WHEN ART & POLITICS PEACEFULLY COLIDE

The writing returns to the wall with an historical art exhibition by international award winning and avant garde Pretoria based artist, ALETA MICHALETOS.

She feels comfortable when referred to as a contemporary idealist, visionary and alchemist.

With her pioneering spirit and the forging of her own unconventional route, she has managed to blaze her own path and which inter alia led her to the United Nations in 1994, where she joined the ranks of Dali, Chagall, Miro, Rauchenberg and others, by winning the UN Art; Philatelic Award!

Well-seasoned, ‘PRECIOUS CIRCLE’ has now come full circle and together with the 3 equally iconic, symbolical portraits of Mandela and a single oil painting: ‘United at last in the Cause of Peace’ (2002), this valuable collection celebrates the 20 years of our democracy and pays homage to Nelson Mandela in several thought provoking ways. It also celebrates the 20th anniversary since it was first exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum in 1994. 

 

Witness the visible proof of this local artist’s miraculous journey which lasted 6 years, as she documents the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a society in transition during the bleakest time in South African history.

Through the transforming processes of Alchemy, her daily collection of and the gradual accumulation of positive headlines, which she single-handedly sourced from the media over a period of 6 years (1989-1994), unexpectedly ended on the day of Mandelas inauguration 10th May 1994. The astonishing result was 50 positive collages, which when placed side by side, span a monumental 22 meters. 

It is with good reason that her life motto has become: Baby steps, Giant strides, Quantum leaps!

Don’t miss this opportunity to pause and reflect in front of these significant works (National Treasure created from trash!) which are as timely as they were 20 years ago and which have been a silent testimony at the Pretoria Art Museum since 7th November 2013 (exactly one month before Mandela passed away). They are still on view until the middle of July 2014.

Hear about the catalysts, organic development and process of transformation, which resulted in ‘PRECIOUS CIRCLE’ and flowing from that, the first portrait of Nelson Mandela: ‘REBIRTH’ (which won the United Nations Art & Philatelic Award in 1994) as well as the 2 additional portraits: ‘GOD BLESS MADIBA’  and ‘MANDALA MANDELA’. (All 3 exhibited at the UN Headquarters in 1994)

For several decades Aleta’s gradual sense of a Society that was ‘out of order’, culminated during the late 80’s when destructive atmospheric conditions  became unbearable.

Identifying with the country’s agony and her own feelings of despair and helplessness (caused by traumatic media coverage of political events) MICHALETOS  felt compelled to reverse the trend.

Her way of taking it upon herself to transform the situation through direct intervention and so becoming a protagonist, was the conceptualization of her tour de force, ‘PRECIOUS CIRCLE’.

Remembering ‘in the beginning was the word’, she found solace in words and for the next 6 years, a seemingly chaotic collection of news clippings of positive headlines (collected entirely from ordinary Newsprint) was methodically arranged to create 50 orderly collages and entirely transformed the ‘war of words’, into a monumental ‘wall of words’.

  Michaletos sincerely believes that by paying attention to words, you activate, energize and release the power of the ideas which are encapsulated in the words themselves, thereby bringing them to life.

They then become catalysts for action and change. As in themselves words are impartial, it is up to you, the spectator, to choose which words you wish to energize.

It is your own responsibility to build character or a spirit of endurance and by the consistent and frequent repetition of ‘Baby steps’, which transform into ‘Giant Strides….. the process of accumulation results in the achievement of ‘Quantum Leaps’ and the eventual Triumph of the human spirit!

OUR DESTINY IS NOT A MATTER OF CHANCE BUT A MATTER OF CHOICE & CHANGE

Finding better words for a better world, and undertaking actions where words speak loudly, the walls of division became the catalyst for a 22 meter long wall of unison.

