The ICA’s publication Acts of Transgression: Contemporary Live Art in South Africa, published last year by Wits University Press, was initiated in response to a literary vacuum. Before 2019, there was no comprehensive text dedicated to Live Art in South Africa, and so there was limited discourse to speak about the politically resonant form that it takes in our country. Acts of Transgression sought to begin filling this critical gap.
The ICA Podcast extends the work begun by Acts of Transgression through conversations with the creators and curators of Live Art.
The study of Live Art has tended to rely disproportionately on Euro-American texts and discussions. The ICA Podcast makes a critical intervention into this status quo: a platform for South African artists to speak to their work, in their own words.
Sikhumbuzo Makandula, Zizimase, 2019. Photo by Xolani Tulumani.
Season 1
The first season features in-depth interviews with acclaimed artists and curators, including: fashion designer and artist Lesiba Mabitsela, performance artist and activist Chuma Sopotela, visual artist and academic Meghna Singh, curator Khanyisile Mbongwa, performance artist and photographer Dean Hutton, visual and performance artist Sikhumbuzo Makandula, and curator Nkule Mabaso.
Chuma Sopotela, Inkukhu Ibeke Iqanda, 2014. Photo by Ashley Walters.
Dean Hutton, Plan B, A Gathering of Strangers (Or) This Is Not Working, 2018. Photo by Xolani Tulumani.
Using the intimate medium of audio, we invite you to immerse yourselves in the ways in which these artists see, think, listen, respond and create. Join us in studio, and at public sites throughout Cape Town as we explore ground-breaking performances, public interventions and participatory installations – and the fascinating minds that bring them into being.
From left to right: Meghna Singh, photo by Simon Wood; Nkule Mabaso, photo by Livio Baumgartner; Khanyisile Mbongwa, Tatyana Levana Photography.
Bringing Live Art to audio
The act of bringing this densely layered art form to audio marks the beginnings of an investigation – in collaboration with the artists and with you, the listeners – into how the talking and thinking through of complex performative artworks can become a facet of the work itself.
Where to listen
Search for The ICA Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Castbox, Stitcher, TuneIn or wherever you find podcasts. You can also listen on the embeddable player at the top of this page.
Lesiba Mabitsela, Black Tie, 2017. Photo by Ashley Walters.
