Bubblegum Club

Tag: johannesburg

  • Inxeba (The Wound): protest, culture & a tumultuous gay love story

    Warning: This article contains spoilers from the film, Inxeba (The Wound).

    Set in the scenic mountainous Eastern Cape emerges Inxeba, a powerful, moving and thought-provoking South African work of art directed by John Trengrove. This daring and unsettling film narrates the intersectional story of an uninspired and lonely Xhosa factory worker Xolani (Nakhane Touré) who joins the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood (a process known as ulwaluko). As Xolani embarks on the journey of being a caregiver during the initiation period, he encounters Kwanda (Niza Jay Ncoyini), a sullen yet defiant and disruptive initiate from the city of Johannesburg who urges Xolani to interrogate his queer identity.

    Inxeba is essentially a revolutionary tumultuous gay love story between two caregivers Xolani and Vija (Bongile Mantsai) which takes place in a violent, patriarchal and hyper masculine environment. It explores compelling themes concerning homosexuality, the construct of Xhosa masculinity as well as the colliding juxtaposition of modernity (represented by references made to the city and the effect it has on those that have left their rural homes) and tradition. Unfortunately, we live in a society where most instances of violent behaviour committed by men go unchecked which begs the question of how we should transcend violent masculinity in such spaces.  This film is revolutionary in numerous ways as it protests toxic masculinity and patriarchal cultural norms, it exposes deep-rooted homophobia and it fundamentally opens important and difficult conversations.

    The sublime cinematography manages to beautifully capture pain, love, affection, fear and rage all at once. One of the most mesmerizing moments in the film comes from the scene by the waterfall which showcases the passionate black Xhosa male lovers (Xolani and Vija) embracing one another, kissing, cuddling and being affectionate. This moment proves to be ground-breaking and encapsulating as it defies the rigid social norms and homophobic views that are held by some men.

    Viewers also get to witness the blossoming friendship between the caregiver and initiate. In a strange but organic way the initiate becomes the teacher when he drives his caregiver to confront his truth and sexual identity. The initiate plants the seed of learning and unlearning for his caregiver to which his caregiver rejects and ultimately chooses to return to his former life. The act of silencing is a common theme that reoccurs throughout the film. Kwanda is constantly silenced when he problematizes Xolani’s hypocrisy or even when he calls out Xolani for having an affair with Vija who has a wife and children back home. Kwanda’s opinionated and outspoken nature ends up being his detriment. This sets a strong precedent that being outspoken and fighting for what you believe in can get you killed. In the end, the unsafe environment that Xolani and Vija find themselves does not grant them with the opportunity to truly and freely love each other. They would rather pursue great lengths to protect their secret than taking the risk of being exposed, shunned and ostracized.

    Inxeba is bound to evoke feelings of shock, resentment, despondency and inquisitiveness which will take time to unpack, process as well as have honest and uncomfortable conversations whether it be on the dinner table or on social media. This film is imperative for the representation of the LGBTQ+ communities and that cause should not be derailed by cis-het fragile men. The representation of the queer community and queer issues in infinite versions matters. It also serves a crucial role of dismantling patriarchal cultural norms. We should ultimately never use culture as justification to dehumanise, oppress and subjugate marginalized folk (in this case queer folk) and if culture commits such acts of violence, this desperately needs to be tackled as well as problematized.

  • Robyn Kater: the intersection between history, identity and the city as a living organism

    Robyn Kater is a bold, passionate and multifaceted artist who is deeply inspired by the city of Johannesburg and all those who live within it. She views her home city, Johannesburg as the compelling and rich space that has greatly influenced her personal identity as well as artwork. The 23-year-old freelance artist, who recently graduated from WITS University with her Fine Art degree, relates her journey as that of self-discovery, learning and unlearning as well as one of trial and error.

    The use of Johannesburg as Robyn’s leading inspiration has motivated her to produce a powerful body of work titled, ‘Toxic Playground’. Robyn describes ‘Toxic Playground’ as a mixed media installation that comprises of photography, video and found objects through which she examines how the Johannesburg mine dumps become palimpsests of personal memory and toxicity. The ‘Toxic Playground’ installation consists of 100kg of sand which was collected over three months from the Riverlea mine dump – this is of significant sentiment to Robyn as she grew up in the community situated right next to the dump.

