exemplifier of the progression of South African architecture over the years and so formed a suitable model as the focus of a new architectural exhibition. The exhibited works in ‘Curating (South African) Architecture’ are not merely illustrative of Noero’s cultural Red Location project, but are also representations of the mutual ground that exists between art and architecture. One such drawing, entitled ‘Common Ground/Different Worlds’ (ink on textile; 9,4 x 3,5 m), blurs these boundaries and also questions the nature of the traditional architectural plan. This large hand-drawn illustration by Jo Noero of the Red Location Precinct was on display in South Africa for the first time in this exhibition, as it was originally created for the 2012 Venice Biennale.
Mia Borman says she chose the Church studio space at Roodebloem Studios because it offered the ideal space for this exhibition in terms of its accommodating size, along with its aesthetically beautiful architecture – an important factor for the housing of an architectural exhibition. Here are a few photos of the setting up of this exhibition.
To see more photos from the exhibition opening browse through Mia Borman’s Facebook Album.