This past Saturday, the Poetry Readings and Conversation brought together Gabrielle Goliath and Maneo Mohale in an event organised by the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. Founded in 1966 during a time of unthinkable violence and segregation, seldom has the institution presented us with such profoundly embodied explorations of Black desire, sensuality, and queerness in art….
“Be Free” is artist and sangoma, Desire Marea’s latest offering ahead of his sophomore album release—On the Romance of Being—recorded live with thirteen musicians, including Andrei Van Wyk, Sanele Ngubane, Portia Sibiya and more, due to come out on April 7th. Reviewing the single and its video for Brooklyn Vegan, Amy Geiger writes that “Be…
Two months ago Desire Marea blessed us with the release of their “Tavern Kween” music video. Directed by Allison Swank, the video off of their self-titled album, Desire, “belongs to Mary Magdalene of murky ecstasies —an embodiment of the spiritual and sensual gyrating and alive in the modern world.” As I write in my piece,…
The famous theatre phrase “The show must go on” has transcended into our everyday lives. With 2020 striking us with the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing that has managed to continue is the gift of art. With more time spent at home, we have been encouraged to have new approaches to the creation and consumption of…
“We are all living dangerous” Lebo Mathosa “This is the creation of a different kind of David. This is a Sistine Chapel of flashing neon lights, of pulsating bodies sweating off the Nivea-ness, of vice and escape from the feelings that emerge when darkness is no longer around to conceal them. God no longer floats…
ITONGO is the new sonically soothing slow-release EP by Joburg based multidisciplinary artist Nkhensani Mkhari, whose name may be more familiar to readers through their curatorial role at the Bkhz studio or their multitude of incredible art spanning across photography, painting, new media and performance art. Today however I want to share some thoughts on…
Mandla held his breath, as Teboho baptised him in a puddle of sweat on his chest. Their entangled bodies glistened like stars, clad in nothing but the dazzling quality that only night could reveal. A serpentine wind found a gap in the shut window and swirled graciously in the heat like a procession of relatives…
A dark moody atmosphere- you can almost taste the smoke and all it shrouds -a blue and purple dimly lit bar that could be both nowhere and everywhere all at once, a single arm outstretched towards me as I watch. A face that looks away from me, their eyes draped by the lashes of despair….
The artist talks experimental sounds, healing, Johannesburg displacement and trauma on Grindr. “To be honest, I can’t even tell you what I was healing from” Desire laughs over the phone with me. I’m on a midday call with Desire who is in their hometown situated in KZN as he graciously accepts the interruption. With this…
Lelo What’s Good is a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary creative that got into DJing unexpectedly. He met FAKA‘s Desire Marea while living in Durban. Upon returning to Johannesburg to study, he got to know Fela Gucci who invited him to play at Cunty Power. “I decided to come through and play. That’s when it started. After that…
FAKA, the duo made up of Desire Marea and Fela Gucci explores a combination of mediums including sound, performance, video and photography. These are the tools they use to unpack themes central to their own experiences, resulting in the construction of a low-fi, eclectic aesthetic that communicates the liberation and reimagination of queer bodies. Their…
AFROPUNK festival has become a celebration of self-expression through music and art. One aspect of the festival that holds the attention of people is the outfits that people wear. These outfits have become as symbolic of the AFROPUNK movement as those who perform and share their creative practices. I had a conversation with five of…
