Chandler House presents Lené Ehlers’ very first solo exhibition, Oomblikke – a graphic/illustrative-cum-painterly collection inspired by suzanis, the enrapturing embroideries of Uzbekistan and Central Asia, and full fruits of the season.

With roots in the eighteenth/nineteenth centuries and ancient tradition, having survived suppression under the Soviet Union, suzanis are more than just pieces of uniquely mesmerising cloth work. They are intimate familial and spiritual relations made visible; sigil-like expressions that weave the stories of love between mother and daughter, husband and wife, friends and kin, person and prayer.

For Lené, what started off as a more graphic and illustrative exhibition soon flourished into a more painterly and informed one after an introduction to the world of suzanis. She spent weeks with a private collection of these tribal textiles, allowing the designs – each as distinct as its creator’s story – to prompt a dialogue between weaving brush strokes and the cutting, collaging and layering of paperwork.

The result? Oomblikke is Lené’s new-found love for ancient motifs and patterns; an invitation to viewers to celebrate suzanis and her take on their intuitive and fleeting moments of abundant colour, form and pattern.

The exhibition runs at Chandler House’s Voorkramer Gallery until the 3rd of May 2022. To see more of Lené’s work, check out the Q&A we did with her here.

The post Oomblikke by Lené Ehlers at Chandler House appeared first on Visi.

We chat with ceramic artist Gemma Orkin about Bugs Life, her latest exhibition of painted ceramic insects on show at Chandler House in Cape Town.

Tell us a bit of background about yourself?

I come from a family of artists and have been doing ceramics for 30 years with a degree in fine arts majoring in print-making. I make functional and semi-functional high-fired stoneware. Over the span of my career, I have been fortunate enough to build up a good business both locally and abroad and make my passion my career. I have always been drawn to the old-fashioned charm of ceramics, the creamy glazes, traditional functional forms and the fact that ceramics speak for themselves. They are uncomplicated, timeless and beautiful.

What inspired your current exhibition?

I have a love of nature and the effortless balance of colour and design. I have always focussed mainly on birds and flowers but a collaborative meeting of minds and some inspiration from Michael Chalder brought forth this collection of bugs and insects. The more I researched the madness of design and colour found on insects the more excited and inspired I became while creating each story. This is also the first time I have been so bold with colour.

Do you have a favourite bug?

Not necessarily but I loved the process of discovering each one’s unique beauty.

What does a regular day look like for you?

I’m a workaholic, I am in my studio at 7:30 am and paint until 9 pm at night. I work 6 days a week and aside from my family, I eat, sleep and dream ceramics.

What is the process for creating a piece?

All my work is handmade and hand-painted by me. Each piece is built up with coils, shaped, allowed to dry and then painted with colour and illustrated. Then the 4-day firing process starts.

What are your plans for the future?

I am turning 50 in November which for me is an achievement, having done the same thing for 30 years and still waking up every morning excited about my work and going to sleep at night excited to start the day again and repeat the same process. I still get extremely excited when new opportunities come along like my bug exhibition at Chandler House. So I am hoping for the future that each day stays exactly as it is now.

Any local artists you’re currently coveting?

Definitely my son Ben Orkin who shares a mutual passion for ceramics.

For more information gemmaorkin.co.za.

Looking for more on local art? Take a look at all the local virtual exhibitions, here.

The post Artists We Love: Gemma Orkin appeared first on Visi.

South African artist Weyers du Toit chats to VISI about his latest exhibition titled ‘A Secret Garden’ at Chandler House, his artistic inspiration, and everything in-between.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m like a Bruce Springsteen of painting; Not the Magazine centrefold one, but the daily grind one. I turn up at the easel every day. I walk my dog twice a day in a forest nearby, without fail. I drink too much coffee, but it helps me work. I surf when the conditions are decent, which isn’t often over here. I like to listen to music and sing while I paint. The last few months it’s been Bob Dylan and The Boss almost exclusively. I can’t take a good selfie, but I don’t have a bad singing voice.

What inspires your works?

What I see inspires me. I drive down a road until I see something that jumps out at me, daring me to attempt a likeness. I set up a still life of a flower that intrigues me and add a contrasting or complementary texture. It‘s a very simple story. I work from life. It is seldom easy. I just start painting and hang on for the ride. 

