Latest news with #RMBLatitudesArtFair
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
The 2025 RMB Latitudes Art Fair showcases over 300 art works at Shepstone Gardens
The Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Latitudes Art Fair's third edition took place in the enchanting Shepstone Gardens in Houghton from May 23 to 25. Read more: RMB Latitudes Art Fairs third edition comes to Shepstone Gardens The art fair worked with over 50 galleries and over 300 artists, who showcased their talent over the course of the weekend. From major local galleries, such as Southern Guild, Stevenson, and Everard Read, to nomadic gallery FEDE Arthouse, Strauss & Co auction house, and new Nigerian space AMG projects, every aspect of the art ecosystem was represented. Co-founder of Resevoir Projects Shona van der Merwe said the exhibition, which was founded in 2021 by herself and Heinrich Groenewald, is an independent partnership specialising in collaborative curation. Also read: RMB Latitudes Art Fair returned with diverse African perspectives She added that their 2025 RMB exhibition featured six of their artists: Bulumko Mbete, Cathy Abraham, Keith Henning, Luis MS Santos, Mankebe Seakgoe, and Seretse Moletsane. The fair's 2025 international platform took a deliberate and engaged focus on neighbouring country Botswana, with several exhibitors, working collaboratively to create a presentation that respects the balance between contemporary art and more traditional, foundational art practices in that region. In the gardens, an outdoor exhibition: Disturbed Currents: Art for a Warming World, explored how it is we inform the climate, and how it, in turn, informs our own lived experience. While Essay sees stoneware sculptures by doyenne of South African Ceramic Sculptors Amalie von Maltitz shown alongside charcoal drawings by Sydney Kumalo. Van der Merwe added that in 2023, Reservoir opened a space for solo exhibitions by independent artists on Bree Street in Cape Town. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! Related article: Popular RMB Turbine Art Fair goes virtual
The Citizen
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Strauss & Co's May auction showcases iconic South African modernist artworks
Johannesburg's art scene is gearing up for a major event this May as Strauss & Co, Africa's leading auction house, prepares to present a stunning collection of South African masterpieces in its flagship live sale on May 27. Locals will have the rare chance to see important works by homegrown legends, all set to go under the hammer in what promises to be a landmark auction for the city. Read more: Art exhibition To See Them Home is currently exhibiting at The Blue House At a special media briefing and walkabout on May 14, Strauss & Co revealed the exceptional quality and historical significance of the pieces up for sale, highlighting how the event fits within the broader international modern art calendar. Among the highlights are paintings by three of South Africa's most celebrated 20th-century artists, Gerard Sekoto, Irma Stern, and Vladimir Tretchikoff. These masters continue to command critical acclaim and attract growing international interest, underscoring Johannesburg's vital role in the global art market. One local favourite, which will catch the eye, is Jakob Hendrik Oerder's evocative Lake View, Braamfontein Farm (Zoo Lake), painted in 1898. This tranquil landscape captures a scene near the heart of Johannesburg, before it was transformed into Hermann Eckstein Park, a space that remains cherished by residents today. Also read: South African female artists contribution celebrated Strauss & Co will also showcase works by George Pemba, a contemporary of Sekoto, who is fast gaining prominence, as well as important pieces by Dumile Feni, and the internationally renowned William Kentridge, whose sculptures and drawings continue to draw crowds worldwide. The auction items will be on display at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair in Shepstone Gardens from May 23 to 25, giving locals and collectors alike a chance to view these treasures before the live sale at Strauss & Co's Houghton salesroom. With Johannesburg firmly established as a cultural hub, this auction marks a proud moment for the city – a celebration of South Africa's artistic heritage and a beacon for collectors and art lovers. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! Related article: Calling all artists with expressions unbound At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Africa's depth and diversity on display — inside this year's RMB Latitudes Art Fair
