PHOTO Jan Ras (Mervyn Gers), Niquita Bento (Krisjan Rossouw) WORDS Tracy Greenwood
Two artists talk to us about commissions for chef David Higgs’ new restaurant.
When David Higgs started work on opening his restaurant Marble in Rosebank, Johannesburg, he and interior decorator Irene Kyriacou turned to two exciting South African artists for help. We got the lowdown from potter Mervyn Gers and fine art photographer Krisjan Rossouw.
What excited you about this project?
Mervyn: It is always exciting to collaborate with a chef or any client to create a bespoke range that is different in feel and character and that will be only for their use.
Krisjan: I loved the synergy between David and Irene’s vision for the restaurant and how I have always envisioned my work. I also loved the fact that I was able to return to the bunker where I shot the photos for my Dark Paradise series six years ago, because that was where my life as an artist started.
How did you interpret the brief?
Krisjan: I looked at some of the key messages in David’s philosophy: the marbling in cuts of meat, the act of food preparation and the final presentation of dishes. I sourced garments from Stefania Moreland and Klûk/CGDT, and used burnt logs picked up on Table Mountain and a bunch of red wool in the images. Creating something beautiful and unique for Marble was always top of mind.
What did Mervyn Gers Ceramics create for Marble?
Mervyn: We did both the crockery and the wall tiles. We decided to create a range – including various bowls, plates, jugs, platters, and salt and pepper containers – in various glazes. The juxtaposition of the interesting textures mixed with pure minerals resulted in a luxurious product with a refined elegance that maintains our concept of functional art. The tiles look like small gold bars, in four different profiles. They’re all made by hand and weigh 500 g each. We produced 7 700 tiles, which I then hand-painted, one by one.
Marble is open Monday to Sunday from 12pm – 10pm. For reservations, visit marble.restaurant. You can also read more about Marble here.