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Clockwise from centre foreground: side table by Wiid Design and Ceramic Matters; Skull by Friday Jibu; Foundrie Table by Gregor Jenkin; Black Splash rug by Paco Rugs; Dreamz coffee table by Dokter and Misses, and on top of it two carved skulls by Friday Jibu and GUILD Studio Urban Rock Medium; Stiletto Sofa and cushions by GUILD Studio; L’MAD tapestry by Tamsin Relly; Mervyn Gers vessels and Charles Haupt bowls on a Miki Console by Osterwald & Sons – all GUILD Studio. -
Clockwise from left: Andile Dyalvane’s Gaz’tyeketye, Inkunz’emnyama and Isichopho ceramic artworks; sculptures by Justine Mahoney; and Dokter and Misses cabinets – all Southern Guild. -
Haywire Chandelier by David Krynauw; 2Oceans Drinks Cabinet, 2 Oceans Table and 2 Oceans Sideboard by Meyer Von Wielligh; and Reticence Bench by Driaan Claassen – all Southern Guild. -
Clockwise from left foreground: Implemente Chair and Wife? Bench by Conrad Hicks; Mud Dauber Sleeping Pod by Porky Hefer; Loves Me Loves Me Not side table by John Vogel and Justin Plunkett; Haunted rug by Paco Pakdoust and Conrad Botes; Spun Chair by Porky Hefer; Swartkat by Adam Birch; Untitled by Conrad Hicks (in the centre); and a partial view of the Beauty’s in the Beast II sideboard by John Vogel – all Southern Guild. -
Brand & Communications Director Emma Wright is seated at Gregor Jenkin’s Foundrie Table from Southern Guild on one of eight GUILD Studio Wilderness Dining Chairs. The Blue Label Rug by Paco Pakdoust and Wayne Barker is from Southern Guild, and the Holz Mushroom side table by Frank Böhm Studio is from GUILD Studio. -
Justine Mahoney’s Victory on a LALA Limo – Lips drinks cabinet by Doktor and Misses, both Southern Guild. -
Manager Karena Liebetrau in the GUILD Store. -
Lineage cabinet and Premise bench by Wiid Design and Lionel Smit, both Southern Guild. -
Julian and Trevyn McGowan beneath the Paco Pakdoust and Conrad Botes Haunted rug from Southern Guild. -
From left, Creative Director Tammy Tinker, Cape Town Gallery Director Lezanne van Heerden and Head of Southern Guild Jacki Lang.
PHOTOS Micky Hoyle WORDS Tudor Caradoc-Davies
By relocating to the Silo District in the V&A Waterfront, Southern Guild and its new concept store Guild have positioned themselves at what is set to become the new epicentre of African art and design.
Whether you’re a moneyed corporate in one of the Silo District high-rises, a wealthy tourist looking for original African art or a budding artist reeling from the visual overload of the new Zeitz MOCAA and dreaming of your own career, the V&A Waterfront’s Silo District is going to be like catnip to a tabby. Slotting perfectly into the commercial, residential and cultural potpourri is GUILD, a gallery, concept store and studio driven by long-time African design pioneers The Guild Group.
Southern Guild Gallery in Woodstock has relocated to the new flagship design destination. For Trevyn McGowan, CEO of the Guild Group, it was a not-to-be-missed opportunity. “Mark Noble, who led the development of the Silo precinct for the V&A, gave us a tour of the site in March 2016. It was still a very dramatic construction site, and we climbed about 17 stories on the outside of the museum all the way to the roof on scaffolding. He finished the tour showing us this spectacular 4,5 m-high, 500 m2 space… It took us a a split second to decide.”
Through the sterling work of Southern Guild, The Guild Group has established itself over the years as one of the premier destinations for African design, so one could never imply that it would be feeding off the Zeitz MOCAA being roughly three flaps of a pigeon’s wings away. However the proximity of the GUILD concept store to what should be Africa’s most remarkable museum will certainly not harm business.
“Our focus”, says Trevyn, “is the creation of design identity that represents Africa to and in the world. We want to reach the world and our public by celebrating our narratives, our talent, our context. Art and design can shift paradigms and perceptions. We’ve spent 15 years nurturing the collectable African design category – creating a platform for designers to create next-level work, exhibiting here and taking that work to design shows around the world. Zeitz opening is very exciting, because what it is showcasing in the contemporary African art category will create enormous momentum and interest in work from the continent. A world-class gallery in a precinct anchored in history and innovative in its approach is a game changer.”
For the June opening, GUILD launched a collab with 10 local artists and designers: Conrad Botes, Laduma Ngxokolo, Andile Dyalvane, Buki Akib, Justine Mahoney, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Porky Hefer and Rich Mnisi. Their brief, a somewhat humorous task to reimagine the “I love Cape Town” souvenir T-shirt.
Says Trevyn, “We asked them to create a surface design, and then applied those designs to a range of products using leading manufacturers like Woodheads for bags and Mervyn Gers for ceramics. The idea is for the public to be able to access high design at an affordable price, and to allow designers to move into other areas and also to keep doing their work while we take care of things like production logistics. We’ll be collaborating with 10 creatives on ranges every six months.”
Combine location, location, location, with hard work, hard work, hard work, experience, experience, experience and the best in African design, and you get what the GUILD has to offer. Trevyn has every right to feel confident.
“We want to shift the dialogue to Africa belonging globally, which is why we position ourselves at the top fairs and galleries in the world, and merchandise local and international products alongside one another. Our market is for Africa from Africa to the world and to people that very much put Africa in the global frame.”
Visit southernguild.co.za to keep up to date with the latest exhibitions.