This weekend, Shepstone Gardens will be transformed, its grounds a living gallery for one of Africa's most exciting art fairs. RMB Latitudes returns with a bold mission: to showcase the depth and diversity of contemporary African art. Art media specialist Bronwyn Coppola shares her top 10 picks — a glimpse into the artists reshaping the conversation across Africa. Botswana Focus At this year's RMB Latitudes Art Fair, a dedicated Botswana Focus spotlights the country's dynamic and fast-evolving art scene. The project brings together collectives and cultural platforms including TBP Artist Collective, The Space Botswana, ReCurate, Banana Club and ARC (Art Residency Centre Botswana). RMB Botswana supported and celebrated the project with a pre-fair exhibition in Gaborone, produced by Ora Loapi. The Botswana Focus explores the notion of borders — geographic, ideological and artistic — and reflects the region's shift from heritage-based narratives to more contemporary, experimental practices. By concentrating its international spotlight on one locale, RMB Latitudes fosters deeper engagement with Botswana's cultural and artistic ecosystems, offering audiences a more nuanced understanding of the country's creative identity. It's not about discovering a new voice, but about asserting one, with artists and cultural practitioners actively reshaping the narrative through experimentation, dialogue and collaboration. In a global art world that often overlooks smaller markets, the Botswana Focus asserts a bold presence, making space for Botswana's stories to be seen, heard, and supported. Talks programme The Talks this year embrace this momentous time for South Africa (as we prepare to host the G20), offering a series of dynamic, future-facing conversations that explore how artists, curators, collectors and cultural thinkers are forging new connections across continents and disciplines. Through dialogue, we aim to build bridges — between Africa and the world, tradition and technology, heritage and innovation. From the rise of digital tools in the African art economy to creative currents flowing from East Asia to the Americas, from bold visions emerging from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Botswana to the nuanced dynamics between Austria, France and South Africa — this year's programme celebrates multiplicity, movement and mutual learning. RMB Talent Unlocked For over a decade, RMB Talent Unlocked has been a powerful force in identifying, nurturing and showcasing emerging South African artists. This year, RMB Talent Unlocked introduces 50 artists who have come through the programme. The presentation offers a compelling cross-section of artistic voices from across the country, highlighting diverse mediums, practices and perspectives that reflect the richness and complexity of contemporary South African art. For these artists, the presentation at RMB Latitudes marks a critical moment in their journey — a chance to present their work to collectors, curators and art lovers in a professional, high-profile setting. INDEX RMB Latitudes' annual Independent Artist Exhibition, INDEX, champions accessibility in the arts by spotlighting talent outside the traditional gallery system. It connects independent artists directly with audiences, collectors and gallerists to boost their visibility and support long-term growth. Curated by celebrated artist Bonolo Kavula, this year's edition is titled Invisible Thread and offers a space dedicated to experimentation and new voices. It weaves together the work of eight independent artists in a collective exploration of identity, connection and materiality. Through a range of media — from thread and textiles to sculpture and print — these artists engage in a shared dialogue. The group exhibition includes works by Yonela Doda, Thato Makatu, Tshepo Phokojoe, Khanyi Mawhayi, Dineo Ponde, Unathi Mkonto, Tinyiko Makwakwa and Kavula herself, included as a gesture of collaboration and mentorship, reflecting her ongoing creative dialogue with the group. Disturbed Currents: Art for a warming world Each year at RMB Latitudes, the outdoor spaces of Shepstone Gardens are transformed into an open-air exhibition — a place where art, nature and urgent ideas intersect. Disturbed Currents, a collaborative outdoor installation by Dutch artist Thirza Schaap and South African artist Nina Barnett, interrogates ecology through distinct but complementary lenses. Schaap, renowned for her Plastic Ocean series, creates seductive yet unsettling sculptures from plastic waste collected on beaches. At first glance joyful and colourful, her works quickly reveal darker truths about consumption, pollution and waste culture. Barnett, by contrast, traces the flow of water across Johannesburg's Witwatersrand Ridge — a watershed where rivers divide to reach two oceans. Her spatial interventions, drawings and videos treat water not just as a resource, but as a political and emotional force. Together, their work confronts us with environmental fragility, inviting collective reflection and accountability. ESSAY: Tracing modernist lineages For a sculptor, a sketch might be a fleeting idea — a quick way to commit thought to paper — but drawing and sculpture share a profound, symbiotic relationship. Each informs and deepens the other. ESSAY focuses on the drawings and sculptures of two prolific South African artists: Sydney Kumalo and Amalie von