BIO

Dr Leora Farber is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, where she holds the position of Director, Visual Identities in Design Research Centre. She currently works as an artist, academic writer, researcher, curator and post-graduate supervisor.

Farber has published articles in numerous academic journals, chapters in books and conference papers and edited six special editions of journals. She has edited four volumes: Johannesburg and megacity phenomena (VIAD, 2008); Imaging ourselves: visual identities in representation (VIAD, 2009); On making: integrating approaches to

practice-led research in art and design (VIAD, 2010) and Critical Addresses. The Archive in Practice (VIAD, 2010) (co-edited with Claire Jorgensen (VIAD, 2016) .

She has been the recipient of NRF research grants and of funding from the University of Johannesburg (UJ)

University Research Committee (2005-2008); National Arts Council (2005-2006) and UJ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) Faculty Research Committee (2005-2006). Awards include the Competitive Award for International Liaison, TWR Committee for International Affairs (CIA) (2003) and the Ernest Oppenheimer Award for Overseas Research (1996).

HIGHER EDUCATION

2013 DPhil Visual Art (Creative Production), University of Pretoria (UP).

1998 Media Art 1, Spring Semester University of Tennessee (with distinction).

1992 MA Fine Art (Cum Laude) University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

1987 BA Fine Art, Wits.

ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2020

Intimate Presences/Affective Absences. Upcoming, August 2020. FADA Gallery, Johannesburg.

2007- 2008

Dis-Location/Re-Location. Major exhibition featuring photographic prints, sculptural, installation,

video and sound work. Over the period of a year, the exhibition travelled to:

The Albany History Museum, Grahamstown
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth
The South African Jewish Museum, Cape Town
The US Art Gallery, Stellenbosch
The Oliewenhuis Gallery, Bloemfontein
The Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Durban Art Gallery.

2006

A Room of Her Own. Live performance and installation. The Premises, Johannesburg.

Designing for the Senses conference. Live performance/installation. Rockefeller University, New York City.

2001

All You Can Be. Retrospective exhibition as one of three official artists represented at the Aardklop National Arts Festival. Snowflake building, Art Circle, Potchefstroom.

Corpa Delicata. Sculptural performance and video installation. The Premises Gallery, Johannesburg.

Corpus Delecti. Video installation. Carinus Art Centre, Grahamstown, as part of the Standard Bank National Festival of the Arts.

2000

Endless Renovations. 3-person show with Mark Hipper & Geno Gindl. Joao Ferreria Fine Art, Cape Town.

1997

Instrumental. Thompson Gallery in collaboration with Read Contemporary Art, Johannesburg.

Skinless. Gasworks Gallery, London.

1993

Seeing through the Body. Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg.

1992

Masters degree exhibition. Gertrude Posel Gallery, Johannesburg.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2012

Pointure. Curated by Ann-Marie Tully & Jennifer Kopping. UJ Art Gallery (catalogue).

2011

The Surface, the Underground and the Edges. Video programme shown as part of Afropolis. Media. City. Art. Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne; Collaborations/Articulations. FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg; Michaelis Gallery, University of Cape Town (catalogue).

2010

Transgressions and Boundaries of the Page. Africana room, JS Gericke Library, Stellenbosch University; Gallery of the North-West University, Potchefstroom; FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg (catalogue).

L'origine du monde – this is not a porn song. Snowflake building, Potchefstroom.

2009

FADA Staff Exhibition. FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg.

2008

Skin-to-Skin. Curated by Fiona Kirkwood. Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg.

2007

Second Skin. Curated by Ellen Lupton, produced and circulated by Vitra Design Museum. Museum of Contemporary

Art, Taipei; Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei (catalogue).

Skin-to-Skin. Curated by Fiona Kirkwood. Exhibition formed part of the Textile 07 Kaunus Art Biennial, Lativa.

2006

Robes/Roles. Curated by Elfride Dreyer. Fried Contemporary, Pretoria.

2005

Reconciliation. Curated by Elfride Dreyer. University of Pretoria (part of the Arts and Reconcilliation Festival).

2004

Talking to Strangers. SouthAfrica/Switzerland. Curated by Nika Spalinger. o.T.Raum fur aktuelle Kunst, Luzern.

Through the Looking Glass. Representations of Self by South African Women Artists. Curated by Brenda Schmahmann. Albany History Museum, Grahamstown; King George VI Gallery, Port Elizabeth; Durban Art Gallery; South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg (book publication).

2003

No Agenda. Gordart@Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg.

Old and New. Sanlam Art Collection, Belville, Cape Town.

Translocations/How Latitudes Become Forms. South African schedule of the Translocation Channel, Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis.

2002

In No Particular Order. Corpa Delicata formed part of a video showreel featuring selected South African video artworks produced between 1990-2002. 16th Recontres Video Art Plastique Cenre d’Art Contemporain de Basses-Normandie, France.

Skin: Surface, Substance and Design. Curated by Ellen Lupton, produced and circulated by Vitra Design Museum. Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York City (catalogue).

Corpa Delicata (potential, process, aftermath). Sasolburg (part of the Wax Art and Music Festival).

