Acclaimed SA street artist Faith47 has created a series of giant bird murals in New York City.

“There’s an inherent irony in recreating nature on cement, so the series is a nostalgic reminder of what we’ve lost but also an attempt to reintegrate that into the present,” explains Faith47. “We have become so distanced from nature, so these murals are an attempt to reconnect us with the natural world.”

She will be exhibiting at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC (her debut solo show) until 19 December 2015.

A selection of 50 limited edition etching prints (of the below image) have been selected by Vandalog as part of Amazon’s Street Art Project and are available for purchase.

The Psychic Power of Animals

Award-winning South African filmmaker Rowan Pybus has created a cool clip inspired by her work below, entitled No Standing Anytime.

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Director Dane Dodds has teamed up with renowned South African street artist Faith47 to create a collaborative video.

The video, which depicts the darker, uglier side of the country’s biggest cities, is inspired by Faith47’s broken down car street paste series (browse the gallery above to view).

“This project is reflecting on the notion of progress and the waste that it leaves behind,” she explains. “This is about integrating the worst parts of ourselves and acknowledging the damage we do to the planet as a whole.”

For more information about this project, as well as Faith47’s upcoming solo exhibition at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City (from 19 November 2015), visit faith47.com.

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Headed up by chef Kieran Whyte, this trendy new restaurant on Cape Town’s Bree Street serves up a mix of Peruvian and Japanese inspired dishes, otherwise known as Nikkei cuisine.

The menu features treats like Dirt Rubbed Tuna Tacos, “New Style” Ceviche, BBQ Pork Belly and Toasted Quinoa Creme, alongside cocktails like Orange & Buchu Sours and Chevere Raspberry Daiquiris.

The interiors, designed by Bone Interior Design Studio, are as appealing and innovative as the food. It’s a sophisticated example of urban design. From raw concrete and exposed brick to copper detailing, mosaic flooring and trendy pendant lighting, the decor is completed with a one-of-a-kind mural by renowned SA street artist Faith47.

Charango is located at 114 Bree Street, Cape Town. To book or find out more information, contact 021 422 0757. The restaurant is open every day from 12pm until 3pm for lunch and from 6pm until 9:30pm for dinner. The bar is open from 12pm until late, with food served until 10pm.

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Puerto Rican born street artist and painter Alexis Diaz is known for his large, yet intricate murals featuring otherworldly animals.

You can find his work across the globe, from London to Mexico. Working mainly in Chinese ink with tiny brushes for impeccable detail, his murals are composed of delicate and intricate line work combined with vibrant colours.

Together with artist friend Juan Fernandez, they make up a collective called La Pandilla, which translates to “The Gang”. He has also collaborated with South African street muralist Faith47.

To see more of Alexis Diaz’s work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram.

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This is the first time a congress of this magnitude has been held in Sub-Saharan Africa, constituting the largest gathering of architectural, design and environmental professionals in the country.

The Union of International Architects (UIA) organises a world congress every three years and this is its silver jubilee. This year’s theme (Architecture OTHERWHERE) celebrated diversity by exploring other communities, regions, disciplines and ways of thinking about, practicing and teaching architecture.

Days were spent engaging with students and professionals from around the world – in conversation, debates, lectures and tributes, or simply over a craft beer or delicious curry. Not only was the weather in Durban perfect and the venues exciting, international delegates gave the congress an exotic flair.

A whopping 350 sessions took place in 38 venues over 5 days, kicking off with the spectacular Corobrik-South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) gala dinner, of which all award-winning projects (barring five) were featured in VISI over the last two years. Proud moment!

Apart from events in the main venue, like Japan Forum: Beyond Disaster, through solidarity, towards sustainability: Toyo Ito, the fringe kept the delegates running not to miss out. Highlights included: 

·       The Informal Studio: Marlboro South exhibition

·       The Rivertown Precinct project, which includes the refurbishment of the classic Beer Hall building

·       Faith47 at work in the Warwick Triangle. (Watch this teaser!)

·       The Durban International Film Festival

·       Architect Africa Film Festival

·       The UFS Department of Architecture’s Sophia Gray exhibition (the first female Architect in South Africa)

·       A well-stocked Book Lounge, of course!

For more information about UIA 2014 Durban: Architecture OTHERWHERE, visit uia2014durban.org.

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Here are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 44, covers everything from 3D printed houses and quirky elephant plugs to edible art for a good cause and an interactive mural in Cape Town. Not to mention Kesh clothing, beautiful minimalist light bulbs and hand-sewn felt mats.

