THAT Art Fair is ‘a platform for African artists who work under the radar of the traditional art establishment – who do things a little differently’

THAT Art Fair is far from any type of static art event, and this year there’s been a dedicated live art programme included to create subtle playful interventions within the urban venue. Incorporating the work of some of South Africa’s most talented performance artists, Francois Knoetze will be showcasing #networking, an enactment using his most recently completed ‘wearable sculpture’ suit.

SKATTIE artists – Angelo Valerio and Jana Babez Terblanche – will both be performing and The Fish Collective will be bringing two travelling goldfish by train from Johannesburg to THAT Art Fair, presenting their documented journey in the form of postcards, souvenirs and the fish themselves as the final product. There will also be live graffiti art by Kilmany Jo Liversage and Martin Lund.

From left: Francios Knoetze, Cape Mongo (metal); Angelo Valerio as Angel-Ho; Jana Babez Terblanche, Hollywood Cerise; Kilmany Jo Liversage mural painting.

A wide range of sculptors from Africa will be participating in THAT Art Fair, both independently and as represented by galleries.

From top left: Dirk Bahmann, Connection to Place 5. Wire Sculpture; Dale Washkansky, Glitter Sculpture; Mirella Bandini, She – Her – Me.

THAT ART PARTY at THAT Art Fair

THAT ART PARTY is the official celebration for THAT Art Fair, the newest addition to Cape Town’s creative calendar. Beats come to life on Friday the 27th February from 17:00. and it all goes down on the second floor of the parkade at 121 Cecil Rd, Salt River. THAT ART PARTY line-up features The Brother Moves On, a DJ set by Spoek Mathambo, Thor Rixon, Champions of the Sonarverse and SKATTIE DJ’s Athi Patra-Ruga, Jana Babez and Mr Blouse. THAT ART PARTY also presents the Cape Town premiere of the internationally acclaimed documentary film, Shield and Spear and a performance piece by Cape Town-based artist Angelo Valerio, titled Ascension.

Important Links!

Buy Tickets: HERE
After Party Information: HERE

Follow THAT Art Fair:
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Twitter to keep up to date with recent developments, using the Hashtags #THATARTFAIR2015 and #THATARTPARTY

Image:Sarah De Burgh

First off, how often do you visit Africa?
Every other year or so for six months to a year at a time.

Alright, so what’s coming next for Gold Coast Trading?
A lot of growing and maturing…I have some lectures and exhibitions coming up in Germany and France, which is exciting for me because it’s a sign that Gold Coast is much more than fashion but a creative space or statement that people are interested in. I also want to expand more into South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana so the brand’s touchstone stays close to what I’m doing. As for new designs, I’m working with Petite Noir on a collab that should be out in the next month or so – really excited about him and his music! I’m also involved with some new large partnerships that will expand the scope of the work I want to create.

And, in your words, what’s the overriding mission of your brand?
Be creative, be inspired and stay true to the message of the brand, which is to explore or handle Africa in a less expected way.

Could you define Africa in Gold Coast Trading’s words?

Abundance of truth and beauty. A hazy view of how things could, should or can be.

How would you describe Gold Coast Trading’s clothing style?
It’s always evolving and it’s something I’m trying to define myself actually. It’s becoming less straight-up casual but more functional ‘high-end’ casual. As you can see I’m still working on it but the main thing for me is to give the brand as much space for growth as possible. So along the way I can do many different styles or types of clothing, furniture or whatever else I want to create at the time. I’m not really a fashion guy, I kind of still dress like I’m going to lay brick or tile…but I know what looks appropriate, I have good taste and I also know to never limit your vision.

Image:Bo Streeter

So tell us about the ‘Winds from the North’ collection. What inspired you?
Harmattan, which is the dusty West African trade wind that blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March. The colours in that collection are faded and dulled to reflect the atmosphere and mood of that unique season in West Africa.

Do the prints you use have a certain meaning for you? (Do they represent Africa?)
To me they represent emotional responses. I don’t think I intend for them to be strictly representational of Africa and I don’t think they always are. But instead they represent a train of thought that is usually inspired by – but not limited to – my time back home in Africa.