Maltitz. Installed in the Chapel space, ESSAY pairs Kumalo's charcoal and pastel drawings with von Maltitz's expressive clay forms. Though their careers never quite intersected, both artists share an enduring concern with figuration, abstraction and the human form. Together, their work opens a dialogue about lineage, influence and legacy — and invites a reconsideration of what modernism means within a South African context. Mary Sibande: A Queen Never Dies Mary Sibande's established practice, centred on her iconic alter ego Queen Sophie, invites audiences on a journey of strength, transformation and identity reclamation within the context of black South African women's history. Queen Sophie confronts historical injustices while envisioning future agency. In collaboration with Usurpa, Sibande ventures into new media with A Queen Never Dies, presented within the turret at Shepstone Gardens. Visitors will encounter a holographic representation of Queen Sophie, a technological and artistic exploration. The hologram's creation involved the precise capture of an existing three-dimensional sculpture using laser technology. The process entailed illuminating the sculpture with a coherent light source, beam splitting, and recording the interference pattern to preserve its depth and form. Upon illumination, the hologram projects a three-dimensional image, offering a novel mode of engagement with Sibande's work and indicating an expansion of her artistic practice into digital realms. Design Week South Africa art. Launched in 2024 by Margot Molyneux, Design Week South Africa is an expansive initiative celebrating the future of South African design through events and immersive experiences that promote knowledge-sharing, inclusivity, and support for emerging talent. Lady from the Orient For Vladimir Tretchikoff fans, Lady from the Orient will be exhibited alongside a curated selection of important modern and contemporary works from Strauss & Co's flagship live sale. The winner of Latitude's annual ANNA Award last year, Somers will debut a series of large-scale ceramic sculptures as a special project at the fair. Maluleke will exhibit mixed-media paintings paying intimate homage to the city of Joburg, where he lives and works. Xanthe Somers: Wearing Thin A Zimbabwean ceramic artist based in London, Somers created her new body of work in Cape Town while on an artist residency that formed part of her ANNA Award. The collection of braided vessel-like forms is a progression from the monumental pieces in her 2024 solo presentation, Invisible Hand, which explored traditions of basket-making in Zimbabwe and the value of women's work in post-colonial contexts. Titled Wearing Thin, the latest series is marked by a sense of unravelling: the works' surfaces are articulated by interwoven strands of clay that have become untethered at certain junctures. Their rotund forms buckle inwards as they seem to succumb to their own weight. A fissure interrupts the warp and weft of a tall ovoid vessel, and everywhere the fringes begin to fray. Weaving is a powerful metaphor for social cohesion, storytelling, and the slow and repetitive nature of domestic work — cleaning, mending, stitching, sewing and cooking. In their exuberant display of colour and attention to scale, Somers' ceramics celebrate the creativity and mindfulness inherent in all these associations, but in exploring the limits of their making — and by implication, their functionality — she points to some of the structural imbalances too. It is commonly accepted that gender divides prioritise formal work over domestic work and care-taking in capitalist economies, and undervalue handicraft in contrast to art (traditionally the purview of men). Yet, even more insidious than these divides is the intersection of race, gender and class that forms the very foundation of our current milieu. The series also reflects on the power of cloth and clay to hold narrative, carrying symbols and images that speak of historic events, convey standards of beauty and display political allegiances. Somers is interested in how contemporary material culture bears the legacy of colonialism by conveying Western conceptions of womanhood and aesthetic value, perpetuating the erasure of indigenous traditions and principles. Terence Maluleke: A Love Letter to Joburg, First Draft Maluleke's new series of paintings, A Love Letter to Joburg, First Draft, springs from a deep engagement with and love for the urban fabric of his birthplace — the shifting terrain of a city in the constant process of being made and remade, by its enterprising, everyday inhabitants. Born and raised in Soweto, he recalls minibus taxi rides with his mother to buy bulk items at inner-city wholesale stores: 'As you arrived in the city, there was a sensation of going inside a humming, moving machine. There was something enticing about the towering buildings, the buzz, the feeling that really important things took place there.' As a student at the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein, Maluleke began to form his own internal map of the city, learning to navigate its more dangerous spots and finding a sense of beauty and community among the informal traders, street vendors, commuters and residents sharing the streets. 