1. anotherlightup.com, designindaba.com
2. artfund.org
3. store.americanapparel.net/kesh_kesh-collection, keshcontinues.com
4. plumen.com
5. elissamedina.com
6. designboom.com/design
7. contourcrafting.org

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 44 on picks of the week 355. 

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As you may have read in our SPRINGLOADED VISI 68, Lauren Beukes staged a charity art show in aid of Rape Crisis, following the success of her book The Shining Girls. With all the works snapped up in 20 minutes, VISI felt that the exhibition needed to be shared with far more people, as well as a place to live together and so we have coordinated this online extension. Lauren also shared her thoughts with us:

You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words; in this case the exchange rate worked out about one to one. My 90 000 word novel, The Shining Girls, translated into R95 000 raised for Rape Crisis in 20-minutes flat through the sales of original artworks created by major local talents on a page ripped from the book. 

I dreamed up the idea, in keeping with the charity art projects I’ve done to tie in with all my novels, but never on this scale. The show was curated by Jacki Lang who wrangled 67 artists, from Zapiro to Conrad Botes and Sindiso Nyoni to street artists like DalEast and Faith47, as well as designers, illustrators and even jewellers, Philippa Green and Ida Elsje; found us a gallery space at the Cape Town School of Photography; and organised sponsorship from Pick’n’Pay, Genevieve MCC and Carola Koblitz to cover the niggly hard costs.

The final show featured 95 original artworks donated by the artists that ranged from the most simplistic, like Cameron Platter’s Fuck Rape, to elaborate craftsmanship that engaged directly with the book, like Willeen le Roux’s keyhole light box or Jesse Breytenbach’s laser-cut three dimensional butterflies.  

Every work was democratically priced at R1 000 each, whether by a major artist or a young up-and-coming to ensure that the artwork was accessible to all. Buyers were also restricted to one purchase only, which meant that people started queuing up two hours before the exhibition opened and when we finally opened the doors, the line snaked down four flights of stairs!

It was a beautiful thing and a poignant reminder, for me, that it’s good to get angry about the terrible things that happen in the world, it’s good to voice that anger, in a novel or a tweet and we can also take action. 

Rape Crisis requires R8-million a year to run. Last year, they got R46 000 from private donors. This year, they’ve had people donate R800 000, moved by the relentless news stories of horrific violence against women that have come up through 2013. You can make a difference. If you missed the exhibition, you can donate to Rape Crisis or join The Thousand Hearts Campaign  for a R100 a month to support the difficult and vital work they do.

The first part of the exhibition showing in the gallery above includes work by Claudette Schreuders, Brett Murray, Conrad Botes, Ed Young, Adam Hill, Alex Hamilton, Beth Diane Armstrong, Daniel Ting Chong, Gabrielle Graaff, Black Koki, Ello, Helen Pritchard, Brandt Botes, Alex Latimer, Faith47, DALeast, Chad Rossouw, David Brits, Frank van Reenen, Emma Cook, Galia Gluckman, Jade Klara, Gerhard Human, Jordan Metcalf, Hannelie Taute, Gemma Orkin, Joey Hi-Fi, Heath Nash, Gareth Owen, Jesse Breytenbach and Cathy Abraham.

Browse Part 2 of The Shining Girls online exhibition here.

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Lees in Afrikaans.

For creative professionals, like many of our readers, the perfect workspace is not the conventional airbrushed office. Instead location, neighbours, edginess and authenticity are more important in ensuring that the surroundings continue to inspire. VISI visited Side Street Studios in Woodstock to see what has drawn some of the city’s finest designers and artists. 

The rise of Albert Road in Woodstock as the place to work, eat and shop for designers, artisans, thing-makers and those who love them, is no longer breaking news. You’ve probably already heard of the Woodstock Foundry, and the indie designer shops and Superette at the Woodstock Exchange, the list goes on… Yet there’s always a new place opening up, and most are unique, grabbing our attention again, demanding that we go back and brave Albert Road taxi traffic and hip young city things on single-gear bikes. The development of Side Street Studios is another such occasion.

Essentially Side Street Studios mopped up the designers who left the Woodstock Industrial Centre when it started changing into Woodstock Exchange. Situated on the corner of Station and Albert road, it is just a block down. Organically it grew support and, even before its own renovation and name change, the Side Street Studios was quickly filled with celebrated artists including Barend de Wet, Stuart Bird and Faith47. Design residents include Kraftisan and Thingking – the latter kept a foot in both camps, with showroom in the Woodstock Exchange and workshop in Side Street Studios.

In its new cleaned up incarnation, Side Street Studios is now also home to a selection of spaces that invite the general public to participate, look, maybe buy a book, coffee or artwork, even get hot and sweaty in a capoeira class.

