After the liberation and civil rights movements of the mid-century, phrases like “Black is Beautiful” came to epitomise Black empowerment. In recent years, films like Dark Girls (2011), brands like Fenty Beauty and figures like Lupita Nyong’o in Hollywood, Zozibini Tunzi in the pageant world or Anok Yai in fashion have brought more emphasis on…
In an exchange that felt more like a salubrious meeting of minds, Dr. Portia Malatjie, the accomplished Head Curator for the South African Pavilion at the 60th Edition of the Venice Biennale, shared insights into her curatorial approach and explained her take on the prestigious global event’s theme “Stranieri Uvunque” (Foreigners Everywhere). Malatjie elaborated on…
Sanele Matsolo’s innovative approach to his photographic practice illuminates the often shrouded world of traditional healing and spirituality in South Africa. We asked him some questions about the driving force behind his work, which offers a fresh perspective on ancestral work and challenges conventional narratives. Sanele Matsolo, the self-taught filmmaker and photographer, opened up about…
Both on behalf of BubblegumClub and as a loving friend, I visited ceramicist Justin Brett and enjoyed an insightful studio visit and interview, which went into his creative journey and recent body of work. As I stepped into the space, I was enveloped in an atmosphere of creative contemplation. With candour and humility, Brett shed…
Nearly a year ago, I spent a warm afternoon with one of my heroes, renowned photographer Roger Ballen at his Inside Out Centre on Jan Smuts Avenue. It’s taken me that long to finish this text, partly because the fanboy in me wouldn’t let me observe his creative process objectively. With over five decades of…
The start of art week had an air of obvious serendipity to it. Upon settling into my seat on the plane, I took out a book on curatorial practice, making my seatmate ask if I was of the arts. The book went unread, replaced by the discourse spanning the two-hour flight from Johannesburg to Cape…
When I was a young and impressionable art student, I had the misfortune of being taught by Ed Young. Jokes! 🤣 What’s unfortunate is that the brand of art he taught me to love, complete with the Maurizio Cattelans and Martin Creeds of the world was tailor made for white artists like himself and some…
The audiovisual installation ABJ by Emeka Ogboh will be showcased during the 2024 CAN at the SOMETHING venue in Abidjan. SOMETHING, founded by Anna-Alix KOFFI in 2021, provides a physical platform for publications like SOMETHING WE AFRICANS GOT, PROFILES, and Women’s Paper. This non-profit art centre, dedicated to video art, digital art, and critical discourse, is…
Cape Town’s art week is officially afoot! RESERVOIR’s open studios, part of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair‘s VIP programme, inaugurated the proceedings with an impressive array of art, skill and talent. In the heart of Cape Town, Bree Castle House—housing 20 artist and design studios across nine floors, including RESERVOIR’s 7th-floor gallery—opened its doors…
We kicked off the art fair week in style last night. Starting at Sethembile Msezane’s studio, in the company of the likes of Siwa Mgoboza, we headed to The Silo Hotel. We were attending an event for the collaboration between the Silo Vault and artHARARE, an artist-run initiative dedicated to fostering contemporary art in Zimbabwe…
On the 16th of September, Neo Matloga, whose relationship with Stevenson Gallery has been ongoing since 2020, opened his latest exhibition Figures at its Amsterdam locale. The artist was also present the morning after and as we entered the cosy space, well stocked with croissants, orange juice and champagne at the entrance, there stood the…
Reid starts by asking me – who is here to have a conversational interview with her – about myself. She asks about what I do, whether I enjoy it and how I came to do what I do. We laugh, observing the flipped dynamic of interviewer and interviewee. “I like to know who I’m talking…