    ‘Toxic Playground’ is emblematic of the socio-economic and environmental issues currently facing the residents of the area, and essentially speaks to the community’s concerns. This is because the city’s mine dumps have been normalized to be included in the community’s everyday landscape, yet they are severely toxic. They symbolize the exploitative deep-rooted nature of the city. Robyn’s body of artwork raises important questions that require effective answers such as: “what should be done with remnants of the city’s division post-conflict, post-apartheid state? What influence do memory and remembrance of these places have on transformation of the city’s spatial morphology (formation), identity and flows of everyday urban life?”.

    In all aspects of this work Robyn does the job of detecting the intersection between history, heritage, identity, displacement and space. Robyn eloquently expresses how she is “interested in the city as a living organism and how the tangible and intangible fragments meet and overlap to form a lived experience”. An in-depth interpretation of Robyn’s artwork demonstrates that she thinks of Johannesburg in various ways. She sees the city as a complex living organism in which certain spaces act as remnants of personal memory and of an overlapping history. In addition to this, her unique artwork illustrates a vivid relationship that the city of Johannesburg presents between space and identity.

    Robyn is open to collaborate with people outside of the art industry such as historians, architects and urban planners. She would also like to have to the opportunity to exhibit her work at more experimental spaces. Having showcased at Wits Art Museum, The Point of Order as well as Nothing Gets Organised and with the hopes of showcasing at Zeitz MOCAA someday, Robyn is truly one fearless trailblazer who is more than ready to get her message across.

  • Fortune Shumba and Dubokaj Collab on an Emotional Dub Release

    I know pretty much fuck all about Reggae and Dub other than the UB40 tapes my mom would play in her Uno Fire, and nights out at Cool Runnings. I also saw Damian Marley live in a haze of smoke at Blue Lagoon for Zakifo. That’s about it. Other than that, they’re not really genres I’ve ever gotten into. Like, I smoke a lot of weed, but not enough to bop to dub at home. And reggae has just kinda always felt like Gospel music for Rastas.  

    So, that I find myself listening to ‘Dubokaj Meets Fortune Shumba’ on repeat is a new experience. I find myself entranced by the experimental reggae and dub beats of Dubokaj and hypnotised by Fortune Shumba’s soulful vocals. On Soundcloud, the release is tagged as reggae but 3 of the 7 songs are dub mixes. I’m not great at telling the difference tbh. Dub is what reggae sounds like when played in the bath, right? Cause this definitely has that dreamy underwater feel with synths echoing through the haze.

    Lyrically, Fortune cynically explores lust, love, and relationships. From the opener of Trinidad Babies, in which he swears it isn’t a love song, to the moody Nobody in which he laments through a vocoder how much nobody knows how much he misses “you”, Fortune takes a more emotional and sentimental approach than I typically wouldn’t expect from music I typically associate with potheads.

    I don’t know too much about the swiss producer Dubokaj, unfortunately, although his work on this project makes me want to explore more of his catalogue. I do know, however, that Fortune has shown he can’t be pigeon-holed and has added his touch to a variety of beats by collaborating with a wide range of artists over the last 2 years. From his ‘Dawn EP’ in 2015, to now, the back-up dancer for Moonchild has steadily been putting together a body of work that’ll see him in the foreground of stages in days to come.

  • The Difference in Tweeting

    The digital age has shaped and re-shaped various aspects of the human experience. With the internet came access to vast amounts of data, online shopping, app creation and social media platforms to name but a fraction of the elements that define our existence. Social media is at the crux of it all and is changing the way in which human beings socialize. Texting is normal, expressing your opinions about pretty much anything is allowed and sharing your life with hundreds if not thousands of followers and friends online is a day to day norm for most people. I mean are you even a person if you don’t have a social media account?

