This exhibition is up throughout the National Arts Festival at the Albany Museum.

“If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think one sees something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.” Vincent Van Gogh. 

As we celebrate 50 years of the most popular National Arts Festival and 30 years of our democracy, the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture has showcased emerging and established artists in its Eastern Cape Showcase exhibitions since its inception. The journey of a creative has many destinations. Each creative aims to reach the horizon. One would assume that those ahead have reached the horizon, unaware there are more hills to climb. Creativity does not have a destination – the more one works in the creative sector, the more one's ideas and skills are refined.

Our artists will express their experiences and highlights of this journey that started more than 50 years ago through various mediums of visual arts be it photography, painting, drawing, printing, sculpture, and many more.

The Horizons Exhibition showcases Images & Democracy as an expression of democracy by female photographers from the Eastern  Cape, exploring the challenging and celebratory moments within their communities in a democratic South Africa. The contemporary *encounters* of the participating photographers confirm democracy as experiencing a sacred spiritual power that liberates and harmonises the self and society. The exhibition voices the struggle against the manipulation of societies’ *practices*, memories, and legacies for purposes of forgetting and erasing. Images & Democracy emphasises the important role of women in cultural belief systems, and the informal economy, and celebrates the boundless breadth of skills and wisdom passed down by women in diverse democratic projects of the country.

Images & Democracy has an added element of augmented reality allowing viewers to explore the story behind the image. This allows the exploration of new ways of communicating with imagery using advanced technology.

“Ukuba ubani uziva efuna into enkulu, into engenasiphelo, into emenza azive emazi uThixo, aku mfuneko yokuba aye kude ukuyoyifumane. Ndicinga ukuba umntu ubona into enzulu, engapheliyo, engunaphakade kunolwandle kwimbonakalo yamehlo osana oluncinane xa luvuka ekuseni luthethe okanye luhleke kuba lubona ilanga likhanya kwisingqengqelo salo.” UVincent Van Gogh.

Njengoko sibhiyozela iminyaka engama-50 yowona Mnyhadala wezobuGcisa weSizwe udumileyo neminyaka engama-30 yedemokhrasi yethu, iSebe lezeMidlalo, uLonwabo, uBugcisa, neNkcubeko libonise amagcisa asakhulayo nekudala bekho kwiMiboniso yaseMpuma Koloni ukusukela oko yasekwayo. Uhambo loyilo luneendawo ezininzi zokufikelela kuzo. Uyilo ngalunye lujonge ukufikelela esiphelweni. Umntu unokucinga ukuba abo bangaphambili bafikelele esiphelweni, bengazi ukuba kukho ezinye iinduli ekufuneka bezinyukile. Ubuchule bokuyila abunasiphelo, kokukhona umntu esiba nobuchule bokuyila, kokukhona iingcamango nezakhono ziba ngcono. 

Amagcisa ethu aza kuvakalisa amava awo kunye nezinto ezibalaseleyo zolu hambo olwaqala ngaphezu kweminyaka engama-50 eyadlulayo ngokusebenzisa iindlela ezahlukeneyo zobuGcisa obuBonakalayo nokuba kukufota, ukupeyinta, ukuzoba, ukushicilela, iimifanekiso eqingqiweyo, nokunye okuninzi.

IHorizon Exhibition ikwabonisa Imifanekiso neNkululeko njengomboniso wenkululeko eyenziwa ngabafoti ababhinqileyo baseMpuma Koloni, bephonononga imingeni kunye nemibhiyozo kuluntu lwabo ngexesha lenkululeko eMzantsi Afrika. *Iindibano* zala maxesha zabafoti abathabatha inxaxheba ziqinisekisa ukuba inkululeko kukuva amandla angcwele omoya okhululayo ahambisana nesiqu sakho noluntu. Lo mboniso uvakalisa umzabalazo ochasene nokuqhathwa *kwezenzo*, iinkumbulo, nezinto ezishiywe ngemva zoluntu ngenjongo yokulibala nokucima. IMifanekiso neNkululeko igxininisa indima ebalulekileyo edlalwa ngabafazi kwiinkqubo zeenkolelo zenkcubeko, kunye  ukungalingani kwemithetho yezoqoqosho kwaye ibhiyozela ububanzi obungenamda bezakhono nobulumko obudluliselwa ngabasetyhini kwiiprojekthi ezahlukeneyo zenkululeko yelizwe. Imifanekiso neNkululeko inezinto ezongezelelekileyo ezivumela ababukeli ukuba baphonononge ibali elisemva komfanekiso. Ngaloo ndlela, ibavumela ukuba baphonononge iindlela ezintsha zokunxibelelana ngemifanekiso besebenzisa ubuchwephesha obuphucukileyo.