vansa

The Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) was initiated by leading figures in the visual arts sector from across South Africa in 2003. People felt that the visual arts - unlike the film, performing arts, music, and publishing sectors - lacked a body that could tackle industry issues: from the need to address historical imbalances in access to opportunities in the visual arts, through to the need to attract more public investment and funding for the sector. Growth, Transformation and Opportunity were the three key ideas that motivated the organisation.

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum is an artist and creative researcher working in the fields of drawing, animation, installation and performance. Her work has been shown at the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Artists in New York, The Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, The Kitchen in New York, the Ithuba Arts Gallery in Johannesburg, the FRAC Gallery in Carquefou, France, and the 2012 Havana Biennale in Cuba. Her research interests include exploring the political possibilities of imagining and occupying what she calls "Mythologies of the Future."

Sunstrum was born in Mochudi, Botswana and grew up living in different parts of Africa, Asia and North America. After completing her Masters in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, USA, Sunstrum returned to Johannesburg where she currently lives and works.