    We are living in a time where impressions of who you are as a person are often formulated before you even meet other people. Your reputation and social media presence, chosen aesthetic and personality or lack thereof is often times people’s first introduction to you as an individual. That brings me to the topic of Twitter, what makes it different from other social media platforms? Why is this network and the communication that takes place on it of value and, in terms of the conversations that are happening on this platform, why can it be regarded as distinct from its other social media counterparts?

    Twitter is the most open social network to engage with. Unlike other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook communication between yourself and other users is effortless. Unless of course, the user you wish to communicate with has a protected feed. You can speak to anyone and everyone on the network. On Facebook, messaging someone without being friends drops your messages in private folders that some users don’t even know about. Instagram, on the other hand, sends you message requests when you are not connected to an individual.

    Posts on Twitter are limited to 280 characters per post, resulting in short bursts of information circulating online. Facebook, on the other hand, has no character limit and lends itself to being a platform for storytelling and long conversations. Think about your friends’ super duper long posts that are surfacing and yet to come about how life-changing 2017 was and how much more of a winner 2018 will be. Wow, fantastic I’m so happy for you Becky. Twitter can be regarded as the track star of all social media networks and its 280 character limit catapults it into being the fastest platform on which to push information.

    On Facebook topics and posts, in other words, conversations are held longer than on Twitter. With Twitter, however, it is commonplace to post links directing your audience/followers to other sites resulting in a focus that is not just stuck on one platform. Third party content is a star on Twitter often combined with the use of hashtags acting as a tool for discovery and easy reference for other users.

    There is also real-time content vs. evergreen content with Twitter being the platform for real-time posting. Twitter is regarded by many as a news outlet because of the real-time nature of the application. Twitter users lend themselves to short frequent posts that can act as a running commentary box on various situations. Looking at influencers such as Bee Diamondhead her followers are directed to news that she finds relevant. This is often done by sharing the posts of other users such as fashion blogger bryanboy. Other posts on her account feature the #girlscount and address Bee’s advocacy for the upliftment of African femmes. These two posts are an indicator of Bee’s investment in fashion and social activism highlighting the importance of this with her use of hashtagging. Some of 2017’s most powerful and unforgettable social media campaigns originated from this fast social media vortex such as the #metoo campaign. However, the lifespan of engagement with posts on Twitter is shorter than that of Facebook or standard Instagram posting.

    What sets Twitter apart then is that it is a platform where you are the most likely to engage with strangers in comparison to Facebook and Instagram. Although Instagram allows you to connect with strangers more often than not you will tend to follow individuals you know or who travel in similar circles to yourself. Twitter is a completely different social sphere. It is a space in which you can address and communicate with anyone in a very direct, for the world to see manner. What is noteworthy about Twitter is how it is that much less personal than other social media platforms. Users sometimes speak about themselves or mention events that occurred during their day but it acts as a platform for news and social activism in many ways. Its users utilize the tool to create campaigns and to voice their concerns with conversations that often times spread over multiple posts. Re-tweeting is also a great way in which your ideas can be brought to a larger audience.

  • Estudio Cinco // giving abandoned urban spaces new life through cinema

    Estudio Cinco is a group of four young thinkers within the field of architecture. There interest in abandoned urban spaces in their hometown, Maputo, led them to conceptualize a way to bring new life to these forgotten areas. With an understanding of cinema as an art form that can allow people to connect on an emotional level, and recognizing that films made outside of Hollywood do not get space to be shown in Maputo, Estudio Cinco decided to combine their passion for film and their desire to see abandoned spaces differently. “What we do is try to give another chance to abandoned spaces. Through cinema we do that. We try to create cinema rooms in hidden spaces or spaces that have been left out of the urban dynamics,” explains Ana from Estudio Cinco. They have transformed stairways into temporary movie theatres, and aim to translate this idea into a large scale festival titled the Maputo Cinema Festival. This idea also addresses the issue of access to films, which can be quite expensive in Maputo, as Will from Estudio Cinco explains. They are also hoping that their efforts will generate a stronger connection between film and other artistic disciplines in Maputo.

