Contemporary Kids|Atlanta Contemporary

Ralph Ziman joins artist Makiko Maekawa for a special Contemporary Kids program. They will be teaching kids how to use various objects, paint, and paper to create contemporary works of art.

This is a drop-in event. Doors open at 12pm and visitors may begin the project any time until 2pm. Most visitors complete their artwork in 30-45 minutes and are invited to view the exhibitions before they leave. Contemporary Kids is open to all ages.

Parking is free in the lot at Bankhead & Means Street (Google Maps Location). You can access the lot via Bankhead Avenue and proceed past the parking attendant booth.

About The Casspir Project

The Casspir Project charts the locus of the South African military vehicle’s legacy of institutional oppression — a legacy with which we are still reckoning. The central element of the project is one of reclamation.

The central element of the project is one of reclamation. The restored and refitted Casspir vehicle, its surfaces fully covered in elaborate, brightly-colored panels of glass beadwork, arrayed in traditional patterns was completed by artisans from Zimbabwe and the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, including women of the Ndebele tribe, known for their craftsmanship.

Since it’s debut SPOEK 1 has travelled throughout South Africa, stopping at The Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg (July 2017); Everard Read Gallery — Keys Art Mile, Johannesburg (July 2017); and The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (September 2017). The vehicle arrived in the United States in May this year and was part of Special Projects at the fourth edition of 1-54 New York and, most recently, was on view at Pioneer Works, New York through the summer.

I remember columns of Casspirs, ten or fifteen, heading for the East Rand Townships of Daveyton and Katlehong,” Ziman says. “Heavily armed paramilitary police sitting casually on the roofs brandishing automatic weapons. I remember Casspirs flying at high speeds down the narrow, potholed streets of Soweto. I remember how the South African police would park two Casspirs in the road to form a blockade, forcing drivers to slow into an S-shaped route for tense inspection.

Bios

Ralph Ziman

Ralph Ziman’s practice is motivated by a sense of social responsibility toward global politics. Using imagery that is at once vivid and dark, he comments on serious issues such as life under apartheid, the arms trade and trophy hunting. His work extends across a variety of media, including film, photography, public intervention, sculpture, and installation.

Makiko Maekawa

Makiko is passionate about creating art and how it can connect people and flourish their sense of belonging. She believes the best part about connecting through art is sharing the joy of discovery and listening to the stories behind an artwork.

She has been connected with the art-making process ever since she can remember. It became an essential place for calm and happiness when she moved to the United States from Japan, where she experienced language and cultural barriers. Through that experience, she became dedicated to sharing the art-making process with the community, where it can be used to express, heal, have fun, and make connections.

Makiko believes kids have magical powers in creativity and imagination. She is originally from Japan and studied photography at MICA in Baltimore, MD then earned the Master of Arts in Creative and Innovative Education (MACIE) from GSU. As a child, she learned that art is a universal language that allows kids to express their power. She currently lives in Atlanta and creates art in mixed media, including photographic images.