Articles

Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment of transformation, where a comprehensive view of its socio-economic and cultural landscape is essential. There is a growing call for introspection and alternative approaches to financial resilience, a reevaluation of traditional values, and a shift away from individualism toward collective well-being.

Latitudes is pleased to introduce artist, writer and the author of the book, Yakhal'inkomo - Portrait of a Jazz Classic, Percy Mabandu. In his improvisatory essay, Mabandu tracks an ongoing sighting of musicians caught in the act of performance by a succession of artists across the space time continuum of South African art.

In some way, the presence of a painting on every wall — from the pristine white finish of a gallery to the prehistoric archive of a cave — can be somewhat overwhelming. How has the language of paint transcended race, time, geography and cultural context?

As someone who comes from a creative industry you would think that I would have always been drawn into the art space, but like many others I have always found galleries, let alone art collecting, to be a space which intimidated me greatly.

An innate rapport with the natural world is the heartbeat of works by artist partners and stewards of the earth, Geoffrey Armstrong and Wendy Vincent. Over the past 25 years their Magalies Rock Garden near Hekpooort in South Africa has set the stage for the conception of dream-like works of genius.

In this exclusive interview, collector Annicia Manyaapelo shares her journey through the art world, as well as invaluable advice on collecting.

As an artist, my engagement with soil has been both sporadic and profound, each interaction a meditation on the earth's raw, tactile essence. Over the years, I've witnessed a growing embrace of soil as a medium by a diverse cadre of artists near and far.

If you peruse the 16 art exhibitions and live programming of the HEAT Festival, you aren't likely to see the names of too many famous artists. The HEAT Winter Arts Festival was not originally tailored for young or emerging artists. This focus occurred organically - as a nascent festival, it made sense to unearth new talent, and a fresh point of view.

Art and artists make for good stories. Over the years, a rich relationship between South African art and fiction has emerged, with art serving as a point of inspiration for fictional narratives.

Many of the works on display at RMB Latitudes Art Fair exemplified the strangeness and charm of the bizarre in a venue so splendidly unorthodox that one might be forgiven for thinking it was designed for the very purpose.

The similarity in all these artists' work was that they allowed the clay to just be “the thing itself” they encouraged it to transcend its practicality, they handled it in its enduring and dynamic nature, they explored its time-based and process-driven element, it pulled them in, and they let it.

Art Fairs offer pathways of access to artists, exhibitors, and viewers – placemaking in an industry that so often hoards access. Latitudes serves to meet you half-way – to posit emergent work and spaces.

I was intrigued by Abate's technique, the ability to mix mediums, creating depth through paint and drawing then reducing it to a flat finish demonstrating the helplessness and defeat of his subjects.

During RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2024, Doha-based ARAK Collection, ran a workshop on art writing. The loss of many newspapers and publications has led to a decline in arts coverage and the near extinction of art criticism, worldwide. Which is why initiatives such as this, which not only train young writers, but also provide a platform to publish their work, are invaluable.

It is true that African art is distinctive. This is not because it is peculiarly ‘African’, but because it is intensively responsive to the fallout of slavery, indenture, Empire – matters that persist today.

Andy Warhol’s prescient declaration, that in the future everyone would achieve a fifteen-minute fame, is important for two reasons: firstly, because he anticipated more efficient information and communication networks which would render everyone and everything everywhere all at once.

As art fairs tend to be staged inside convention centres it is rare to encounter works that are fitting to the environment – unless they happen to offer a wry commentary on art fair culture. This is what is special about Shepstone Gardens and this fair – the myriad of buildings and spaces lend themselves to particular works being shown in them.

Collaborative printmaking emerges out of centuries of developing traditions and techniques, and a uniquely productive rapport between artist and printmaker.

Latitudes Live is a programme of talks and activations that are aimed at facilitating an enhanced and holistic experience of RMB Latitudes 2024.

This body of work, made over the course of six weeks in residence during the month-long fast of Ramadan, ties this land and its hominid remains, this river and its polluted state, notions of our global environmental shortcomings alongside intimate and personal moments.