    After finding out that AFROPUNK would be coming to Johannesburg, Will and Ana came to South Africa as representatives of their architecture collective. As a lead up to executing their cinema festival idea, Estudio Cinco is working with AFROPUNK to create a similar temporary movie theatre experience at the festival in Johannesburg. Sharing what they hope to achieve Ana expressed that, “We want to create a forum of young South African filmmakers where they can share community issues or celebrate things through cinema. We are trying to create a boost forum through film so people can watch very deep movies and party and the same time.”

    Be sure to get your AFROPUNK tickets to see how Estudio Cinco convert a space at the festival into a bubble of sharing, networking and conversation through film.

  • AFROPUNK // A culturally significant global movement

    AFROPUNK. A movement that has multiple branches, from its online platform to the festival to a series of collaborative projects. A seed was planted 13 years ago in the mind of Matthew Morgan, the co-founder of AFROPUNK, when the screening of the documentary Afro-punk gathered an intimate group of black kids who shared an interest in punk rock culture. Reflecting on this moment Morgan expressed, “The large portion of them wanted to exist in a space that catered for their music choices and their lifestyle choices but with other black people, which was not available to them for the most part.” The AFROPUNK identity and what it stands for has been translated into a reach of 40 million a week in digital space, and an incredible following of its festival and connected events.

    Describing the AFROPUNK audience as global, African and diasporic, Morgan recognizes that their audience is shifting every day. This shifting audience is what allows AFROPUNK to be relevant in Brooklyn, Atlanta, London, Paris, and now Johannesburg. However, the core of the movement never changes – to be a platform for people of colour to see more alternative versions of themselves, and to celebrate black excellence. This is a sentiment that is shared in South Africa and across the globe more generally, which can be seen through social media posts that embrace a similar thinking to the founding pillars of AFROPUNK. The desire to promote and make political and physical space for alternative black culture has resulted in AFROPUNK being a welcomed breath of fresh air in the digital and festival spheres.

    This connects with the evolving nature of Johannesburg and the people who inhabit it. From kids who are fresh out of high school moshing at a tightly packed hip hop party, to those who reject western beauty standards by embracing their natural hair, to those who are calling for free, decolonised education. The kinetic energy that is fostered through the networking and collaboration related to AFROPUNK is what provides connection for people of colour. Morgan expressed that it is important for significance of this connection to be acknowledged, and the festival is a way in which this connection can manifest physically. Allowing a moment of self-expression among people of colour who might share similar experiences, or who have to navigate the world in a similar way. It allows for an interrogation of that experience, as well as a moment to exhale.

    No Sexism, No Racism, No Ableism, No Ageism, No Homophobia, No Fatphobia, No Transphobia and No Hatefulness. These slogans have become tied to the AFROPUNK identity and present an intersectional understanding of identity politics. They also come from the aspiration for AFROPUNK to create a sense of coming together, and a practicing ground for leaving prejudice behind.

    Reflecting on his visits to Johannesburg that led up to the festival being hosted in the city, Morgan expressed that he “spent significant amounts of time on every visit, and feel[s] the music, the fashion, the style, the politics, are incredible, and if we can be part of helping to share that and then bring people in, that again shares, and connects the diaspora in a more meaningful way.”

    The festival will be on 30-31 December at Constitution Hill. Tickets available at http://afropunkfest.com/johannesburg/

  • The Nike Dualtone Racer and Air Zoom Mariah // Faster than the speed of life

    Minimal. Modern. Fast. These are the words that describe the new Nike Dualtone Racer and Nike Air Zoom Mariah, two of three sneakers in Nike’s Fast Pack. Both capture the energy of city living in their clean design and the technology used to ensure comfort. Inspired by the look and feel of the 80s track, minimal uppers and low profile tooling make this new line of sneakers light and breathable.

    The Air Zoom Mariah Flyknit Racer was inspired by the 1988 Nike advertisement featuring the original Mariah with the slogan, “They Came. They Saw. They Kicked Butt.” Taking this as a point of departure, these short punch lines have molded thinking around the Mariah as a shoe which fits modern-day fast-paced lifestyles, allowing wearers to be conquerors in their own disciplines.

    The features and benefits of the modern Mariah are an adaptive Flyknit upper with external heel counter and spray swoosh, the midsole of the sneaker has a Zoom Air Unit in its heel and a CMP outsole that contains a traction pattern inspired by the outsole pattern design of the original Mariah.