'Many of these people are occupying space they shouldn't, but as a community, they are making it work together. There is a deep human intent and a spirit of collaboration to survive in this environment, to improvise infrastructure and create a livelihood.' Made in his studio in Doornfontein, Maluleke's paintings capture real and imagined vignettes of public and private life: an indoor scene of lovers locked in an embrace, safe from the orange flares of gunfire outside; a pair of squawking hadedas — Joburg's ubiquitous birds — perched atop a stack of plastic chairs; a potted plant at a window overlooking warehouses and the Hillbrow Tower. His narrative approach encompasses the sombre reality of life on the economic margins with a portrait of an exhausted zama zama (illegal miner), taking stock of the tragic price paid by others who have ventured into abandoned mines. Maluleke's palette is suffused with yellow tones calling to mind the city's infamous mine dumps and vistas of sun-bleached veld, but simultaneously registering beats of hope and optimism. He leans into abstraction, fragmenting his picture plane into multiple perspectives and turning burglar bars and checkerboard flooring into framing devices. Mixing charcoal and pencilwork with paint, Maluleke builds textured layers and keeps much of his linework visible. His brushwork stops just short of the canvas edge — in progress, rugged and exposed. There's a defiance and a humanity about the world he is building in this new body of work, whose inhabitants 'have a disregard for a system that sometimes feels like it's not for them. But they still occupy it. It's as if they are saying, 'Before the system catches up, you'll find us here. There is a gap that needs to be filled, and that's where you'll find us.'' DM The Botswana Focus will be at the Great Hall Rooftop at RMB Latitudes; RMB Talent Unlocked will be showcased in The Manor, Stand E2; INDEX will be at Glass Marquee, Stand C3 at RMB Latitudes;
Mail & Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
State of the art: RMB Latitudes Art Fair returns
Fair deal: The RMB Latitudes Art Fair is happening at Shepstone Gardens in Johannesburg from 23 to 25 May, providing a showcase for both up-and-coming as well as established artists and for galleries and independent creatives. The RMB Latitudes Art Fair is set to return to Joburg's Shepstone Gardens from 23 to 25 May for its fourth edition. Launched in 2019 by Roberta Coci and Lucy MacGarry, the fair began as an entrepreneurial leap of faith. Both had experience with large-scale events through Artlogic and recognised the shift happening in the local and global art landscapes. The inaugural edition took place at Nelson Mandela Square, inside a 1 000-square-metre marquee, with 40 exhibitors from as far as Oslo and New York and across Africa. 'Even then, it was all about contemporary African art,' says MacGarry. 'That has always been our defining mandate.' The 2019 edition drew around 7 000 visitors and proved that there was space, and appetite, for a new kind of art fair that catered to both established and emerging voices. The second edition was in the works when the Covid-19 pandemic halted global events. Plans to host the fair on a rooftop venue in Sandton were scrapped, and like many in the arts, the co-founders were forced to pivot. That pivot became an innovation — a comprehensive online platform for showcasing and selling art. 'We had talked about building something digital for a long time,' says Coci. 'Covid gave us the time and necessity to do it. We launched the platform in July 2020 with 350 artists. Today there are more than 2 000.' This digital-first period also cemented Latitudes' unique positioning. The platform gave independent artists the opportunity to present their work side by side with established galleries, something that had traditionally been a point of contention in the art fair format. 'We were scared we'd get pushback from galleries,' MacGarry admits. 'But with everyone's income at risk, it was a moment where those rules no longer applied. 'That precedent has stuck. We're still the only fair to host both galleries and independent artists in the same space.' By the time the fair returned in person in 2023, at Shepstone Gardens and with Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) as a sponsor, it had not only survived the pandemic but emerged with a stronger, more inclusive foundation. The lush, multi-level outdoor setting allows the fair to feel immersive rather than overwhelming. 'We don't operate like a conventional convention centre,' says Coci. 