Making Waves: From Cape Town to LA

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Courtesy of Southern Guild

Southern Guild, the trailblazing South African contemporary art and design gallery, makes history as it unveils its new States-side space in Los Angeles.

Having propelled functional art and collectible design on the African continent, Southern Guild is once again breaking new ground by becoming the first in South Africa to grace American soil with a permanent gallery space.

Nestled within the historic confines of a 1920s architectural gem at 747 N Western Avenue in Melrose Hill, the new gallery is designed by Evan Raabe Architecture Studio (ERĀS). Renowned for their illustrious projects such as the Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles flagship and Christie’s Beverly Hills, ERĀS lends its brilliance to craft an immersive experience. Featuring three large-scale exhibition spaces, as well as meeting and viewing rooms, its transformed interior will further provide a flexible setting in which to showcase their expansive roster of artists from South Africa, Benin, Congo, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, and beyond.

“Over the past 16 years Southern Guild has grown tremendously, from a single gallery in Cape Town and a small roster of artists to include numerous exhibition spaces, artists studios, a residency programme, and regular participation in art fairs around the world, but our expansion to the United States is truly a milestone. We are thrilled to broaden our reach by providing a permanent platform to showcase our artists’ unparalleled work in the United States,” says Co-founder Trevyn McGowan.

The dual inaugural exhibitions in Los Angeles will include Mother Tongues, which celebrates standout artists from the gallery’s roster, and a solo exhibition of monumental ceramic sculpture by Zizipho Poswa. Mother Tongues pays homage to the cultural tapestry of Africa, weaving personal narratives with socio-political dynamics, and features artists such as Zanele Muholi, Andile Dyalvane, Porky Hefer, Manyaku Mashilo, Madoda Fani, Kamyar Bineshtarigh and Oluseye, amongst others. Accompanying this group presentation, Zizipho Poswa’s solo exhibition will feature her most ambitious body of work to date, a series of sculptures reaching heights of over 8 feet tall, made during her recent summer-long residency at the Center for Contemporary Ceramics at California State University in Long Beach (CSULB).

“We were drawn to Los Angeles because its palpable vibrancy is similar to that of Cape Town and believe it will be perfectly suited to our particular brand of innovative art space. Our gallery model is a rather disruptive and progressive one and focuses on cultural preservation in all its forms, which in addition to rich craft traditions includes spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and ecology,” says Trevyn.

Ahead of its expansion, Southern Guild will participate in The Armory Show in New York from September 8-10, where they will showcase works that redefine African artistry including a new large-scale bronze sculpture by Zizipho Poswa, alongside work by Kamyar Bineshtarigh, Manyaku Mashilo, and Oluseye. In addition to their booth in the main fair, Zizipho Poswa will be featured in Armory Off-Site at the US Open. The artist will present a work from her Umthwalo series (meaning “load”), which pays tribute to Southern Africa’s rural women and the heavy burdens they balance on their heads, often walking long distances on foot.

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