14 September 2015
Cola® South Africa will continue celebrating 100 years of the Coca-Cola contour bottle through a platform created for artist to exhibit artworks inspired by the glass packaging at the Art Week Joburg, in Maboneng precinct, Johannesburg from the 12th to the 20th of September.
The Coca-Cola® contour bottle exhibition will feature South African artists Mbongeni Buthelezi, Tony Gum, Simon Parkin and Namibian Kabelo Kim Modise – bringing together a combination of experienced and young artists under the curatorship of Zanele Mashumi.
The famous glass packaging has inspired countless moments of happiness in film, social history, design and fine arts and has gained iconic status as a muse to many artists and designers globally for 100 years.
“Although the Coca-Cola® contour bottle is a global icon, there is a very distinctive beauty about the way in which South African artists have used the contour bottle to express their craft. We also see this as an opportunity to help lesser known and up and coming artists to exhibit their work,” said Sharon Keith Marketing Director of Coca-Cola® Southern Africa.
Initial celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Coca-Cola Contour Bottle kicked off in Cape Town and Johannesburg earlier this year through a global art travelling exhibition featuring artworks by world famous artists such as Clive Barker, Burton Morris and Andy Warhol.
The artist to be featured in Maboneng exhibition are Mbongeni Buthelezi a world-renowned South African artist who creatively converts waste material and recycled products into masterpieces. Tony Gum is a vibrant 20-year-old artist who uses photography to communicate her unique perspective on the world.
Simon Parkin is a well-travelled South African artist who expresses himself through oil painting, mainly landscapes. Kabelo Kim Modise is a Botswana born, Namibian based artists who uses 2 remarkable methods to create his artwork. The first method being expressive oil paint and the second being a distinctive artistic method called linocuts.
The exhibition is curated by Soweto-based curator Zanele Mashumi who makes art accessible by bridging the gap between emerging artists and inexperienced art buyers. The exhibition will feature over 20 extraordinary pieces of artwork from all four artists.
“The Coca-Cola contour bottle continues to be at the centre of the happiest moments shared by our consumers everywhere in the world today, as it were in 1915 when it was first patented. We believe that the contour bottle will continue to inspire artists as Coca-Cola will continue to support local artists in their craft,” said Keith.