When Kerry and Bobby Hugill found themselves searching for originality in a sea of mass production, and convenience in a country where designers and artists are spread far and wide, the solved the problem by creating a store to showcase design from well established to future stars. Meekel is an online store where design enthusiasts enjoy the added convenience of delivered to their door.
Deon Viljoen, a fine art and antiques dealer for many years, has, along with his wife Diana, has opened his first retails venture, a stylish gallery in Stellenbosch. The gallery offers a fascinating collection of antique and contemporary furniture, art and ceramics. Diana has imported a number of gorgeous products from Italy, including the Ortigia home and Gallo accessories ranges, and elsewhere.
Ditto is a jewellery exhibition that launched at The Fringe on Kloof on Friday 4 May. The exhibition celebrates the serendipitous synergies between the design and the art worlds. Eight jewellery designers - Gillian Fuller, Anna Raimondo, Metaxia Sterianos, Emma Atkinson and Caryn Fourie, Eon Hoon, Megan McFall and Marietjie Beeselaar - have created works that discover their link to the art world.
Liza Grobler’s exhibition, White Termite, on at the Brundyn + Gonsalves gallery from now until 20 June, takes the behaviour of the termite and turns it into a monochromatic, mixed media installation that aims to engage with the audience by giving them the chance to interpret the experience in their own way and by their understanding of each component in relation to the whole.
Opening today at Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection is Paul Senyol’s first ever solo exhibition, which explores our shared experience of the human condition in relation to the phrase: “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man”. The gallery is also producing an artist’s book in collaboration with Senyol, which will be available for viewing and purchase at the time of the launch.
Contrary to continued perception, skateboarding is pretty mainstream. So to learn that skateboarding on public roads in Cape Town is now illegal took me by surprise. Little is being done to provide skateboarders with viable alternatives. The proceeds of an exhibition of illustrations by Gerhard Human, on at Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room from 26 April, will go towards the development of skate parks in South Africa.
With thoughts of chocolate eggs and cute bunnies still fresh in our minds, we could be forgiven for the heading above evoking deliciously macabre images. In reality, it’s a range of collaborative designer bunnies made by members of ‘sweet & soutie’, a creative network of local designers, that will be auctioned in May to raise funds for a severely underfunded charity that cares for abandoned babies and children.
If you take a look at the b-guided> homepage you may notice that the slideshow has changed. Meet graphic artist, illustrator and toy designer Kronk (aka Kris Hewitt). Kronk is responsible for the cover of the latest B-guided City Guide, which will be revealed next week. In the meantime, enjoy a look at some of his extraordinary work, for which he is globally renowned.
The Toffie Pop Culture Conference & Festival this weekend focuses everything pop culture: from design to music, art to publishing and everything in between. Part of the festival is the You & Me & Everyone We Know market with designer goods, retro-refashion, tech-tronics, multi-colour blocking coffee, cocktails & drinks, baked goods & traditional boeries, a fantastic DJ line up and lots more
A History of Failure, on at Brundyn + Gonsalves from 20 March to 2 May, uses South Africa’s past to examine both the complex nature of history and of South African identity. Using a variety of media, including lithographs, sculpture and found objects, Rossouw shows moments of melancholy, bathos and bombastic failure against the relentless march of historical time.
Radar, a group exhibition of illustration opens at Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection in Kloof Street on 14 March and runs until 31 March. Featuring artists Mieke van der Merwe, Jean de Wet, Bruce Mackay, Linsey Levendall and Michael Tymbios, the show will include once-off original prints as well as limited edition archival prints by each of the participating artists.
A lot has been happening in Woodstock lately, not least of which is the recent opening of the Woodstock Foundry. This 100-year-old building has been beautifully renovated and houses a inspiring mix of creative outlets. Retail outlets, studios and workshop spaces with gorgeous wooden floors and high ceilings, set around a central cobblestone courtyard make this one of the city’s most exciting new developments.
Infecting the City, from 6 - 10 March, is an innovative, out of the ordinary public festival that places provocative, innovative art in the communal spaces of the City’s Central Business District and celebrates a trove of diverse cultures, traditions and heritages in unexpectedly contagious ways. It’s intent is to reclaim public space for the public and allow for an unusual way of interacting with their city.
