Michaelis Grad Show: The culmination of years of artistry

The turn of phrase “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” takes new meaning for fourth-year fine arts students as the culmination of their years of study and producing artwork makes its way across the five buildings at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Hiddingh Campus for the 2024 Michaelis Grad Show.

The exhibition features the final-year work of students completing their bachelor’s in fine arts degree, as well as postgraduate diplomas in fine art. Michaelis Gallery curator, Jade Nair, who started in the role three years ago, noted that this exhibition is the premier show on their calendar. And with reason.

“The good thing about this grad show is that it’s a culmination of a year-long project. These works aren’t made in isolation; rather, they are informed by a thorough research process. While it’s a year of work, it’s also preceded by three years of preparatory skills development; learning how to and doing research and practical projects,” Nair said.

“This programme is unique in the university because it has a practical component that informs a very serious academic programme. It requires a high level of work ethic and dedication from our students,” she said.

“There’s no overarching thematic thread that runs through the work of our students. Instead, what I do is – because the grad show is across five buildings – group them thematically. It’s like making mini exhibitions. So, it’s my job as a curator to find those commonalities and make sense of them.

“My joy as a curator is at its peak during the grad show. We have about 35 students this year and I enjoy finding their thematic similarities and it’s really like putting a puzzle together. I find putting those puzzle pieces together incredibly satisfying.”

Chloe Adams – who always knew she wanted to study at UCT – said her journey to get to final year has been “interesting and surprising”. “When I got here, I didn’t have a clear idea of what it would be like. I’ve really enjoyed it. It pushed me outside my comfort zone too because I haven’t been to a lot of diverse schools, so I felt a lot more comfortable especially with conversations in theory classes,” Adams said.

“It’s also been difficult. You constantly have a mirror held up to what you produce and how you’re producing it, and one must be comfortable to take on critique – good or bad – but I wouldn’t change it at all. I feel a lot smarter having been here,” she added with a laugh.

Zach Stewart, who took inspiration from an actual nose fragment from the fallen Cecil John Rhodes statue to create the work on display, said that this journey wasn’t what he expected coming in. “I didn’t know much about contemporary art. What I’ve since found is that it’s a very mind-focused place.”

The exhibition ran from 7 to 12 December with many interested observers streaming in and out of the buildings to catch a glimpse of the work on display.