South Africa is a very bountiful and colourful country in terms of art and crafts. Furthermore, some of the most ancient art objects and jewelry were found in a South African cave. Explore the rock art, handicrafts and modern day art that South Africa has to offer.
Named a World Heritage site by UNESCO, for both its cultural heritage and natural beauty, the Drakensberg range of mountains in South Africa is the biggest indoors and outdoors art gallery in the world. The San Bushmen have occupied this area since the Stone Age up until the late 19th century and left their mark through paintings in caves, depicting their life, animals, people and beliefs. They have been described by UNESCO as “outstanding both in quality and diversity of subject”. Many of the San Bushmen paintings were made with blood, gall, ochre and egg white.
The Drakensberg range of mountains and the Cederberg region contain the best rock art sites in the country. Visitors should know that is has been said that the South African rock art is amongst the most advanced on a worldwide scale. The caves can be visited by walking, hiking or guided tours, which are available from most resorts.
South Africans are talented when it comes to arts and crafts, having a wide range of styles: Afro-French wirework, beadwork, wood carvings, tribal designs, stained glass, world-class pottery and bronze casting, clay and stone sculpting, basket weaving, making paper from elephant dung and ornaments from waste products.
More handicrafts range from embroidered tableware to candle-holders, keyrings and Zulu beadwork, which appeal to both locals and tourists. Such can be found at many street corners and pavements, shops, markets and even online, where merchants and organisations expand their business.
The Iziko South African National Art Gallery located in Cape Town is an art museum of international status, hosting a range of artwork from the colonial to contemporary periods. These include local, as well as British, French, Dutch, Flemish and pan-African art pieces.
The permanent collection there hosts a range of paintings, photographs, beadwork, sculpture, textiles, and work on paper. The colonial period collection consists of lithographs, etchings and paintings from the 17th until the 19th century by French, British and Dutch artists. Furthermore, the contemporary collection includes work that explores different cultures on the continent, as well as The Bead Society of South Africa - a collection of beadworks. One of the highlights of the contemporary collection focuses on catalogues of 1980s apartheid artwork, including returned artifacts which were originally removed from South Africa over the last two centuries.