At the age of 34, the South African Kabelo Malatsie succeeded Valérie Knoll as director of the Kunsthalle Bern for a seven-year term, raising a lot of hope. She wants to encourage the public to question their thought patterns to see the world differently.
Originally from Johannesburg, Kabelo Malatsie got involved and made a career in the local artistic life in the 2010s. Holder of a Master’s degree in art history, she directed the Stevenson art galleries from 2011 to 2016, between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Amsterdam. She then headed the South African visual arts network VANSA, then applied to the Kunsthalle, renowned for its exhibitions of contemporary and experimental art.
Kabelo Malatsie is the first black and non-European woman to head a cultural institution in Switzerland. For her, it is both an event and a non-event. “When I applied, I hadn’t looked at the demographics of Switzerland, so I wasn’t aware. I think that while there’s something to celebrate, there’s also a form of failure of the system in terms of inclusion”, she explains to the RTS.
Think of the world differently
Barely arrived in Switzerland, the young director is already inaugurating her first exhibition: “Twilight. Neither perception nor non-perception”, by the Berlin artist Ivana Franke. “It is inspired by the notions of perception, that is to say what we believe we see.” In a very dark room, a light installation gradually reveals itself to the disoriented eyes of visitors. “People make different associations. Some see animals in it, some see the cosmos, some see flowers. For me, seeing is not a question of whether the eye reacts to a stimulus, but rather the way we process these images: what links we make, what associations we create, how we really apprehend the world”, specifies Kabelo Malatsie.
The world situation challenges Kabelo Malatsie despite a feeling of deja vu. “Now is a good time to question our thought patterns. We are used to basing ourselves on concepts of race or gender, we are used to war. These are norms that we have to question.” The new director hopes to get people to see and think regarding the world differently.
TV Subject: Chloé Steulet, Stéphane Krause
Adaptation web: Myriam Semaani
Ivana Franke, “Twilight. Neither perception nor non-perception”, Kunsthalle, Bern. On view until August 7, 2022.