What is the concept behind your new exhibition? 

To answer this I would like to share my Artist Statement for the exhibition:

‘This year has been more isolated for many of us due to the restrictions and cautions of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but for numerous artists, it has been much of the same. I have spent months alone in a room, staring at a little still life of flowers and perhaps a shell. This exhibition is about those private moments that accumulate in a lifetime of solitary pursuit. It is a gift to me and to the viewer and, permission for them to also quietly come into a secret garden of their own.’

What is the process behind creating one of your works?

A lot of play is involved. It can start with a question in my head like: ‘How can I paint a white object with a highlight that is so much lighter?’ Then I will set out exploring possible solutions in the same way a hiker tries to find his way down a mountain without roads. In many ways, for me, painting a still life is indeed like a simple journey on foot; one needs only a starting point and a general direction. Curiosity will get you moving and love for what paint can do will make the journey exhilarating. I build on each experience so that the next painting is often something I would’ve never dreamed up on my own and without the help of the previous ones.

Do you stick to one particular medium?

For the most part yes, Oils.

Where do you see your work headed in the future?

As previously stated, executing my ideas cause others to spring up, and so I cannot rightly predict where my work will head in the future. Working from life will probably remain a constant for me because I find it so energizing. I have rusty, but true love for other genres too… landscapes, nudes, portraits. But for now, I will stick to still life painting for sure. I love it and I think it loves me.

Who are some local artists that you admire?

There is too much talent in South Africa for a shortlist, but if I have to narrow it down on pain of death I would say Simon Stone, Anton Karstel, Michael Taylor and Nigel Mullins.

How would you describe your style?

Representational and something else…

As in the tradition of the masters, I put a lot of stock in drawing as a basis for painting. I think this causes me to not be overly tight in regards to form; David Hockney talks of ‘sighted’ work. Even so, I strive to be true to life and to steer clear of exaggeration.

How can people get hold of your art?

Chandler House has just launched a fresh new exhibition of mine titled ‘A Secret Garden’. I hope this will be the first of many collaborations with them. People can find me on Instagram to stay abreast of more such exhibitions.

Looking for more art? Take a look at Xee Summers digital paintings.

The post Artists We Love: Weyers du Toit appeared first on Visi.

Local artist Alice Toich’s new exhibition at the Voorkamer Gallery at Chandler House, entitled When We Were In Quarantine, features a collection of pieces that she created as part of the #21DaysOfArtSA project.

The exhibition showcases the pieces Alice painted and sketched during the initial three-week lockdown in South Africa. Alice was motivated to initiate an online challenge, where people were encouraged to paint, draw or sketch around a daily topic, uploading work to Instagram with the hashtag #21DaysOfArtSA.

On the project’s inception, she elaborates, “Suddenly it dawned on me – with the amount of people going into what was surely one of the longest times they had possibly spent alone in quarantine – how would they mentally and emotionally cope? Then I thought: ‘How do I mentally and emotionally cope? Oh, duh – painting!’ And it hit me: the idea to host a 21 days of art-making challenge that would help, in some small way or form, all of us to get through this, one crimson crayon at a time!”

Not only restricted to artists and participants in South Africa, people from around the globe were encouraged to get involved. The challenge received over 3 000 entries, highlighting Alice’s manifesto, that art is universal and for everyone.

Follow @alice_toich on Instagram and take some time to look up the hashtag #21DaysOfArtSA to see more contributions to the project.

The post Alice Toich Exhibition at Chandler House appeared first on Visi.

Chandler House‘s last solo exhibition of the decade, City Bowl & Beyond by artist Lucie de Moyencourt, explores not only some of Cape Town’s most beloved haunts, but the characters that energise its architecture.

Three years ago, Chandler House hosted Lucie’s 50 x City Bowl exhibition, featuring ink paintings of Cape Town that depict everything from scenic mountain peaks to the chaos of the city centre. City Bowl & Beyond is a continuation of that show and nostalgically begins where Lucie last left off: The City Hall.

In her latest version, the architecture – previously a focal point – stands down to allow rugby hero Siya Kolisi riding a sea of fans to take the spotlight. This work sets the tone for the rest of the show: Capetonians of every kind play the protagonists, while Cape Town spaces lend supporting roles.