Now, as we stand in front of PC we are called to order in quiet Monastic Contemplation and come to realize that we can transform the world word by word.

www.aletamichaletos.com

Copyright ©Aleta Michaletos

'REBIRTH' featured in University of Johannesburg Arts & Culture Magazine

I'm very thrilled to have a full color image of my painting of Nelson Mandela 'REBIRTH' on page 55 of Art Much? The quarterly Arts & Culture Magazine of the University of Johannesburg. The portrait of Mandela by Paul Blomkamp and featured on the cover, is in all respects a 'tour de force'. http://www.aisleb.co.za/clients/UJ/ART_MUCH_5/index.html
Art Much? magazine: the freedom issue now live
You can read all about the symbolism I've used in 'REBIRTH' in one of my earlier blog entries or maybe you would prefer to enjoy yourself navigating my website: www.aletamichaletos.com and read about my 3 Mandela portraits in that format.
Have fun! 

'REBIRTH', aquarelle on paper, 1994, Copyright reserved

'PRECIOUS CIRCLE' (1989-1994)

In 1989, I conceived the idea of ‘Precious Circle’. This was in direct contrast to the ‘vicious circle’, which was unfolding in South Africa at that stage and all the negative events portrayed in the South African press on a daily basis, over a long period of time.

It is intrinsic to my nature to try and salvage something from even the most sombre scenarios, by discovering the positive aspects to it.

After days of deep thought and introspection, I decided to make the ‘enemy’ my ‘friend’!  From now on, instead of criticizing what I read in the Press, or allowing it to influence my psyche, I would take responsibility for what I focused on and what I thought.  My philosophy was that my ‘new’, positive thoughts would influence my actions and following that, my actions would influence society.  This idea, multiplied, could change a complete society as we know it! Daily I became more passionate and energized as I realized the tremendous and far-reaching potential and transforming energies, of ‘Precious Circle’.

Every single day, I made clippings of the positive headlines reflected in South African newspapers and magazines.  These words were eventually sorted into different categories.  Aesthetic collages where then created from these clippings, each portraying a different inspirational theme, such as ‘happiness’, ‘hope’, ‘winning’, ‘beauty’, ‘peace’, ‘dreams’, ‘religion’, ‘morality’, ‘joy’ and ‘peace’.

    

When I started the project, events were unpredictable and the scenario was changing so rapidly, that no one knew with certainty, what the future would hold. At this stage, Nelson Mandela was still in jail.

Although I had no idea where the project was leading me to, I had absolute faith in its power to transform and attract, as I was gradually becoming aware of unexpected and increasing ‘blessings’ that were manifesting in my life.  One such ‘blessing’ was an unexpected invitation to present a retrospective exhibition at the Schloss Ettlingen, in Germany, 1991.  (Up to now, hardly a pipe–dream for even the most well-known South African artists)  I was developing an uncanny conviction that my ‘daily ritual’ was positively ‘magnetizing’ me.

During a very bleak period in South African History, ‘Precious Circle’ became my personal contribution to finding sparks of hope, by literally ‘reading between the lines’.  I was totally committed to perform my daily task until I received a definite ‘sign’ to discontinue my daily practice.

Every day, with painstaking attention to detail, sheer perseverance and almost superhuman effort and discipline, I continued my quest.

Sometimes, out of sheer desperation, I would take a negative word such as ‘unhappy’, cut off the ‘un’ and triumphantly preserve the ‘happy’ and likewise ‘unlucky’ would become ‘lucky!
Concentrating on the ‘positive’ and ‘optimistic’ in a time such as this was like a continuous prayer or meditation and it brings to mind the words of Chagall: ’Work is my prayer’. ‘Precious Circle’ documents the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a whole society caught up in a process of inevitable change, during a crucial time in South African history.  Although ‘Precious Circle ‘has a timeless and universal message, it is vital to contemporary history and its power lies in its simplicity.

A strong sense of color and balance marks each of the thought provoking collages of which the end result reminds one of a carefully constructed puzzle, where the smaller parts fit together perfectly.

The events of May 10, 1994 (the day Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President), was ‘the sign’ that I was waiting for! Miraculously, the newspapers of 10 May and 11 May reflected and contained all the positive words I had been searching for, for the past 6 years!  At last, the ‘Circle’ had completed itself, resulting in 50 collages, spanning a monumental 22 meters.
During June and July of 1994, I held an unusual dual exhibit at the Pretoria Art Museum.  The one part consisted of a long wall where ‘PRECIOUS CIRCLE’ took pride of place and the second, complimentary exhibit was titled: ’DRAWING ATTENTION TO TRANSFORMATION & REGENERATION’. The latter consisted of a series of drawings and watercolors reflecting the internal and external process of change experienced by every South African. ’REBIRTH’ was included in this remarkable series.  It symbolizes the opposing forces, which are reconciled in Nelson Mandela.

