Lifestyle/Community
This artist fights scourge of ‘exclusion’ through her work
Johannesburg artist Bev Butkow gave up a thriving career as a chartered accountant to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. Five years ago, at age 43, this mother of four changed course to follow her passion and has never regretted it
PETER FELDMAN
Today Butkow’s career has soared, with a successful solo exhibition at Lizamore & Associates and a Merit Award in the 2015 SA Taxi Foundation Art Award under her belt. As a result of the Taxi Foundation Award, her artwork can now be seen replicated on 10 minibus taxis traversing the roads around the country, an experience which she describes as “priceless”. The objective of the competition was to broaden exposure to art in an accessible and fun way.
Tackling the contradictory themes of “Exclusion” and “Belonging”, her work explores such facets as lack of access, oppression and uplifting of vulnerable South African girls through education.
“It seems like I touch a universal nerve with my exploration of the very personal feeling of exclusion. Every person experiences exclusion at some or other time, a sense of non-belonging,” Butkow said in an interview.
Her work is topical. “The ongoing countrywide student protests have exclusion at their core. The cycle of oppression started by apartheid seems to have continued with the poor being denied access to the tertiary education that would lift them out of poverty.”
To Butkow, some clues to overcoming exclusion were learnt in her childhood with the emphasis placed on the importance of family and community connections and the rituals of tradition and religion to create belonging; as well as education as a tool to increase access through empowerment.
She obviously took these childhood lessons to heart. She donated her SA Taxi Foundation Art Award prize money in the form of a bursary to assist disadvantaged school girls.
“I awarded the bursaries to girls finishing matric this year, about to embark on their futures, in order to gain skills that will enable them to earn a living, thus empower them to become self-sufficient.”
As an artist, she admits to sometimes feeling guilty (“I’m Jewish after all!”) about being hedonistic and selfishly pursuing her own vision. But when her art connects with viewers and starts meaningful conversations, then she knows her focus is worthwhile.
Butkow works from her studio at the Bag Factory in Newtown close to where, decades before, her beloved grandfather peddled eggs at the Fresh Produce Market.