The show is an ink-on-paper version of the digital gallery one may find in any long-staying Capetonian’s phone. From arresting mountain-kissing-seascapes dotted with sun-dappled promenade joggers to the bustle of bodies buzzing upon Lion’s Head and the glinting of previously-loved goods at the Milnerton Market; there’s a little piece of home for Mother City dwellers in every work. The show ends off further afield in the Klein Karoo, cracking a nod to where the artist may be headed in future works.

The show runs from 30 November to 24 December 2019 at Chandler House. For more information, visit chandlerhouse.co.za.

The post Lucie de Moyencourt’s City Bowl & Beyond Exhibition at Chandler House appeared first on Visi.

Artist Michael Chandler recently completed a magnificent tiled mural for a vegetable garden in Noordhoek, Cape Town.

Michael’s love affair with blue-and-white ceramics began during boyhood. He grew up on the Wild Coast and used to collect little fragments of porcelain that had washed up from shipwrecks. He still has them and claims them among his most precious treasures. These enchanting finds, along with a keen early interest in drawing, nature and reading, and a vivid imagination, have all no doubt contributed to Michael’s artistic vocation. As well as illustrating, Michael owns and runs Chandler House, a small gallery, shop and studio in Cape Town.

Planning a 9 m-wide artwork that comprises nine panels and more than 1 850 tiles is as much a mathematical feat as it is creative one. It required lots of measuring, drawing and measuring again, and the help of some of Michael’s architect friends who have access to software.

“A huge amount of development and thought are required before picking up a brush on a project of this scale,” says Michael, who both sketched and painted free-handed. “I spent many hours ensuring that the lattice pattern was balanced, that it tied in with all the other diagonal lines, and that the final result was harmonious to the eye… Which was all nothing compared to trying to install it!”

That took 10 days in the Cape Town winter rain under a hired marquee and was enormously stressful.” While Michael deliberately tried not to count the time it took him to paint this project, fearing the sheer scale would have been demoralising, he warrants it took him six months, in-between his day job and other commissions, to complete.

As for his inspiration for the botanicals, Michael buys books obsessively and gets a huge amount of inspiration from nature, too. “I hike a lot,” he says, “and am always bending over to take close-ups of plants that I think could be used in future work.”

Visit chandlerhouse.co.za to see more of Michael’s work.

The post Tiled Mural By Michael Chandler appeared first on Visi.

Cape Town-based artist Lucie de Moyencourt has experimented with ceramics for her latest sold-out exhibition, where she created 95 brightly glazed individual seashells.

The shells were made in the studio of local ceramicist Wendy Coleman. Lucie also gives many thanks to close friend and ceramicist Michael Chandler of Chandler House (whose sold-out exhibition Afrochine is currently on show) for inspiring her to delve into creating with clay.

Although the 95 shells are sold, Lucie does not intend on stopping her seaside project anytime soon. “I will be making shells for the rest of my life, so if you do not find enough shells here, do not panic!” she says on her website.

The studio exhibition, located on the second floor of Chandler House, will be open to the public on Saturday 8 December from 10am – 2pm and Saturday 15 December from 10am – 2pm.

Chandler House is situated at 53 Church Street, Cape Town.

For more information, visit luciedemoyencourt.com. Missed our video where VISI visits Lucie at her home in Gardens? Watch it here.

The post Shell We Dance Exhibition: Lucie de Moyencourt appeared first on Visi.

Cape Town-based artist Lucie de Moyencourt has opened a new exhibition, entitled FLIRT, at The Voorkamer Gallery at Chandler House.

While we’re accustomed to Lucie’s black ink creations, this new body of work, inspired by the birds at the South African Museum in Cape Town, sees her return to oils. “After 18 months of painting solely in black ink, this show is a joyful return to a full palette of colours!” says Lucie.

Despite not being a “birder” herself, Lucie loves to paint birds, fascinated by the shapes, colours and quirkiness associated with each species. Having visited the Natural History Museum since she was eight-years-old, she noticed how none of the birds have ever been moved, or even dusted really. “It is simultaneously sad, and also comforting, that nothing has changed at the museum. While the rest of the world buzzes on at astronomical speed, these birds, some of whom still look alive, have not moved a centimetre. I like to think that through my expressive brushwork, these birds find new life and movement.”