From the street, the first thing you’ll notice is a massive, brightly coloured mural by Madrid-based artist Oscar San Biguel, which fits in well with the graffiti culture of the area, while also introducing a fresh aesthetic. That’s not the last you’ll see either, go inside the building’s courtyard and there’s more murals to feast your eyes.

While you’re at it, pop into Let There Be Light studio, home to conceptual artist Nix Davies. It is a “changing space that has the ability to be whatever you can imagine it to be”. No really, it has been used as a gallery, workshop, lecture room, movie theatre, kitchen, nursery and a restaurant, and Nix is on hand to help towards the realisation of different projects within the space.

However, it’s not just about the permanent structures. Side Street Studios has also been home to pop-ups, weekly events and once-off exhibitions that are constantly finding new ways to use the space. Cape Town’s Yang Zhao has used it to host her increasingly popular pop-up dim sum nights, Beijing Opera. Photographer Max Mogale hosted an exhibition of various artists that made use of the walls and passages on all the floors of the building.

The most recent semi-permanent happening is Busk Tuesdays, which sees three emerging creatives (musicians, poets and artists) invited to perform in a raw environment. It’s free and patrons are encouraged to embrace and support the music by giving them money.

It’s this open-ended approach to creativity of Side Street Studios that has captured our imagination and kept us going back. That and the promise that every time we go back, between this building, covered in and housing art, and the people that frequent it, we’re bound to see something that will inspire us. 

Side Street Studios, 48 Albert Road, Woodstock, info@sidestreet.co.za.

Get VISI 66 The Office for some of the other inspiring workspaces that we found or view others online. 

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The influential Italian-based Memphis Design Movement, whose colourful stacked geometric shapes were the epitome of unconventional 1980s design, is experiencing an international revival, according to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort. Here on South African soil, collectors have the opportunity to purchase one of the Memphis Group’s most iconic pieces – an original Carlton Room Divider – at the upcoming Stephan Welz & Co Decor and Fine Arts Auction in Cape Town on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 February.

Also known as the Carlton Cabinet or Bookcase, the Carlton Room Divider is valued at between R160 000 and R180 000, and is “a serious piece of Memphis design, epitomising all that the group stood for,” according to Anton Welz, Stephan Welz & Co managing director and furniture specialist. 

The Memphis movement was started in Italy in 1981 by Etore Sottsass with its focus on post-modern furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass and metal objects, and comprised designers from a number of countries. The approach was kitsch and almost “anti design”.  It was a protest against the plain and humourless design of the 1970s and used cheap materials such as plastic laminates in bold and bright colours. The name Memphis was inspired by the Bob Dylan song Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again, which was played repeatedly during the evening when the group first met. The group was dismantled by Sottsass in 1988; however, the items designed as a protest against dull design have become classics in their own right, and are now highly collectable.

“Sales of Memphis originals have been strong in the past year, and we are always thrilled when these fun and quirky pieces, which are rapidly increasing in value, come our way, mostly from collectors who have lived overseas,” says Anton. 

Worldwide, Memphis is influencing designers, from fashion to textiles to home decor and furnishings. The geometric black, white and candy tones of Memphis are the natural stuff of inspiration for South African designers, according to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, who is curating an exhibition on Memphis-inspired local designs at this year’s Design Indaba Expo (1 to 3 March), in Cape Town. In a piece published in the current “DIY Deluxe” edition of VISI magazine, Li talks about the liberation of South African design and its kinship with Memphis, with similarities between our township colours and the Italian 1980s colour palette, as well as “the stacking and layering of colour and materials, which delivers a totemic quality”. 

“One of the most iconic design objects ever is the Carlton Cabinet by Sottsass,” wrote Li. “It looks and acts like a totem with a strange African vibe, stretching out its arms to the world… The idea of stacking, storing, building and constructing new African totems is emerging; the world is looking to Africa to be inspired.” 

Other design highlights to be auctioned include rare books on South African architecture, as well as a distinguished collection of international street art by the likes of Faith47, Mr Brainwash and Shephard Fairey. 

The Stephan Welz & Co Decorative and Fine Arts Auction will take place Tuesday 19 February and Wednesday 20 February at The Great Cellar, Alphen Estate, Alphen Drive, Constantia.

Pre-auction viewing open to the public at no charge, on 15 February from 10am to 3pm, and 16 to 17 February, 10am to 5pm.