Images:Bo Streeter

Let’s get to some more complicated stuff. What do you think Africa would have been like if it hadn’t been for the slave trade?
Wow…that’s a tough question…
In many ways the same and in many ways drastically different, which I think is okay. Obviously many of the issues that serve as the major stumbling blocks in Africa, like exploration of natural resources, corruption and general conflict would be dramatically different. Africa isn’t and was never meant to be perfect. So, like on every other landmass around the world, the same basic problems would exist due to pure imperfection but at least a measure of the suffering that touches Africa on a daily basis would not exist.

“Africa isn’t and was never meant to be perfect.”

Where would you like to see Africa socially, politically and economically in 20 years?
I would love to see Africa keep up with its growth, move into more ownership and evolve into its fullest potential, but the ones who make our planet’s policies are doing a good job of dimming the prospect of positive change in this world in general. So, I feel it could get worse before it gets better due to the system we currently live under. I feel we have so much in place to distract us from the ‘more important things’, we fail to see how far we are drifting in the wrong direction. With all that being said, I live and breathe hope! There is good news all around us and hopefully some day, sooner than later, we will see the change we have been looking for – not just in Africa but on a global scale.

“the ones who make our planet’s policies are doing a good job of dimming the prospect of positive change in this world in general.”

And Africa in 200 years?
Even more beautiful! I think it will be bursting at the seams with accurate knowledge and love – a place where people come to innovate and enjoy.

What African artists do you admire the most?
Laurence Chauvin Buthaud, , Petite Noir, Spoek Mathambo, Esau Mwamwaya and Loza Maléombho to name a few.

Which artists did you collaborate with last? What was it about?
I recently worked with The Very Best for Capsule Collection and I also served as their tour merchandise. I also worked with Questlove for the Fela Kuti dedication album and I’m currently working on some select designs for Nas. And like I mentioned, I’m finishing a cool piece for a collab with Petite Noir and have two major ones on deck.

What countries in Africa do you owe your best memories to?
Ivory coast for sure! Though I’m Nigerian, it was my gateway back home and where I spent the most time by far. I’ve seen everything there from wars to pristine white sandy beaches, seeing all of that trained and shaped who I am and who I’m becoming. Living in Ghana also meant a lot to me because I learned a lot about myself and what I really want in this life.

How do you feel about so many Africans dreaming of emigrating to the west?
I get it for sure but it’s not all what it’s cracked up to be. The streets aren’t paved with gold and in most cases you can end up physically as well as spiritually cold and alone. It’s the nature of life in the west, it’s a singular lifestyle. People are running after money or a name and within that chase, community or people don’t matter. So come if you want to do what you need to do and then go back home and grow it there.

On another note, how did you get into fashion?
I don’t know honestly, it was never a goal of mine. It just all kind of started from designing, album art for some popular musicians and then it sort of morphed into what I do today.

And what made you do the Soweto Youth 1976 line?
It was a two fold thing. Firstly, out of the respect I had for people like the BLK JKS and Spoek Mathambo who showed me a ton of love and support but also sparked me creatively! Secondly, out of respect of the event and the sacrifice that fell on those ones to effect a large change.

Images:kyle Johnson

“All my dudes from South Africa always seem to look effortlessly stylish”

What do you think of South Africa and its fashion? How does it compare to the rest of Africa’s and the rest of the world’s fashion?
All my dudes from South Africa always seem to look effortlessly stylish and dress pretty much how I want my end product to be worn. South Africa also seems to be a melting pot of fashion sprinkled with a bit of traditional or cultural sensibility. That makes a look that is in step with what I’m doing. For the past few seasons South Africa has been my fashion reference point, so I’m very excited and eager to expand here further this coming year.

Image:Bo Streeter

Interview by John Norman, 2012

Sometimes I think that if I took my work into the rural areas, where life is still vigorously in touch with itself and its roots, the reception might be more constructive. Perhaps they would recognise my smallpox Gods, my transsexual priests, my images of desirable black men in a state of sexual frenzy, or the tranquility of communion with the spirit world. Perhaps they have far less fear of encountering the darkest of Africa’s dark secrets by which some of us seek to gain access to the soul.

Inspired by the Yoruba priests’ ‘technique of ecstasy’, a collection of his spiritual-symbolism charged images — which he said he made ‘homosexual on purpose’ — will be exhibited as Traces of Ecstasy at Iziko South African National Gallery until 15 May 2014. For more on onesmallseed.com on a related topic, click here for our article on the most influential LGBT people in pop culture.

