‘The Beauty of South African Art is able to unite us’
That's what Wim van Ginkel of ArtChemistry gallery in Amersfoort aims to achieve by showcasing contemporary art from South Africa. He and his wife regularly visit that beautiful and captivating southern tip of the African continent to visit artists and are always overwhelmed by the country's enormous creative potential of South African art. He wrote this travelogue especially for Gallerease, highlighting his many personal encounters with "his" South African artists.
In search of South African art
As a frequent visitor to Johannesburg, you know you have to choose your hotel in certain neighborhoods of the city. For us, that's the Sandton business district near Nelson Mandela Square, with its many gleaming offices, restaurants, galleries, and hundreds of shops in the enormous shopping mall.
A starker contrast with Doornfontein in the city center is almost unimaginable, where you're confronted with daily life in abject poverty and where the hopelessness of existence is painfully apparent.
There, we visit August House on End Street, where more than fifty artists each have their own studios. Some of them also have their beds and refrigerators there and live there more or less permanently.
Jibril Achu in his studio at August House, Doornfontein/Johannesburg
The collage virtuoso from Cameroon
One of these artists, Jibril Linjoum Achu, left for South Africa in 2006 to pursue various creative courses, which he successfully completed. Because he couldn't afford oil paint, he started making collages with magazine clippings and flyers.
His work focuses on exploring the place of fashion in the lives of ordinary people. The people depicted are usually friends or family, whom he gives a "fashion upgrade," as it were, with fashions that are too expensive and unattainable for most of them.
His collages are highly refined in composition and use of color. From a distance, they resemble paintings, but up close, you can see that no paint has been used. His work is also recognizable by the narrow horizontal, vertical, or diagonal strips that he always incorporates into his collages. Jibril could rightly be called a collage virtuoso.
August House, a breeding ground for more than fifty young artists
With his selflessness and enthusiasm, he took us to August House to meet many of his colleagues, and we were constantly amazed. The average quality of the work is so high that we would love to show it in Europe, but unfortunately, that's impossible.
Not because we wouldn't want to, but because we want to carefully and thoughtfully expand our portfolio.
A Maboneng initiative by world-renowned artist William Kentridge
From August House for a quick lunch to our stopover in Maboneng, a trendy neighborhood in downtown Johannesburg with great shops, restaurants, and galleries, such as the large creative hub Art on Main.
A relatively safe oasis of a few streets in an area that is very polluted, poor, and unsafe. Unfortunately, we've noticed that the neighborhood has deteriorated since the pandemic and no longer has that typical "South African vibe" it once had.
Old Masters as a Source of Inspiration
We took an Uber to Asisebenze Art Atelier on bustling Plein Street for our very first meeting with the young artist Stephen Langa.
He grew up in Limpopo, a province in northeastern South Africa. He studied art in Pretoria and printmaking at the Artist Proof Studio before launching his creative career in Johannesburg.
Despite his young age, he has already participated in numerous exhibitions and his work is included in renowned art collections.
A Warm Welcome by Artist Stephen Langa for His Dutch Visitors
Many of his paintings are inspired by scenes from Old Masters, where he not only transforms the image but also gives it a unique "African touch" by working with models from his surroundings, such as family, friends, and acquaintances.
He works with a mix of materials such as oil paint, charcoal, pencil, and watercolor. His paintings are captivatingly beautiful, with the almost always recurring white pencil outlines that Stephen subtly accentuates in his work.
From township to guarded community
Bambolwami Sibiya in front of one of his impressive works with Wim van Ginkel
Bambo enthusiastically talks about his work
Not far from our hotel in a posh guarded community in Sandton, we visit one of the most famous South African artists of the moment, Bambolwami Sibiya. In recent years, he has had many (solo) shows in South Africa, but also in places like New York and Dubai.
He grew up in abject poverty in Springs, Gauteng, with an aggressive, drunken father who abandoned his family of young children. Bambo, as one of the oldest in the family, took on more of the father's role in the family. This experience strengthened him to make something of his own life, and he more than succeeded.
In 2005, he obtained a Design certificate from Benoni Technical College. With a fellow student, he founded the Artist Proof Studio (APS), where he caught what he calls the "printmaking bug." This is still evident in his current mixed media work, in which he combines every conceivable technique, such as oil paint, acrylic paint, and charcoal, with linocuts and stencil techniques.
The models for his work are hard-working, impoverished people like miners or cleaners, whom he dresses elegantly for photoshoots. These photos form the basis for his often strikingly large paintings. They cannot afford the extravagant clothing and accessories, but by seeking that contrast, Bambo allows them to radiate strength and self-confidence.