For more information: 021 794 6461, ct@stephanwelzandco.co.za, www.swelco.co.za

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Met haar lieflik stemmingsvolle spuitverf-boodskappe wat reeds in tientalle wêreldstede en kunsgalerye opgeduik het, het Faith47 haar gevestig as Suid-Afrika se bekendste straatkunstenaar. Tog was ’n groot solotentoonstelling in ’n plaaslike galery haar nog nooit beskore nie. Ons het tien vrae aan haar gestuur, en sy het vyf geantwoord.

Faith47 se tentoonstelling Fragments of a Burnt History het op 8 November geopen by David Krut Projects in Johannesburg, waar dit tot vroeg in 2013 te sien is. Die uitstalling bestaan uit ’n installasie van voorwerpe wat sy opgetel het, kunswerke wat in ’n kunsateljee geskep is en ’n reeks monotipes wat sy in samewerking met die David Krut Print Workshop geskep het.

Verduidelik die denke agter Fragments of a Burnt History?

Die titel is tragies. Ek tel geruimte tyd reeds ‘skerwe’ van ons verlede op en stel dit naas die hede ingeval ons dit dalk vergeet. Ons verlede én ons hede dwing as’t ware ’n korttermyn-geheue op ons af, en harte wat uiters stadig klop.

Suid-Afrika beskik oor ’n kragtige kombinsie van meedoënlose inspirasie en verwoestende wanhopigheid. Ek dink dit kry gestalte in die kleure en teksture van die kunswerke.

As deel van die aanloop tot die tentoonstelling het jy ook die projek “The Long Wait” in en om Johannesburg aangepak. Waar kom die idee vandaan en hoe het jy dit ’n werklikheid gemaak?

Ek is geruime tyd reeds geïnteresseerd in hierdie “gewag” – dis immers wat ons almal doen: wag. Die hele land wag; ’n mens sien immigrante wat in lang rye staan en selfs buite die kantore van die departement van binnelandse sake oornag. Mans in ál langer rye wat wag op los werk. Ek neem al lank foto’s hiervan en tob hieroor. My vriendin Alexia Webster het ’n paar fantastiese foto’s van hierdie wagtende mans geneem en ek het dit in ’n ateljee in skilderye verander wat daarna in rye reg oor Johannesburg aangetree het.

Hoekom lyk dit of jy al in meer oorsese galerye as plaaslik uitgestal het?

Dit is maar hoe dit gebeur het. Daar is op internasionale vlak al ’n hele paar jaar belangstelling in my werk, terwyl dit plaaslik eers die afgelope twee jaar vlamgevat het.

Maar ek voel ook my behoefte om hierdie werk te skep, hierdie spesifieke tentoonstelling, bevat beelde wat deur my ontstaan het omdat ek in hierdie land leef. Ek dink nie ek sou die Fragments of a Burnt History-tentoonstelling in enige ander land as Suid-Afrika kan hê nie omdat dit spesifiek verwys na kwessies en emosies wat in hierdie omgewing ontstaan het. Die werk kan dalk by ’n groter gehoor aanklank vind, maar ek vermoed dit sal plaaslik veel beter verstaan word. Dit is iets wat ek as’t ware uit my gestel moes kry, om respek te betoon aan die diep pyn en skoonheid van hierdie land.

Straatkuns in ’n formele galeryruimte is altyd ’n netelige kwessie wat verskillende kunstenaars op verskillende maniere aanpak. Hoe benader jy dit?

Die werkproses in ’n ateljee is kalm; jy het beheer oor die omgewing. Dit is baie meer ontspannend en jy kan jou idees op ’n dieper manier ondersoek.

Om buite te skilder is ’n taamlik chaotiese ervaring. Daar is soveel dinge wat jy in gedagte moet hou: die weer, mense wat jou pla, hoe mense voel oor waarmee jy besig is. Dit is op fisieke vlak baie meer intens. Jy asem as’t ware die stad in. Jy voel dit. Jy ontmoet ’n magdom uiters uiteenlopende mense en ervaar baie wilde en roerende dinge.

Ek hou daarvan om in my ateljee weg te kruip wanneer ek genoeg gehad het van die buitewêreld. Dit is soos meditasie… ek ontgin alchemie, roep geeste op… Maar wanneer ek ’n volslae energie-inspuiting nodig het, gaan skilder ek op straat. Dit was tot dusver ’n uiters kragtige ervaring in my lewe, iets wat ’n mens nederig maak en nie aan mense kan verduidelik nie.

Wat is volgende op jou program?

Ek gaan in November Miami toe, en vir volgende jaar beplan ons tot dusver projekte in Hawaii, Londen, Italië, Wene, Nepal, Hongkong en die VSA.

David Krut Projects, 140 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, davidkrutprojects.com

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