EDITORIAL

Our guests on this episode are South African-born, U.S-based friends of more than 30 years: Stefan Simchowitz and David Altman. Their wide-ranging conversation explores everything from walking the line between collector and dealer, what success means in the art world and the promotion of cultural production from Africa.

As a platform for critical thinking, the Latitudes Podcast seeks to spark debate and provide our audience with a wide range of viewpoints from across the art ecosystem, even those that may ruffle feathers.

You have to resist the urge to neatly locate Nada Baraka’s art in an Egyptian context. The thirty-three-year-old artist was born in, lives and practices in Cairo, and indeed the sense of chaos that defines the compositions of her abstract paintings could represent the city's erosion of democratic values, political order and worsening social conditions.

In this episode, painter Cinga Samson speaks about home, spirituality, his inspirations, and, in light of his meteoric rise in the art world, the meaning of success.

Latitudes sits down with collector Namita Singh Thakur, founder of Art Curio - a not-for-profit foundation that is deeply involved in collecting works of emerging artists, women artists and artists from underrepresented backgrounds.

In this episode, Mark Read muses on a wide variety of subjects, from what palaeontology can teach us about art and humanity, to the role of galleries in a changing art ecosystem, and how the present is the most brilliant time to be alive in beautiful southern Africa.

While collaborations between artists and fashion, furniture or homeware designers are not uncommon in South Africa, there remains some confusion and even skepticism around the extent to which the disciplines of contemporary art and design can and should overlap.

In this episode, Sumayya Vally ruminates on topics such as the deep political power of beauty, how architecture affirms who we are in the world, and the often overlooked intelligence of early African architecture, which has the ability to connect us to each other, and to a higher power.

There is one artist whose works have remained divisive since they were unleashed onto the international stage in the early 1980s: Jean-Michel Basquiat.

You have to resist the urge to neatly locate Nada Baraka’s art in an Egyptian context. The thirty-three-year-old artist was born in, lives and practices in Cairo, and indeed the sense of chaos that defines the compositions of her abstract paintings could represent the city's erosion of democratic values, political order and worsening social conditions.

While collaborations between artists and fashion, furniture or homeware designers are not uncommon in South Africa, there remains some confusion and even skepticism around the extent to which the disciplines of contemporary art and design can and should overlap.

There is one artist whose works have remained divisive since they were unleashed onto the international stage in the early 1980s: Jean-Michel Basquiat.

One of the lesser explored aspects of textile art in African expression is an investigation into the use of abstraction. More precisely, what artistic, conceptual or ideological values textile art activate as opposed to, say, painting.

The art world has experienced a paradigm shift, with independent artists, disruptive curators, and marginalised individuals challenging established norms. However, reforms should be cautious of historical naivety and outdated practices.

After the fantastic success of RMB Latitudes, our first physical event since 2019, Latitudes is excited to launch a second offline offering. Latitudes Centre for the Arts (LCA) is a physical, multi-purpose exhibition space in Johannesburg dedicated to the year-round promotion of artists and galleries on the continent.

Curators were always going to be absorbed into the art fair fray. Nevertheless, it is difficult, if not impossible, to marry the curatorial act with commercial imperatives, given dealers need to make sales to recoup the costs of participating and staying in business.

The foundations of Western art history are currently undergoing a profound reevaluation, spurred by a growing recognition of the contributions made by women artists who were often marginalised or overlooked.

You have to resist the urge to neatly locate Nada Baraka’s art in an Egyptian context. The thirty-three-year-old artist was born in, lives and practices in Cairo, and indeed the sense of chaos that defines the compositions of her abstract paintings could represent the city's erosion of democratic values, political order and worsening social conditions.

Latitudes sits down with collector Namita Singh Thakur, founder of Art Curio - a not-for-profit foundation that is deeply involved in collecting works of emerging artists, women artists and artists from underrepresented backgrounds.

One of the lesser explored aspects of textile art in African expression is an investigation into the use of abstraction. More precisely, what artistic, conceptual or ideological values textile art activate as opposed to, say, painting.

After the fantastic success of RMB Latitudes, our first physical event since 2019, Latitudes is excited to launch a second offline offering. Latitudes Centre for the Arts (LCA) is a physical, multi-purpose exhibition space in Johannesburg dedicated to the year-round promotion of artists and galleries on the continent.

ESSAY is an exhibition that showcases a cross-generational dialogue through the works of three artists - Sam Nhlengethwa, Katlego Tlabela, and Cinthia Sifa Mulanga. The exhibition, which forms a Special Project at RMB Latitudes, and is presented by Lexus in collaboration with Goodman Gallery, explores the complexities of identity, culture, and artistic heritage through a nuanced approach to colour and line.

2020 was a landmark year for contemporary African art. The pandemic expedited the digitisation of African art and saw many artists turning to social media to create awareness around their work, hoping to stay afloat under extremely challenging circumstances.

Milan-based Artshell is an art software development company that specialises in archiving and managing collections of artworks. The Covid-19 pandemic not only gave them new purpose but drove more innovation that would benefit art dealers and art fairs.

INDEX is a new platform to give exposure to independent artists, who often have to create their own networks and methods for getting their work seen by audiences. Meet the artists!

While collaborations between artists and fashion, furniture or homeware designers are not uncommon in South Africa, there remains some confusion and even skepticism around the extent to which the disciplines of contemporary art and design can and should overlap.

The art world has experienced a paradigm shift, with independent artists, disruptive curators, and marginalised individuals challenging established norms. However, reforms should be cautious of historical naivety and outdated practices.

After the fantastic success of RMB Latitudes, our first physical event since 2019, Latitudes is excited to launch a second offline offering. Latitudes Centre for the Arts (LCA) is a physical, multi-purpose exhibition space in Johannesburg dedicated to the year-round promotion of artists and galleries on the continent.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our very own podcast produced in partnership with iTOO Artinsure.

A new wave of clay artists is being feted by international collectors and museums. A forthcoming book surveys the key exponents.

This rambling setting with interlocking gardens, from which staircases and pathways led visitors to different venues, bars or patios, literally delivered on this notion of ‘discovery.’

Latitudes set out to be responsive to the needs of artists, dealers and collectors. The new edition with RMB as a sponsor builds on this but in a more upmarket and social setting.

Check out the RMB Latitudes Art Fair Programme. Join us and celebrate in our shared creative spirit, ignite new relationships, and connect with artists and galleries in an inspiring setting.

ESSAY is an exhibition that showcases a cross-generational dialogue through the works of three artists - Sam Nhlengethwa, Katlego Tlabela, and Cinthia Sifa Mulanga. The exhibition, which forms a Special Project at RMB Latitudes, and is presented by Lexus in collaboration with Goodman Gallery, explores the complexities of identity, culture, and artistic heritage through a nuanced approach to colour and line.