The city of gold comes alive this weekend with two unmissable art events.

There will be no grumbling that there’s nothing to do in Joburg this weekend, as the city explodes with not one but two major art gatherings, The RMB Latitudes Art Fair and Contra.Joburg. 

RMB Latitudes Art Fair

The RMB Latitudes Art Fair returns to Joburg for a second year, from the 24^th to the 26^th May. Galleries and artists from South Africa and further afield will showcase their art at Shepstone Gardens. This curated celebration of African art aims to create a collaborative and unique art ecosystem, which is inclusive, accessible, and uniquely African. The beautifully lush three-acre venue will be divided into different hubs and spaces, from Marble Halls to secret gardens and rooftop pavilions and includes some yummy food and wine too. 

40 galleries and 250 artists will be taking part, including international and African galleries from Germany, Spain, and London, as well as Nigeria, Uganda, Egypt, and Botswana. And of course, loads of local favourites are participating too, including Everard Read, Gallery MOMO and Kalashnikovv Gallery, to name just a few. There is something for the design fans too, as Pichulik, Guillotine Design, Romaria Knitwear, Studio Kalki and The Herd will be on hand for some much-needed retail therapy. 

Worth a special mention is ESSAY, a project that focuses on the dream-like work and artistic lives of artist couple, Wendy Vincent and Geoffrey Armstrong. Co-curated by Vincent Truter and Lucy MacGarry, it brings together select pieces from a body of work created over the past 25 years, in the couple’s Magaliesburg Rock Garden. The exhibition of eight prints and four paintings by Vincent and four sculptures by Armstrong, is a dialogue with each other, their rock garden landscape, and their exploration of natural phenomena. 

Latitudes has a great line-up of events, including walkabouts, talks and lectures, and an exciting children’s programme hosted by the IMBALI Visual Literacy Projects and Akasha School. 

Tickets are R300, and kids are R50 | Latitudesartfair.com. 

Contra.Joburg

Also, up this weekend, and just as exciting is Contra.Joburg which takes place on the 25^th and 26^th May. This one-of-a-kind event offers an amazing opportunity for Jozi residents to get out in their city and immerse themselves in art. 13 artist studios and 200 artists will be taking part and for the collectors (and wannabee collectors), artworks start at a reasonable R1000. 

Ticket price includes a safe and easy hop-on hop-off shuttle service so you don’t have to worry about finding your way around the busy city. Just some of the participating spaces are August House, the Rand Club, Victoria Yard, Ellis House, and Nando’s Central Kitchen. 

Founder and organizer Sara Hallatt says “If we operate from the belief that art is important in society, then we need to support artists. Artists don’t get paid to make, and they make everything at risk.  Contra.Joburg aims to change that for many artists who are working across the city of Joburg.”   

Each day has a different programme and activities that include exhibitions, printing workshops, graffiti tours and demonstrations, an interactive kid’s area, walkabouts, panel discussions and jazz.  

Two noteworthy events are Art, Wine, and Design at Nandos’ Central Kitchen on Sunday 26 May. Take a tour of Nando’s head office which boasts a plethora of local design, or enjoy an art, design, and wine experience, where you can meet designers, taste some wine, and explore Creative Block artworks. 

Or why not join the Red bus hop-on hop-off tour with Thabo the Tourist on Saturday 25 May, which takes place on the open top CitySightseeing bus and includes visits to artist studios and art destinations participating in Contra.Joburg, before winding its way to the RMB Latitudes Art Fair. 

Tickets start from R85, different venues are open on different says. Ticket holders must register for each venue | Contrafair.joburg.

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Johannesburg-based artist Seth Pimentel’s debut solo exhibition titled An Ode to Catharsis will be hosted at the Kalashnikovv gallery from 6 to 26 February 2021.

How are you feeling ahead of your first solo show?

I’m unbelievably nervous. I put a lot of myself into this body of work. Exhibiting the most intimate parts of myself. Raw and unedited. 

How did this exhibition and the collaboration with Kalashnikovv gallery come about?

