Heavy rains have forced the gallery to temporarily close until the leak has been fixed. As Tshepiso Mametela reports for CityBuzz, city councilor Nonhlanhla Sifumba issued a statement on Wednesday, explaining extensive water damage from January storms served as the necessary impetus for the closure:
“The incident forced gallery staff to move artworks from the walls to storerooms and the basement. Also, we could not risk the lives of our employees after emergency services, occupational health and safety, and risk management were called to the scene and advised that the facility be closed.”
The elements aren’t the only reason that the gallery’s infrastructure is in a state of disrepair. As Garreth van Niekerk reports at 24.com, over the years, thieves have also stolen copper sheeting from the structure, further weakening the building’s standing.
Sifumba blames the previous administration for allowing the situation to get this bad. “Nothing was done to upgrade and maintain the facility despite millions being allocated for this purpose prior to its 2015 centenary celebrations,” she tells Chutel.
The gallery hopes to at least partially reopen by May when an exhibition by Mozambican artist Ângela Ferreira is planned.
But there’s some good news to come out of this soggy situation. As Amah-Rose Abrams writes for artnetNews, the new management is using the renovation as an impetus to give the gallery a more contemporary African focus when it next opens its doors.
Source: A Leaky Roof Has Forced the Johannesburg Art Gallery to Temporarily Close | Smart News | Smithsonian