Victoria Yards, from former dry cleaners to creative hotspot
Our next stop in Johannesburg is Victoria Yards, a former industrial area in Lorentzville that was once the headquarters of a large industrial dry cleaners.
Several years ago, the redevelopment of this dilapidated area began, resulting in it now being a creative hotspot with a large number of artists, gallery-like shops, and space for urban farming, with fresh fruit and vegetables grown on-site daily.
Hundreds of magazines on the shelves serve as the basis for Dario's collages
'Painting with Cutouts'
In his beautiful studio no. 5, we visit Dario Manjate, the other collage virtuoso in our portfolio. His drive for innovation and experimentation led him to the idea of 'painting', as it were, with clippings from glossy magazines.
He never simply tears out pieces from the magazines, but carefully cuts out each piece with the goal of using them in a specific order in his work. He uses only glossy magazines because they best reflect the message he wants to convey.
This process of cutting and combining clippings takes weeks for a single work of art. But the end result is truly stunningly beautiful and creative.
Zooming out, it resembles a painting, but as you zoom in, it becomes a dazzling collection of diverse, sometimes expensive, items like watches, cars, and interiors. Fascinating work in which you constantly discover new things and continue to be amazed!
Before leaving Johannesburg, we'll visit artist Andrew Ntshabele, with whom we began our South African art experience at the end of 2018.
Andrew Ntshabele applies a final coat of paint
Daily life as a source of inspiration
The daily lives of residents in Doornfontein, Johannesburg's Inner City, are his main source of inspiration. The residents are literally dirt poor, crime is rampant, and most people have no chance of escaping it. In his work, Andrew searches for answers to the question of why this situation isn't improving and why the decline seems to be worsening.
Daily life in Doornfontein, from photo to painting on newspaper clippings
Based on photographs he takes, he paints people isolated from their backgrounds on a collage of newspaper clippings. The headlines and articles often relate to the image and offer commentary on society, sometimes very clearly, sometimes more subtly.
He also creates collages of (old) music sheets, postcards, and books as backgrounds for his powerful paintings.
Andrew: “My intention using newspapers and historical documents is for people to remember history and not forget where we have come from… as this will guide where we are going.”
Despite their sometimes hopeless situation, he wants his paintings to emphasize the resilience and self-esteem of black South Africans, as well as the hope for a better future for them. Andrew’s work has quickly become a fixture in private collections in his native country, as well as in Europe and the US.
Parys, a rural idyll
Charming shops on Bree Street, Parys
Our beautifully situated B&B on the Vaal River in Parys
From Johannesburg on our way to the town of Parys, charmingly situated on the nearly 1,500-kilometer-long Vaal River in the Free State province. Parys is the "Lage Vuursche" (Low Fire) of the province, attracting many domestic tourists, especially in the summer.
On Bree Street, the main street in Parys, with a little imagination, you could imagine yourself in a small tourist town in the United States. A street full of restaurants, shops, and French antiques, many with verandas out front.
Although heavy trucks also rumble through the street, it is lively and pleasant. But we are mainly here to visit two completely different artists.
The "South African Mondrian"
Visiting Baba Tjeko in his studio in Paris
Baba Tjeko and his wife Vangile welcome us to his spacious studio on the outskirts of Paris, near the township of Tumahole, where he spent most of his childhood with his grandparents.
This visual artist and designer became famous for his geometric-abstract work, which is both traditional and contemporary, featuring a beautiful color palette and brilliantly designed forms, unmistakably with an African touch. He shares Mondrian's characteristic drive for innovation and imagination.
His work is inspired by the murals created by the Basotho people, known as Litema, a slowly disappearing art form primarily practiced by women in Lesotho and Baba's home province, the Free State.
These paintings can still be seen on many of the small white stone houses, brightening and decorating them.
Litema murals as his main source of inspiration
Baba's work is at the intersection of art and design, and perhaps for that reason he has been asked to do various commercial projects for companies like Nespresso, Mini, and Stella Artois.
The Queen of Fabrics and her 'lappies'
Alma Thomas with one of her 'lappies' in her gallery on Bree Street, Paris
On Bree Street, we visit Alma Thomas and her husband, Joseph, in her gallery and shop. Alma was born in 1962 in Rustenburg, a rural area of North West Province.
After studying at the Fashion Academy in Johannesburg and a long career in fashion, she began making oversized fabrics—large wall hangings—about twenty years ago, which she affectionately calls 'lappies' in Afrikaans.
She usually communicates in English, but in the middle of a conversation, she switched to Afrikaans and apologized with the words, “sorry Wim, ik heb mien Engels opgebruik”.