2001

Art 2001. Contemporary Art Fair. Business and Design Centre, London.

Breken Borders. Stellenbosch University Chapel Gallery, Stellenbosch (catalogue).

2000

Two Icons: The Atom, The Body. Curated by Kathryn Smith. Exhibition in conjunction with Urban Futures 2000

conference, MuseuMAfricA, Johannesburg.

Contemporary South African Video Art. DownTOWN MTN/Urban Futures video focus. Exhibition in conjunction with Urban Futures 2000 conference, Civic Gallery, Johannesburg.

1999

Body as Commodity. Nexus Contemporary Art, Atlanta (with Marc Quinn & Nan Goldin).

Emergence. Curated by Rayda Becker. Albany History Museum, Grahamstown; King George VI Gallery,

Port Elizabeth; Durban Art Gallery; Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg.

Aftermath: Women in Postwar Reconstruction. Exhibition in conjunction with conference of the same title, Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg.

Art 99. Contemporary Art Fair, Business and Design Centre, London.

The New Anatomists. Gallery 1010, The Wellcome Institute, London (catalogue).

The Exquisite Corpse. Jibby Beane Contemporary, London.

Adorn. Jibby Beane Contemporary, London.

Three Artists: Three Continents: Artists in Residence at UTK. Ewing Gallery of Art & Architecture, Knoxville, TN.

1998

Art 98. Contemporary Art Fair. Business and Design Centre, London.

1997

Art 97. Contemporary Art Fair. Business and Design Centre, London.

The Gramercy International Contemporary Art Fair. Gramercy Park Hotel, New York City.

1996

Colours: Contemporary Art from South Africa. Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (catalogue).

FNB Vita Art Now. Johannesburg Art Gallery (catalogue).

1995

The Body Politic. Curated by Colin Richards. Johannesburg Biennale, Gertrude Posel Galleries.

Inside – Outside. Curated by Julia Charlton. Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg Art Gallery.

1994

FNB Vita Art Now. Johannesburg Art Gallery (catalogue).

1993

ABSA Bank Atelier Art Award. ICA Gallery, Johannesburg (catalogue).

1992

ICA celebrates Johannesburg Artists. Institute of Contemporary Art, Johannesburg.

The Neglected Sex. Gallery on Tyrone, Johannesburg.

1990

Volkskas Bank Atelier Art Award. South African Association of Arts, Pretoria.

1988

Cape Town Triennale. Major South African National Museums (catalogue).

WORK IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Sanlam Corporate Collection, Cape Town.
Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg.
Sasol Wax Collection, Sasolburg.
Unisa University Collection, Pretoria.
The Trinity Session, Johannesburg.
Sanlam Corporate Collection, Cape Town.
Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg.
MTN Art Institute Digital Art Collection, Johannesburg.
Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg.
Gertrude Posel Art Galleries, Johannesburg.
Technikon Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria.
Oliewenhuis Art Gallery, Bloemfontein.
Pretoria Technikon, Pretoria.

RESIDENCIES

2019

3-month residency at the SymbioticA Centre of Excellence in Biological Art, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia.

2008

Artist in Residence: Spring Semester. Dept. of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

1996-7

3-month studio residency at the Gasworks Artists’ Studios, The Oval, London.

EXHIBITIONS CURATED

2015

Past Imperfect//Future Present. Exhibition curated by Leora Farber, Claire Jorgensen & Maria Fidel-Regueros. FADA Gallery, 24 March-31 April.

Hypersampling Identities, Jozi Style. Exhibition curated by Leora Farber, Claire Jorgensen & Maria Fidel-Regueros in association with Daniela Goeller and Nicola Cooper. FADA Gallery, 17 September-9 October.

2012

Lichtenburg Flower and Medusa. Exhibition by Artist/Prof Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger. Curated by Leora Farber & Ann-Marie M Tully. NIROXprojects, Arts on Main, Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg, 13-29 August.

2011

The Underground, the Surface and the Edges: A Hauntology of Johannesburg. Video programme curated by Leora Farber & Anthea Buys. Afropolis. City. Media. Art. Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne, Germany, 21

January; Collaborations/Articulations, exhibition curated by Brenden Grey, FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg, 9-24 May; Michaelis Gallery, University of Cape Town, 15 June-2 July; Africa on Screen, video programme curated by Jennifer Bajorek, South London Gallery, London, 24 June.

Space, Ritual, Absence: Liminality in South African Visual Art. Exhibition curated by Leora Farber & James Sey. FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg, 10 March-1 April.

Nothing is Missing. Installation by Mieke Bal. Curated by Leora Farber & Bronwyn Law-Viljoen. Jozi Art Lab,

Arts on Main, Johannesburg, 9-24 March.

2008

Too Close for Comfort: Belonging and Displacement in the work of South African video artists. Video programme curated by Leora Farber & Lee-At Meyerov. FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg, 10 March- 1 April; Intermission, the Lister Building, Johannesburg, 11 April; Performing South Africa, Hebbel Am Ufer Theatre festival, Berlin, 18-27 September; Goethe Institute, Johannesburg, 28 November.