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…
Pentax K1000 SLR in hand. A series constructed with images taken over a span of 3 years. House of Realness materially expresses itself as a zine, featuring the faces of Joburg darlings, FAKA and Nkululeko Masemola. Coming of age in Soweto, photographer Sipho Gongxeka spent most of his time playing football as a youngster, only…
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…
For the queer, the trans, the non-conforming, the female and the black, For those who have been alienated by mainstream culture, For those who are constantly harassed by patriarchy and suffer at the hands of capitalism, For copper-coloured Afro wigs, golden chokers, torn stockings and moving freely despite Lorraine’s side-eye, there is FAKA. Buyani Duma…
I interviewed Silondile Jali aka Slomokazi about her project #Nonke, which she describes as art fashion. Collaborating with photographer Paul Shiakallis, as well as her brother Siviwe Jali, Desire Marea, Fela Gucci, Mantis Shabane, Mamauba Mobi Malahlela and Assent Lesego Mnewe as models, this work is a celebration of self. Tell our readers about the…
Multifaceted black queer wonder, Fela Gucci’s fascination for South African electronic music led to a reliable music store in Jeppestown in early 2016. Since then Fela has been building a collection of interesting sounds that you will probably not hear on your favourite radio station. Thankfully, Fela created a harmonious mix called Diphala and we…
Fashion label Glitter Betty from up-and-coming designer Khensani Mohlatlole exemplifies all things young and fun. Inspired by babes like Fela Gucci and Desire Marea from FAKA, she conjures up whimsical, textured garments and accessories. Glitter Betty started from Khensani’s obsession with thrift shopping and upcycling in high school and became an extension of a her…
The work of Swiss photographer Georg Gatsas has been published by magazines such as Wire, Dazed, i-D and Beat. Georg has been operating between London and Zurich for the past couple of years. He recently spent some time in Johannesburg as part of an artist residency organized by Pro Helvetia. I caught up with him…
Faka, the dynamic duo of Desire Marea and Fela Gucci, are proudly representing black and queer creativity with potent sound and vision. Along with their glam imagery and performance pieces, they make music which combines the brute force of Gqom with the optimistic ghost of bubblegum township pop, kwaito and gospel. Their artistic manifesto is…
One of the defining features of nightclubs is that they are loud and dark: there’s little allowance for speaking. It’s a space where our bodies are especially loaded, in part because they are the primary means by which we signal to, and experience, one another. We dance, we push, we touch, we avoid, we shoot…
2016 has been the year of FAKA. The creative duo of Desire Marea and Fela Gucci have outdone themselves and broken cultural ground with every drop and every performance this year. On the 21st of April 2016 they gave an exhilarating live performance that set the Stevenson SEX exhibit alight. While a new video for ISIFUNDO…