    The forefather of the Dualtone Racer, the Nike Duelist, was first released in 1988 and during this time the sneaker had made an impression on the running community as it contained exceptionally lightweight Phylon cushioning. The modern take on the Duelist, the Dualtone Racer features an engineered mesh upper. The upper has no-sew film on the quarter nods and has a TPU piece located on the heel counter providing a locked-down fit to the wearer’s foot. The midsole’s qualities are that of dual-density that has been injected into the unit’s sole – with an immense durability that enables it to double as the outsole. This in turn reduces the overall weight of the Dualtone Racer. It’s outsole features a thin web outsole that offers traction and creates a flexible feel for the wearer.

    Neon orange braids make reference to the 80s, but combined with the dangling cowrie shell above the models forehead, this editorial immediately places the Mariah and Dualtone Racer within an Afro-inspired relationship with 80s fashion. An orange snakeskin bodysuit, multicoloured leggings and dual tone cycling shorts not only play on the name of one of the sneakers, but also highlights the history of the shoe and the foundation of its design coming from being inspired by the 80s track.

     

    Photography and Styling by Jamal Nxedlana

    Hair by Mimi Duma

    Makeup by Katelyn Gerke

    Photography Assistant: Lex Trickett

    Styling Assistant Lebogang Ramfate

    Model: Boikanyo Nkoane

     

  • adidas EQT // cultural parallels between two urban landscapes

    In 1991 adidas turned to its history, providing “everything that is essential and nothing that is not” and so the EQT came to be. From its home in Berlin, the EQT symbolised the best of adidas, focusing on performance, comfort and protection to meet athletic needs. This shift in thinking has been carried over throughout the years at adidas where “premium materials, purposeful construction and the adidas trefoil” have made the EQT one of the iconic Originals.

    The EQT campaign aims to celebrate Detroit’s current cultural renaissance by drawing parallels between that city and Berlin. Taking cultural and city histories as a point of departure, there are significant similarities between Johannesburg and Detroit which can be identified through dance styles and the histories of life beyond divestment and dilapidated buildings. As adidas recognized in their development of the EQT, going back and highlighting the foundations can breathe life back into once forgotten spaces and cultural contributions, and present the possibility of a re-imagined future.

    Detroit Michigan is a city with a rich history, once functioning as the heartbeat of the U.S. auto industry and the birthplace of Motown records. Detroit, which was once the fourth largest city in America became the largest city ever to file for bankruptcy. The Motor City has closed down its factories, an underclass has formed and the city has been left behind. Many of Detroit’s buildings that once stood beautiful and proud have become urban forests. To get an insider’s perspective on the downfall of the motor city we did an interview with artist Ashley Cook who grew up in Harrison Township, Metro-Detroit.

    “The ‘white flight’ movement began well before I was born, in the early 70s. By the 1990s, Detroit was extremely desolate; there were few job opportunities. It was not until 2008, with the national economic crisis, that I started to see and feel the struggle. The situation is complex and has many facets including racism, xenophobia, class and economic privilege,” Ashley explained.

    For Ashley, what she has seen materialize in Detroit is an indication of the social and racial issues that need to be addressed and resolved before change is possible.“When a community of people are left by their governing force to fend for themselves, they eventually learn to survive and thrive with autonomy.”

    Thinking about Johannesburg’s inner city history of ‘white flight’ and decaying buildings, it echoes the sense of struggle, emptiness and a feeling of being left behind that Ashley highlights.

    Bertrams is one of the oldest areas in Johannesburg and today you can still find landmarks that indicate the wealth that was once in this suburb, these being fragmented and run down mansions.  Another inner city suburb in Johannesburg that has negative connotations connected to it such as being ‘unsafe’ and has become badly rundown is Hillbrow. When Hillbrow was conceptualized as a suburb the initial idea was for it to be a residential area, distinct from early Johannesburg’s industrial bustle, a site for health infrastructure in Johannesburg. Over the years it has been caught up in racial tensions, fear, poverty and chaos.