Image: stevenson.info

I make my pictures homosexual on purpose. Black men from the Third World have not previously revealed either to their own peoples or to the West a certain shocking fact: they can desire each other … But in spite of all attempts by church and state to suppress homosexuality, it is clear that enriching sexual relationships between members of the same sex have always existed. They are part of the human condition, even if the concept of sexual identity is more of a recent notion. – Rotimi Fani-Kayode

Image: arcthemagazine.com

Image: wird.com.ua

Image: wird.com.ua

Image: wird.com.ua

Image: wird.com.ua

Image: autograph-abp-shop.co.uk

Image: elombah.com

Image: autograph-abp-shop.co.uk

Image: lemagazine.jeudepaume.com

As African youth they realised that the media does not portray Africa the way Africans see it. Often the stories are negative and are told by people who don’t live in Africa. There are so many of these stories that we end up believing them ourselves.

When did this concept evolve into something concrete for you? When did you decide to use photography and fashion to change these ideas?
When we were growing up, often/always the media’s point of view towards our Soweto was very different to the one we experienced. It’s always been a problem amongst us because at school when you said you came from Soweto, immediately the people’s reactions changed and most of the time all those people have never been there. Only late last year did we see how we were going to tackle this issue, when Innocent went to Kenya he took a photo of a local who was on a bike and he looked so cool. We didn’t believe the amount of cool the guy had because when ‘they’ spoke about Kenya on the news we never saw that side of it. We were blown away! So, that’s when the direction started.

When we were young, were very creative. We used to make cars out of bricks and try to find places to do somersaults and and we used to skate a lot… What we experienced was fun, but the media showed kids that were starving and studying in bad situations. I went to a school that was exciting! We did a lot of sports and I designed a lot… it was fun. I never saw any crime. (TEDx Soweto)

Tokyo 2013, image: iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com

Bilene, Mozambique 2013, image: iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com

How did TEDx Soweto go?
It went very well because the people related to what we were saying, but scary too because it was the first time speaking in front of an audience that big.

Tell us a little about each of your members; where you’re from, what you like, how you decided to work together etc…
We are from the same neigbourhood, Pimvile in Soweto, and we all met at church! Justice and Innocent were 13 years old and Vuyo was nine years old. We were all singing in the church choir. Justice loves drawing but enjoys design and illustrating posters… Innnocent loves his fine art and Vuyo loves singing and music. We pray every time before we shoot, then we will go out and pretty much just drive around and if we can find a place that talks to us, then we will shoot it. Sometimes we will just drive and talk to each other and end up not paying attention to locations,then end up having to go home without any pictures!

The music on the I See a Different You video is pretty decent, apparently you sing, Vuyo… Is that what you guys do in your spare time? Where can we access any more of it, if there is any?
First and foremost thank you so much! Yes, it’s Vuyo on the vocals and we’ve been doing music for sometime now. We do have more music but it’s not online yet. We are creatives; photography is just one of the platforms to express what we feel.

St Louise, Senegal, image: iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com

Paris 2013, image: iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com

So Innocent and Justice, you guys are twin brothers. Does that make it easier to work together, because you’re of the same mind, or are you quite different?
It doesn’t really make it easier or better because we don’t look at each other like brothers, we are more friends than we are brothers. We have similar interests but different personalities.

We see you’re very much involved in styling as you are in photography. What are your favourite styles/brands to work with and where do you like to shop?
Truly speaking we are into a whole range of brands, we can’t really say we only wear a specific brand. With regards to shopping, we don’t only shop in one place because its hard to get a whole outfit in just one store. We love fashion, it interests us because we grew up with stylish grandparents; every time we look at our photo albums all you will see is happiness, fashion and style. It’s really inspiring you know, we design some of our clothes but mostly we buy. The tailor is the one who makes sure we all look nice, his attention to detail is remarkable and he loves what he does. So if you ever need a tailor, send us an email!

So with all of the support and RVCA and Markham and GQ and all of that, do you guys find yourselves being recognized in the streets a lot? Do you ever miss just being regular guys?
Nothing has changed actually; we are still the same old guys, we still walk freely in the streets.

What do you think South Africa needs to do to realise the same pride that you have in your heritage?

We just need to bring back that interest that makes people want to know where they come from, their roots. That way we will preserve our heritage.

 
To see more of their work, head on over here to access their archives and get in touch!

Paris 2013, image: iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com

interview: Shiba Mazaza, originally published in 2012 for one small seed.
images: I See A Different You