One of the best ways to enjoy a meal with friends is to share, taste and enjoy a wide selection of dishes. Luke Dale-Roberts has turned this American tradition into a fine-dining experience with the newly-opened The Pot Luck Club & Gallery. A variety of “small plates” of global dishes, cocktails and boutique wines are on the menu at this combination eatery and contemporary art gallery.
Sisters Mandy and Jacqui indulge their passion for South African art and design by finding fabulous things they fancy, combining the new and old, the serious and the frivolous and and sharing them via their store, Imagenius, housed in a beautiful three- storey Victorian building. Imagenius is running some great specials at the moment, plus, you can win a R500 voucher.
You’ll find more than just delicious breakfast, sandwich and lunch options at the delightful Skinny Legs & All Café; there’s a feast for the eyes on the walls too. Currently on display is an installation by fine artist and fashion designer Doreen Southwood, who also owns MeMeMe (which we highlight below). Four painted bronze sculptures appear graceful and effortless, despite their weight.
Sarah Jane and Cecil Bosman have returned from a year spent travelling through Indonesia, India and Argentina and Capetonians are the lucky beneficiaries of their adventure. Their new store, Mr & Mrs, is where you’ll find the most beautiful homeware, fashion, gifts, jewellery, ceramics and more. Mr & Mrs is set to become one of our favourite places to shop!
Damn your eyes, damn your eyes and Further Fictions is a joint exhibition that explores the visual languages and conversations of two artists, Robyn Nesbitt and Natasha Norman, who live and work in two different cities. A conscious collaboration via email and the SA postal service is on at Commune1 from 29 November.
Salon91 presents Cara van der Westhuizen’s second solo exhibition titled “Fata Morgana: on longing and desire” during November 2011.
Daniel Ting Chong is one of the four artists exhibiting in the all-male The October Show on at Salon91 this month. We love the work of this award-winning artist, designer and illustrator who, besides exhibitions and commissions, has collaborated with a number of top international brands, including Levi Strauss, Adidas and The Discovery Channel.
Stephen Inggs’ exhibition, Legacy, is on at Brundyn + Gonsalves (formely iArt) from 2 November. His first South African show in a few years promises to be engaging and beautiful. Inggs’ photographs of everyday objects are instilled with a distinct sense of tactile nostalgia. The exhibition also includes landscapes from his colour series, Typology of Place.
“The process of illustrating is for me a form of meditation, whereby I allow myself to be swept away, flowing with the patterns revealed. On closer look every entity is exquisitely patterned and connected through detailed patterns.”
Jeannie Indi’s exhibition opens at the Haas Collective gallery next Friday, 28 October at 6pm.
It’s apparently been home to a funeral parlour, a church and an insurance company, but with three new tenants, 64 Wale Street just got a lot more interesting. First up is owner Greg Dale’s new installation and sculpture gallery, Commune.1. If you haven’t visited yet, don’t miss the last few days of Christopher Swift’s Umlungu, on until 18 October.
The Swartland comes to Kirstenbosch this Saturday, 8 October. Don’t miss the Swartland Country Market where you can meet and greet winemakers, taste the region’s wine and olives, and mouthwatering cuisine, and enjoy great entertainment for adults and children.
Five years after its inception, iArt stands as an established and respected gallery within the South African art world. They are excited to further advance their art and take it into the international arena. As their gallery strategy is changing, so too is their name. A name that represents exactly who they are, the founders of iArt.
The Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay, which opened to rave reviews this winter, is launching its Summer Night Markets this Friday, 9 September. Experience an authentic slice of South African creativity, culture and cuisine.
Get ready for a magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan, bedazzling, sensual spectacular at the BotRiviera Spring Weekend that includes, inter alia, horse riding, fly fishing, wine and olive oil tastings and blending, sumptuous meals, live music, pottery and art exhibitions, games, face painting, bike courses and much more besides
Don’t miss the final week of “Figuring Difference”, an exhibition featuring artists Nelson Makamo, Patsy Groll, Lucinda Mudge, Lara Feldman and Daniel Popper, currently on at salon91 art gallery in Kloof Street, while from 7 September, “REALM… an urban enquiry”, with works by Gabrielle Raaff and Lorenzo Nassimbeni,starts.