'You experience a gallery section, then step out into a garden. It's a palate cleanser. That flow is deliberate.' As the fair evolves, so does its ambition. This year's edition brings the first in a series of African country spotlights with Botswana as the inaugural focus. A dedicated rooftop section at the venue will house Botswana's artists, curators and gallerists, all of whom have also been integrated into the Latitudes online platform. 'This is the first of many,' says Coci. 'We're building real relationships across the continent. This isn't just an online transaction. It's about being in Gaborone, building trust, and co-creating.' The two co-founders say they're committed to making Latitudes Online a truly pan-African platform. 'We already have contributors from countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, but going forward we want to go deeper,' MacGarry says. 'Next year might be Nigeria. The idea is to build real infrastructure and networks that last.' This year's theme, Co-production, reflects the collaborative ethos that has defined Latitudes from the start. 'We bootstrapped this fair,' says Coci. 'From the beginning, we've built it by working with others — offering partnerships, trade exchanges, anything we could to make it happen. 'That's still the approach. And it's why we've grown.' The theme also threads through the fair's programming. The 2025 talks series, which is drawing packed audiences, is designed to spark inspiration and also lay the foundation for actionable partnerships. 'Our talks this year are about relationships between African contemporary art and global cultural institutions,' says MacGarry. 'We've got speakers from South Korea, China, the US and several European countries. It's a look at what those offices are doing in South Africa and how artists, curators and institutions can plug in.' An invitation-only side event, Creative Connections, will run alongside the fair's VIP programme and bring together policymakers, diplomats and industry leaders to catalyse support and policy shifts in the creative sector. 'Art fairs are already places where connections happen,' says MacGarry. 'But, this time, we want to curate those connections more intentionally.' Another consistent feature of Latitudes is its commitment to spotlighting independent artists. The fair's Index section is dedicated to self-representing artists, and this year it takes on a new shape under the curation of South African artist Bonolo Kavula. Known for her intricate thread-based works, Kavula brings a personal touch by showcasing young artists she mentors, tying them together through a curatorial concept called The Invisible Thread. 'The Index section has always been an incubator,' says MacGarry. 'Many artists who started there are now signed to galleries. This year, we're also using it as a mentorship platform, supporting emerging voices while giving them visibility.' Located under the glass marquee, this part of the fair is both a visual and symbolic centrepiece, inviting collectors and art lovers to engage directly with the creators. That spirit of engagement runs through the entire fair layout. The spatial curation, says Coci, is just as important as the artistic curation. 'We place exhibitors intentionally so that they're in conversation with each other. It's a complex puzzle but we think about how people will move through the space, what they'll experience next, and how it all connects.' To help guide visitors, designer Matthew Edwards has created a new series of isometric maps and visual guides that incorporate the architecture of Shepstone Gardens. 'We want it to feel like an adventure,' MacGarry says. 'One that people can remember and navigate with ease.' Over the last decade, South Africa's art world has undergone a quiet revolution. 'It used to be a space of gatekeeping,' says Coci. 'Big galleries talking to big collectors. It was intimidating. 'Now, there's access, driven by digital tools, social media and platforms like ours. Artists can represent themselves and young collectors feel like they belong.' Latitudes has played a key role in this shift, creating both physical and digital spaces where the full breadth of African contemporary art is visible and accessible. 'We've got over 20 000 newsletter subscribers from all over the world,' says Coci. 'Collectors can discover everything from Goodman Gallery to emerging artists in one place.' As the fair gears up for its most ambitious edition yet, its founders remain grounded in the values that launched them: collaboration, accessibility and a belief in the transformative power of art. 'We're not just putting on a fair,' MacGarry says. 'We're building a community; and a future.'
TimesLIVE
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
All the artistic latitude you need
RMB Latitudes Art Fair returns for its third edition at the baroque hideaway of Shepstone Gardens on Jozi's east side next week, from Friday, May 23 to Sunday, May 25. Despite its relative youth, the co-founders of Latitudes — Lucy MacGarry and Roberta Coci — have done well to carve out and sustain a particular niche, one focused on emerging artists and accessible collecting...