A museum official coaxed me into entering a competition for the ‘United Nations Art and Philatelic Award’.  ’Rebirth’ was the winning piece and thereby miraculously propelled me into joining the ranks of Dali, Chagall, Miro, Warhol and Vasarely, (some of the previous contributors).

From this experience I have learned that ‘luck’ is: when being prepared, meets with opportunity.

The 50th and last collage, created entirely from all the positive words as reflected in the press on 10 May and 11 May 1994.
Fine art prints are available
contact Aleta: aleta@aletamichaletos.com
website: www.aletamichaletos.com

'REBIRTH' (NELSON MANDELA PORTRAIT 1st)

3 PORTRAITS OF MANDELA

Conceived and executed by Aleta Michaletos in 1994

 As part of a solo exhibition titled ‘Drawing Attention to Transformation and Regeneration’, which I held at the Pretoria Art Museum in 1994, I conceived and executed a symbolical portrait of Nelson Mandela, titled ‘Rebirth’. In the same year, ‘Rebirth’ earned the ‘United Nations Art and Philatelic Award’, which was bestowed upon me in October 1994, at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.

I will detail the thought processes behind the artwork as well as that of the two additional portraits that followed. All three portraits were exhibited at the U.N. Headquarters in 1994.

I found myself increasingly fascinated by the ‘conflict’ and paradox, surrounding Mandela. This political giant had spent 27 years, (during the prime of his life), jailed as a terrorist. Yet, the same man, earned the respect and admiration of the world …… he received the Nobel Prize for Peace!

In the painting, ‘Rebirth’, this mental ‘conflict’ is symbolically represented as follows:

7 Yellow ‘Doves of Peace’ fly from left to right and a ‘Black Hawk’, swoops from right to left. Mandela's head (the features highlighted in green,) acts as ‘arena’ for the ‘conflict’. At last, here is a MAN in whom the opposing forces are reconciled! These images are superimposed, one upon the other. If it were not for the three colors that differentiate the separate images, green, black and yellow (the colors attributed to the ANC), the artwork would simply be an unintelligible jumble of lines.

On closer inspection we note that this image of Mandela subtly suggests the outline of Southern Africa and the wings of the doves and hawk that crown his portrait, could well be ‘laurel leaves’.

The talons and beak of the hawk fall out of the main portrait and suggest that ‘force and violence’ no longer plays a part in his life. Only dynamic power and strength of character remain.

A comment made by a pastor from Soweto, moved me deeply. He was curious as to how I knew that the ’Hawk ’was a symbol synonymous with Mandela. ‘A hawk does not eat what it finds…it finds what it wants!’

My daily search for and collection of positive words for ‘Precious Circle’, installed a habit in me that has become a ‘blue-print’ for the way I conduct my life. I have named it my ‘catch-of- the-day’.

Part of my daily ‘catch’ is the ‘word-of-the-day’ which Wikipedea delivers into my Inbox every day.

On the 16^th May 2009, the word was ‘GREEN-MAN’, which describes ‘a sculpture, drawing or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves.

Primarily ‘GREEN-MAN’ is interpreted as a symbol of ‘REBIRTH’ or Renaissance, representing the cycle of growth being reborn anew each Spring Remarkably, I was not aware of this concept until I recently read about it! Uncannily my portrait of Mandela is predominantly ‘green’, the ‘feathers’ can be mistaken for foliage and to top it all, it is titled ‘REBIRTH’!

Through these unexpected revelations even I have become a student of my own work.

A comment made by a pastor from Soweto, moved me deeply. He was curious as to how I knew that the ’Hawk ’was a symbol synonymous with Mandela. ‘A hawk does not eat what it finds…it finds what it wants!’

Fine art prints are available, contact: Aleta aletam@icon.co.za 
www.aletamichaletos.com