I live in a city, New York,  where art is too often discussed as a commodity.  It saddens me because I have had the most moving experiences and insights into the human mind and spirit in front of paintings.  I do profoundly believe in the power of art to communicate, to make us dream, to move us, and to access and reveal our deepest longings. So when I encounter endeavors such as  the Lalela Project I am reminded of art’s life altering powers and I experience a surge of optimism and elation.

The Lalela Project founded by Andrea Krezner is based in South Africa and organizes art projects and art workshops in schools  in poor communities. Art is seen as a healing tool and becomes a way of inspiring these children to dream, and have goals. To start it keeps them off the street  and provides a safe environment to explore their creativity.

The word “lalela” means “to listen” in Zulu. It is in listening to the children’s stories that the project is able to tailor workshops to the needs of these communities and effect positive change through the use of art and music. The Lalela Project has just completed a project with South Africa born Jason Rhode at the Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town. The exhibition was called Paries Pictus, which means “wall drawing”.  It is a site specific intervention of drawings over the walls of the gallery. Rhode is a multidisciplinary  artist  who espouses a street based aesthetic deeply rooted in the communal South African tradition of story telling. He does 2 dimensional renderings which become the basis of a performance executed by a protagonist ( often the artist) who transforms the wall drawing into a 3 dimensional experience for the viewer.

In this particular case Rhode wanted to engage the community and  emphasize the communal process of wall drawings familiar to him from his childhood. He describes himself  in that occasion as “the conductor of the drawing process”  where the joy of play becomes a central component to the performance. The artist and his art are not existing in a rarefied sphere and art making becomes life changing for the community.

The children used oversized crayons to color in geometric vinyl graphics applied by Rhode.

They sure look like they are having fun!

By the end of the project I would guess some of the children were thinking that being an artist is pretty cool.

This collaborative exhibition came after a very similar one which took place in New York City at the Lehmann Maupin gallery  that included  children from PS63  from the South Bronx through an organization called Time In.