I’ve always loved Kalashnikovv’s modus operandi. Being a fan of a lot of artists that they represent has always pushed me to want to be represented by them. After seven years, it’s finally happened. Initially, I did a group show titled Captive Audience in August last year and since then we’ve had conversations about my solo show.

What inspired An Ode To Catharsis?

A lot happened in my life and I wanted to just create art for the sole purpose of escaping the intensity of everything. At some point creating this body [of work] was freeing. It was cathartic. I wanted to pay tribute to that release.

I want people to feel something. Hate it or love it, as long as you felt something. To me, the works in this exhibition represent growth and transition.

How many pieces and/or editions are there?

I did 65 original paintings on canvas and Fabriano [paper] – using acrylic, spray paint, oil pastels and ink.

What tracks were playing in the background while you were working on this project?

Wow, like a lot. I actually made a playlist – check it out.

What has been a highlight of the exhibition process for you?

Painting – being able to be in my studio all day, every day, with a purpose. Most times I just linger and float around, but it was so good to create with the sole intent of letting go and moving on.

An Ode to Catharsis is available via the Kalashnikovv gallery’s website or mailing list, and in-person if you’re in Johannesburg. Keep up with the latest from Seth on Instagram. 

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Famed street artist Banksy’s 2003 Think Tank is up for grabs at the Stephan Welz & Co. Fine Art and Design Auction.

The Banksy work will go on auction alongside pieces from Gerhard Sekoto, Vladimir Tretchikoff and William Kentridge.

Think Tank has an estimated value of approximately R200 000. Last year saw another piece by the satirical street artist value at around the same number.

Stephan Welz & Co. will also run a charity auction. The Kalashnikovv Gallery, as part of their Creative Project art fund has donated 27 artworks (including works by Maja Malevich and Craig Smith) in aid of the upliftment of Braamfontein and developing artists.

The Stephan Welz & Co. Fine Art and Design Auction will take place on Tuesday 21 April and on Wednesday 22 April 2015 on the 4^th floor, South Tower, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg. Pre-auction viewing is open to the public daily from Wednesday 15 April until Monday 20 April from 10am – 5pm. Catalogues are available from both the Cape Town and Johannesburg offices, as well as on the website.

Bid online via the-saleroom.com. For more information, visit stephanwelzandco.co.za.

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The Kalashnikovv Gallery in Braamfontein has just celebrated its one-year anniversary of pushing the limits, questioning the givens and drawing a completely new audience to the South African art scene. High art. Lowbrow. Low art. Murray Turpin hates labels and categorisations. “We uphold a no-brow manifesto,” he says. “We are taking back art for the masses.”

By putting the art back in party, Murray and his business partner Matthew Dean are inciting a revolution from their base in Braamfontein, the Kalashnikovv Gallery (named after the AK-47 assault rifle), and they’re taking their agenda to the city: curating Youth Day exhibitions and festivals with Constitution Hill; working with the Wits Art Museum (WAM) to put on the first WAM After Hours event.    

It was art and music that brought the pair together. Murray, who studied fine art at Wits, had developed an extensive practice over the years, taking occasional time off to DJ and record with his band Mtkidu; Matthew had run numerous clubs, and called Murray in to assist in curating a more concept-based sho called Neon. They went on to collaborate on Satellite Spaces/// The Untitled Gallery, where they took pop-up (another label Murray dislikes) exhibitions to different locations around Johannesburg.

The shows were such a success that Play Braamfontein offered them a more permanent space. As a “trade exchange”, they are creating two Kalashnikovv Portfolios made up of works on paper from each artist who shows at the gallery. One portfolio will also be auctioned off for charity. Kalashnikovv puts on a new show every two weeks, so the portfolio will include between 30 to 50 works.

Murray and Matthew’s ability to attract a massive younger audience to art gallery and museum spaces with music, visual displays and a mix of emerging artists has “ironically made [them] into a service providers of sorts” – called in to draw crowds. Even if students are not spending money on art just yet, Murray hopes by experiencing the events, they will become familiar with art and “when they’ve graduated they’ll remember, and they will become the buyers.” 

70 Juta Street, Braamfontein, kalashnikovvgallery@gmail.com, kalashnikovvgallery.tumblr.com

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