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Doctor and Misses – LALA Techno (credit VATIC) -
Babacar Niang – Bedjenak Chaise (Credit Adriaan Louw) -
Cheick Diallo – Mintoo Cabinet (Credit Adriaan Louw) -
Porky Hefer – Appropriated Chair and Stool -
Moffat Takadiwa - Found Black Keys -
Athi-Patra Ruga - Azania in Waiting -
Lakin Ogunbanwo - Let it Be -
Dan Halter - Patterns of Migration
WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo
The inaugural exhibition at Cape Town-based gallery WHATIFTHEWORLD and design gallery Southern Guild‘s new shared space in Johannesburg, called Trumpet, will run from 28 August to 1 October 2016.
WHATIFTHEWORLD art dealers Justin Rhodes and Ashleigh McLean have long established themselves on the Cape Town art scene, representing a roster of contemporary artists from South Africa and the continent at large. Since the gallery was founded in 2008, they have regularly participated in international art fairs such Frieze New York and VOLTA in Basel, Switzerland and the gallery artists have exhibited in major exhibitions and events including the 55th Venice Biennial, the Havana Biennial, Guangzhou Triennial and Le Biennial de Dakar.
Founded by husband and wife team Trevyn and Julian McGowan, Southern Guild opened their permanent Cape Town home in 2014. However, they’ve been commissioning leading local designers to create work since 2008, much of which they have shown at leading international fairs including Design Miami, Design Days Dubai and Collective.
“We each have strong, unique viewpoints, a desire to change the status quo, and as our galleries and our artists have matured we have found we share an approach and, more and more frequently, an audience and client base,” says Trevyn about this new collaboration. “This opportunity to combine our voices, to explore the intersection of art and design, promises results greater than the sum of our parts.”
The 300 square metre contemporary exhibition space in the StudioMAS-designed Trumpet building will be opening on the 28th of August and runs until the first of October. While the two galleries will maintain separate calendars, for their inaugural show they have curated a synergetic collection of work from both stables, including work by Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo, Zimbabwean sculptor Moffat Takadiwa and visual artist Athi-Patra Ruga, alongside limited-edition furniture by leading African designers such as Cheick Diallo, Hamed Ouattara and the late Babacar Niang, as well as South Africans Gregor Jenkin, Porky Hefer and Dokter and Misses. “We’re prepared to be non-conformist and in forging this new partnership, we’re creating an original forum and delivering a one-of-a-kind gallery experience,” says Justin.
The exhibition runs from 28 August until 1 October 2016 at Trumpet, 19 Keyes Avenue, Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank, Johannesburg.
