Cape Town-based ceramic artist Githan Coopoo is in the throes of art directing a fashion show for his friend and collaborator, the LVMH prize winning designer Sindiso Khumalo. He has much to say about the experience. “People like to think that Cape Town is beautiful because of the mountains and the landscape, but it’s what the land has been through that matters,” he exclaims, leaping from his seat to gesture towards the panorama.  

Read the full article here: https://www.ft.com/content/4fc684c4-93a7-4937-b918-32cab4b8d80d 

Wilma Cruise is this year's Festival Artist for Woordfees 2023 and will be honoured with a large exhibition in the SU Museum. Cruise explores the connection between humans and animals in her work. Some of her large, sought-after sculptures in clay and bronze will be on display alongside a selection of her paintings, drawings, and sound installations.

Lady Skollie debuts at the National Arts Festival in Makhanada as 2022’s Standard Bank Young Artists Award Winner for Visual Arts

AMAKA speaks with the exhibitors and curators of the Tomorrows/Today section of the fair. 

Everard Read are delighted to invite you to view ‘Natural Habitat’ at 16 on Lerotholi in Langa, Cape Town.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with 16 on Lerotholi, who share our vision of a gallery as an oasis for the communities it serves. At the core of the Everard Read ethos is a belief that participation in and enjoyment of the arts are a crucial part of a holistic existence.

As the creator of a space which uses art as an essential tool to foster understanding, empathy and solidarity within the Langa community, 16 on Lerotholi director and co-owner Mpilo Ngcukana explains that his vision for the gallery is to redefine the African Dream by empowering African artists with a platform that is invested in their artistic development.

Langa, the oldest township in the Western Cape, is celebrating a centenary since its establishment. 16 on Lerotholi contributes to this dynamic 21^st century hub, which spins on its own axis as it interacts with the rest of the city on its own terms. Adjoining a coffee shop and restaurant, the gallery’s involvement with the established community garden next door shows promise in integrating local produce into the farm-to-table economy, adding another layer to their already ambitious vision.

Everard Read has embarked on an exchange of skills, ideas and artworks, committing to four collaborative exhibitions over the course of this year, ‘Natural Habitat’ being the first. Ngcukana has curated the exhibition, drawing from our artists who have offered unerring support of the project. Included in ‘Natural Habitat’ are Blessing Ngobeni, Daniel ‘Kgomo’ Morolong, Ignatius Mokone, Boemo Diale, Nandipha Mntambo, Phillemon Hlungwani, Setlamorago Mashilo, Speelman Mahlangu and Vusi Khumalo.

Natural Habitat

‘Natural Habitat’ is a group exhibition presented at 16 on Lerotholi in collaboration with Everard Read, featuring the works of 10 artists: Blessing Ngobeni, Boemo Diale, Daniel ‘Kgomo’ Morolong, Ignatius Mokone, Mongezi Gum, Nandipha Mntambo, Phillemon Hlungwani, Setlamorago Mashilo, Speelman Mahlangu and Vusi Khumalo.

‘Natural Habitat’ serves to explore the theme of life as African people, as well as the land and spaces we occupy.

Through the individual lens of each artist, the artworks in the exhibition draw inspiration from surroundings that are familiar to the artists, such as Langa Township. The exhibition also seeks to assert that Langa is as natural a habitat as any to view contemporary expressions of African life, and asks whether or not this adds value and a deeper contextual understanding for the viewer.

The creative process of each of the artworks is deeply rooted in its geography and, in some instances, locations similar to Langa Township. The ambitions of making the exhibition space in Langa a ‘natural habitat’ for the artworks suggests a broader consciousness of art, from idea to creation to consumption – a visually striking exploration of the relationship between art, the artist and the surrounding environment.

‘Natural Habitat’ invites the viewer to consider the role of immediate context in the appreciation and understanding of art.

Gallery Blurb | 16 on Lerotholi 

16 on Lerotholi is a space that uses art as an essential tool to foster understanding, empathy and solidarity within the Langa community, in South Africa at large, within the African continent and beyond. Additionally, the space showcases the brilliant powerhouses of creativity that the continent gives rise to. The vision of the gallery is to redefine the African Dream by empowering African artists with a platform that is invested in their artistic development and commercialisation. 

Visual artists across the globe, and specifically in Africa, have over the years reimagined their African identity, creating narratives that include all facets of life. Historically, sexuality, queerness, and gender expression were seen as 'un-African'. While it is still illegal to be LGBTQ+ in many African countries, there is a growing visibility of LGBTQ+ identities in the creative arts, pushing conversations that in the past were seen as taboo, but for self-taught jewellery designer and sculptor Githan Coopoo, he describes his art as obnoxious, queer and necessary.

Read the full article here: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/484/235446.html 

 Summer holidays present lazy days by the pool. South African artists have been depicting this scene and others that offer an escape from reality. 

Read the full article here: https://editorial.latitudes.online/blog/posts/the-great-escape-can-art-offer-a-respite-from-reality/ 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2022 STANDARD BANK YOUNG ARTIST AWARD WINNERS

Receiving a Standard Bank Young Artist Award is a pinnacle point: this is one of the most prestigious prizes offered to South African artists under the age of 35. This year’s winners join the ranks of a stellar collective that have become household names over the last four decades. Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are cherished as national treasures, and many have gone on to find new audiences on the African continent and achieve international acclaim.

Uitstalling Art Gallery in Belgium is currently exhibiting Pendulum, an exploration of duality through portraiture by Lionel Smit.

The portraits showcase the artist embracing opposing forces. The exhibition, which runs until 2nd October, is an ode to contradictions, primarily comprising a series of dialogic diptychs reminiscent of photo negatives and their printed inverse.

Mark Rautenbach is one of 2 international artists invited to participate in a 6-week residency on Björkö, Sweden, starting in August. 

Run by non-profit BKN, Magnitude: Where the Sea Meets the Forest is a process-based residency, where the participating artists are encouraged to dwell in each other's knowledges and things they encounter on the island. Fieldwork, curatorial sessions and seminars will allow the artists to re-synthesise the contested expression 'nature versus nurture'.

Mark's latest solo will open at Everard Read in Cape Town in December.