You can visit Lucie’s exhibition at The Voorkamer Gallery at Chandler House at 53 Street Church Street, Cape Town until 30 March 2018. The gallery is open from 10am until 5pm on weekdays and from 10am until 2pm on Saturdays.

For more information, visit thevoorkamergallery.com.

Lucie de Moyencourt’s Sunday Drives exhibition, featured here, is running until April 2018 at Kleinsky’s in Cape Town’s Sea Point.

The post New Exhibition: Lucie de Moyencourt appeared first on Visi.

MRP Home’s latest collaboration sees the brand come together with Cape Town-based designer Michael Chandler, of Chandler House, to create a new homeware range.

Michael’s designs have a strong South African influence, drawn from his childhood in the Eastern Cape. This astrological collection is specifically inspired by the stories told by the stars.

The collab includes a range of crockery (featuring dinner plates, side plates and bowls), as well as three scatter cushions and three wall art pieces.

Says MRP Home, “MRP Home takes every opportunity to support our local industries in our home country. Our Colab project is extremely important to us, as it allows us to collaborate with local designers in order to showcase as well as celebrate their talents.”

The collection will be available in store and online from 15 June 2017.

The post Cool Collab: MRP Home X Michael Chandler appeared first on Visi.

Alexandra Höjer Atelier

A historic converted stable on fashionable Bree Street houses the studio and boutique of Swedish clothing designer Alexandra Höjer. The stylish venue offers an intimate shopping experience and passionate, informed service with the designer on hand to assist clients. Both womenswear and menswear have a strong focus on natural fibres and are manufactured in South Africa. The limited edition designs are subtly elegant and ready to wear, tending toward simplicity with carefully considered details.

156 Bree Street, 021 424 1674, alexandrahojer.com

AVOOVA

AVOOVA produces hand-crafted decor, fashion accessories and objets d’art at its workshops in the Karoo. The flagship store on Bree Street is a treasure trove of beautiful designs and workmanship, innovation and creativity. Buy an extraordinary gift, order a bespoke table or just come to enjoy beauty straight from the Karoo.

97 Bree Street, 021 422 1620, avoova.com

Chandler House

Chandler House is a small shop and gallery situated in an 18th century Cape Georgian house. Their shelves are stocked with beautiful antiques, locally-made homeware, exotic textiles and unusual finds. Chandler House is also home to The Voorkamer Gallery, which has regular exhibitions of high-quality artwork by respected South African artists.

53 Church Street, 021 424 4810, chandlerhouse.co.za

Ebony/Curated

Ebony/Curated designs beautiful, bespoke pieces of contemporary furniture with an African twist. They showcase unique accessories and have a fine art collection of some of South Africa’s most coveted and collectible artists.

67 Loop Street, 021 424 9985, ebonycurated.com

Kirsten Goss

Kirsten Goss first opened its doors in 2002 in London. The designer has since opened in Johannesburg, Durban and on Bree Street in her hometown, Cape Town. With distinctly Scandinavian and African influences, her pieces are truly unique. Her latest collection, The Diamond Condition, aims to turn the notion of classical diamonds on its head. Crafted in 18ct gold and high quality diamonds, the collection is fashion forward, irreverent and playful.

229 Bree street, 021 424 3453, kirstengoss.com

Missibaba

Missibaba is a luxury accessory label established by leather devotee Chloe Townsend in 2005. Passionate about South Africa and supporting local industry, Townsend works alongside business partner Lizel Strydom from a sun-drenched studio in Woodstock, Cape Town, experimenting with texture and colour that continuously push the boundaries of imagination. A team of eight dynamic women work tirelessly alongside them, pouring their love and energy into each and every creation.

229 Bree street, 021 424 8127, missibaba.com

Merchants on Long

Merchants on Long opened in 2010. It serves as a platform for emerging and established designers to display their products to both foreign and local consumers. The carefully curated selection of bespoke, luxury and handmade brands are all 100% sourced and made in Africa and include everything from fashion to homeware. Merchants on Long is also the home of the African luxury handbag and accessories line OKAPI.

34 Long Street, 021 422 2828, merchantsonlong.com 

For more Fine Living District destinations, visit finelivingdistrict.co.za.

The post Cape Town: Fine Living District Guide appeared first on Visi.