THE CENTRE FOR THE LESS GOOD IDEA
Photograph by Stella Olivier.
E a re ngaka kgolo go retelelwa, go alafe ngakana.
If the good doctor can’t cure you, find the less good doctor.
— From a book titled Sechuana Proverbs with Literal Translations and Their European Equivalents by Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (October 9, 1876–June 19, 1932).
Founded in 2016 by artists William Kentridge and Bronwyn Lace, The Centre for the Less Good Idea creates and supports experimental, collaborative and cross-disciplinary arts projects in Johannesburg and abroad.
The Centre is a physical and immaterial space to pursue incidental discoveries made in the process of producing work.
“Often, you start with a good idea. It might seem crystal clear at first, but when you take it off the proverbial drawing board, cracks and fissures emerge in its surface, and they cannot be ignored. It is in following the secondary ideas, those less good ideas coined to address the first idea’s cracks, that The Centre nurtures, arguing that in the act of playing with an idea, you can recognise those things you didn’t know in advance but knew somewhere inside of you.” — William Kentridge, 2016
The Centre is a space to follow impulses, connections and revelations. Historically, it’s served as a physical space for artists to come together and for curators to bring together combinations of text, performance, image and dance. The Centre believes an ensemble sees the world differently from how an individual does. It is a safe space for stupidity, for projects to be tried and discarded because they do not work. It’s a space for short-form work which doesn’t have a natural home in a theatre or gallery.
As of 2024, The Centre in Johannesburg is led by Impresario for the Less Good Idea, Neo Muyanga, who is developing and implementing a unique performative series within our spaces, titled COLLATIONS. This programme runs alongside and intersects with our developmental and educative programming through SO | The Academy for the Less Good Idea, led by Momenteur, Athena Mazarakis. Our international collaborations and projects are produced under the banner of The Centre Outside The Centre, led by Bronwyn Lace.
CONTACT US
Arts on Main
Maboneng
264 Fox Street
2094
Johannesburg
South Africa