    While this may seem like doom and gloom, both of these cities have lives that have exist beyond their stories of forgotten spaces. This is signified by the dance styles that have emerged from these cities, namely Detroit Jit and Pantsula. These two styles quite fittingly have similar rhythmic movements and have an emphasis on footwork.

    Starting as a street style in the 70s by three brothers known as The Jitterbugs, Detroit Jit involves intense body movements, with sneakers allowing rapid foot and ankle movements. With the influence of hip hop the dance style has evolved, and jit battles have become part of this culture. Pantsula is a popular dance style in Johannesburg, which follows a similar emphasis on theatrical footwork. Born in the townships, pantsula carries a rhythmic speed which has been translated into a culture and fashion sense.

    The shoot aimed to highlight the life that exists in the city beyond the decay, and to acknowledge the cultural contributions of jit and pantsula, both of which make the foot movements the shining star of the dance.

    Pantsula and music duo Amadando were photographed outside beautiful abandoned buildings in the Johannesburg CBD. The duo moved to Johannesburg and brought with them moves from the Durban dance style, local. They have masterfully combined these with pantsula and 3 step, and have become well embedded in Johannesburg’s dance scene. They were also featured on Okmalumkoolkat’s single ‘Gqi!’ and are pairing their dance with the music they produce.

    Through the technique called Photogrammetry, and as a direct visual representation of the connections between Detroit and Johannesburg, images of Detroit’s abandoned buildings by photographer Tony Katai have been incorporated into the Johannesburg editorial to reflect the beauty, the decay and the possibilities both cities hold.

    Models: Sifiso Bright Dlamini & Andile Siyangaphi

    Post production: Lex Trickett

    Photography & Styling: Jamal Nxedlana

    Makeup: Orli Meiri

     

  • Visa Street Food Festival // approaching food with a playful yet critical consciousness

    The Visa Street Food Festival has put together a party for your tastebuds in September with Cape Town and Johannesburg playing host to a celebration of street food prepared by some of the country’s best chefs and food makers. Think vinegary fish and slapchips, and the best braai, straight off the fire. This experience includes a new night market in Cape Town as well as the Visa Food Studio conference focusing on the business of food that will take place at the end of August.

    The fourth edition of this festival will start off in Cape Town at Side Street Studios in Woodstock on the 2nd of September with the launch of the night market, and will continue on the 3rd with a day of street food, DJs and free talks. On the 10th the festival will move over to Johannesburg and will take place at the Common Ground in Maboneng.

    Considering that the consumption of street food is an experiential activity, as well as the fact that the festival taps into South African food culture, we highlight the parallels between the food festival and Johannesburg food culture.

    Image via Visa Street Food Festival

    With our lives getting busier, people are constantly looking for easy, accessible food and drink to consume. Food that does not take long to prepare or eat. This is a contributing factor towards millennials being drawn to street and market food. Street and market food is the perfect alternative to cafes, restaurants and fast food outlets. This speaks to their interest in re-imagining traditions, as well as ties into their health, environmental and political consciousness.

    In conjunction with busy lives, consumers have embraced a holistic approach to looking after their health and well-being, including combining scientific and natural answers to create tailored lifestyle plans. Part of this is being more critical of where and how food products are produced. This can be seen with the popularity of organic food products in big food stores as well as among smaller suppliers. With food and drink producers recognizing this shift in culinary thinking among consumers, disseminating  knowledge has becoming part and parcel of the culinary experiences that consumers are presented with. Street and market vendors share with consumers the stories behind their products, including connections with local suppliers, where and how their produce is grown as well as thinking about the spiritual significance of food consumption.

    Image via Visa Street Food Festival

    Connected to this is the recognition that consumers are formulating monetary value based on their social and political values, as well as the value that they place on relationships and community. Therefore, value is calculated beyond function and price. This once again highlights the need for transparency in the process of food production.

    Tying all of this together is the popularity of enjoyable and novel activities that are geared towards shared experiences. This creates more meaningful connections with food consumption, with the sharing of food and drinks an acknowledgement of the time spent together. By being involved in experiential activities with others, people can network, catch up and learn. This is important for young people as work is often intertwined with their social lives. These experiences also allow consumers to have direct contact with independent producers who without these platforms would never be able to enjoy their foods and drinks.