Alma has developed a special machine, manually operated by two people, in which the image, digitally printed on paper, is passed through a roller system, centimeter by centimeter, along with carefully selected fabric. By heating the paper, the ink becomes moist and transfers to the canvas.
She creates dreamy, mystical images in the computer that she hopes will transport you time and again, escaping the sometimes harsh reality of everyday life. With her impressive tapestries, she more than lives up to her nickname, the "Queen of Fabrics."
Safari in Addo
From wildlife to pristine beaches
We continue our journey with a domestic flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, with Cape Town as our final destination. But first, it's time for a stopover near Addo Elephant National Park and, of course, a visit to the park. The wildlife in South Africa remains impressive and captivating, every time!
Via Port Elizabeth, we head to our next destination, the town of Knysna on the beautiful Garden Route in the southeast of South Africa. An area with beautiful (beach) resorts, often boasting immense beaches, unlike many places in Europe, not crammed with beach bars, but still pristine, empty, and clean.
A Remarkable Career Change
James Stead Creates His Still Lifes in His Garden Shed
In Knysna, a meeting is planned with the erudite artist James Stead (born 1966), who taught English, Psychology, Drawing/Painting, and Art History for a long time at various secondary schools.
Although he loved teaching, he resolved to retire at fifty and establish himself as a freelance artist. In 2016, he began painting primarily super-realistic still lifes of fruit, vegetables, and flowers in his self-built garden shed behind his house.
He uses old, found wooden planks and discarded scaffolding parts as his base, which a contractor from his hometown of Knysna saves for him. He paints the still lifes on 5mm thick hardboard and then manually mills the shape of the still life into the attached planks, allowing the painted surfaces and wooden planks to seamlessly merge.
The contrast between the rough wooden planks and the highly realistic oil paintings makes his work unexpected and alienating. With this, James adds a new, surprising dimension to the still life genre.
Choosing Choices in Stellenbosch
Traveling Back in Time with Muratie
B&B Among the Vines Just Outside Stellenbosch
We make a stopover in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek wine region, where we are constantly surprised by the hundreds of wine estates that excel not only with top wines but also with delicious food and fascinating galleries.
This results in a lot of choice, but the wine estate that is always on our itinerary is Muratie, one of the oldest wine estates (1685) in South Africa. As if time has stood still, it is highly recommended.
Contrast between rich and poor
Public swimming pool by the ocean in Seepoint, Cape Town
Makeshift car wash in Athlone, Cape Town
Just under an hour's drive away lies our next destination: the fashionable and trendy city of Cape Town. But just like in Johannesburg, the contrast between rich and poor, between black and white, remains stark.
On the one hand, there are wealthier neighborhoods like Seapoint, Clifton, and Camps Bay, and the enormous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront mall and entertainment district right on the seafront. And impressive museums like the Zeitz MOCAA and the Norval Foundation.
On the other hand, there are vast areas near the airport, with a string of townships like Nyanga, Philippi, and Khayelitsha. An area whose population is unknown, but estimates range from one million to one and a half million.
Here, the dark side of South Africa is palpable, but so too is the resilience and perseverance of many black residents to escape this hopelessness.
A prime example of this is artist Boyce Magandela. Because it's not wise for foreign visitors to drive into townships alone in a rental car, he picked us up in his car at our hotel in Seapoint for a visit to his studio.
Not canvas, but blankets and rugs as the basis
Boyce Magandela rightly proud of one of his rugs
Boyce grew up in poverty in the township of Langa, Cape Town. He studied Fine Arts, and his breakthrough as an independent artist came after being a finalist in the ABSA bank Art Atelier Award Contest.
As a young boy, he slept in a bed with four brothers under the same type of blankets he now uses acrylic paint to paint residents of his old neighborhood, with the fringes still attached. Despite his poverty, the blankets symbolize family security, warmth, and safety for him.
Mother as a source of inspiration
In his urge to push boundaries, Boyce started embroidering, inspired by his mother, who was always embroidering during his childhood. He bought used rugs from township residents under one condition: he could depict a family member on them.
Zoom in, and it looks like an abstract tangle of threads; zoom out, and you see recognizable people. And so, with needle and thread, he immortalizes a resident who may have left thousands of footprints on such a rug.
Returning Home with Nostalgia
The above is a selection from approximately twenty-five inspiring visits to twenty-five creative and versatile artists. On the plane back to Amsterdam, we were reminded of the beautiful quote by Baba Tjeko that so aptly summarizes our trip: "The Beauty of Art is able to unite us."
Buying South African Art
If you're inspired after reading this piece, check out the complete collection of South African art from our special South African artists below. Of course, you're always welcome to view the artworks in person by making an appointment. For more (contact) information, please visit our profile on Gallerease.