    The Visa Street Food Festival is an experience which amalgamates these approaches to thinking about and experiencing food and drink. The participants at this year’s festival embrace this new wave, as they contribute towards the positive impact that celebrating South African food culture and approaching food with a more critical eye has had on our consciousness.

    Image via Visa Street Food Festival

    Johannesburgers can look forward to Crate Talks with some of our favourites, including Dawood Petersen who co-founded Mamasan, a Cape Malay inspired restaurant in Johannesburg, as well as Gary Kurt Smith from Kotze Rooftop Garden Project among others. Along with these conversations, your tastebuds will be entertained with food from vendors such as ALS CHUCK WAGON for the carnivores and SA’s first true pop-up ice cream parlour, The Knickerbocker Ice cream Company for those with a sweet tooth.

    Capetownians will be introduced to writer and home cook Nobhongo Gxolo from the monthly food club Third Culture Experiment, as well as cake designer Nikki Albertyn and others. Vendors include Tao’s Yum Dim Sum will bring spring rolls and an assortment of dumplings for those looking for Asian inspired flavours as well as treats from the online-based Pâtisserie Studio, LionHeart.

    Get your tickets for the Street Food Festival online now.

    Image via Visa Street Food Festival

  • King ADZ x Nando’s: Documenting Johannesburg’s street art scene

    Johannesburg. The city with an electric energy that often has people forming love-hate relationships with the lifestyles it engenders. The streets are the storytellers of the city’s complex history. Bright, colourful characters and lettering have been woven into the city streets by well-known and emerging street artists, providing a layered and living alternative documentation and form of expression.

    King ADZ was asked by Nando’s to come to Johannesburg and make a documentary that looks at the rise of street art through a collaboration with the young street artist Karabo Poppy Moletsane. In conversation with artists and cultural commentators, the evolution of these artworks is tied together with the evolution of the city. Street art has opened up the doors to the art world and removed its elitist connotations, and the value of this art form is demonstrated through revealing how it is shaping the lives of a new creative generation. Artworks that through its very existence breaks down ideas of what art should look like, who can view it and how it should be displayed. Making the streets the gallery and those walking by its viewers, admirers and critics. Discussions paint a picture of how street art blends with protest, art, celebration and freedom of expression.

  • The JAG under conceptual (re)construction: A review of Ângela Ferreira’s South Facing exhibition.

    Buildings mark the moments in our history where a people thrived.  Ângela Ferreira’s “South Facing” is the exhibition that marks an important moment in the Johannesburg Art Gallery’s (JAG) evolution.   For the artist “buildings can be read as political texts” and this location has its own fair share of history.

    She examines the relationship between people and their use of building and public space. The “JAG building is a perfect example for me to reference …It’s controversial history tells the story of the role of art in South Africa and reflects on the incredibly dynamic past and present history of the Johannesburg city-center .”

    1912 saw the completion of the Museum building with its North facing extension, completed in the 1980s.This new addition was intended to be a place of leisure, a home within the occupied territories. The exhibition’s curator Amy Watson discusses how “the original building built by a British architect​,​ Edwin Lutyens​,​ [who] built a grand entrance that is South facing, being from the Northern hemisphere ​he applied this​ logic. A fence was erected between the park and the Gallery some time ago, with the intention of protecting the collection and ensuring the safety of the gallery visitors and staff.” With the end of apartheid the park would become a leisurely space for all.

    Ângela Ferreira, Sites and Services, (1991-1992), Installation view South Facing, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 2017

    Ferreira’s works “traces the resonance and impact of colonialism and post colonialism in contemporary societies” (JAG. 2017) through her use of stark lines that create her forms. On the walls of the exhibition feature drawings of buildings and their structural outlines, presenting the viewer with deconstructed images of buildings to their simplest forms. Her installations are made from wooden poles, concrete and plastic tubes used for plumbing. Miniature concrete foundations are connected to cement brick and corrugated steel.  The viewer is left to figure out whether Ferreira is in the process of creating the structure or has begun dismantling the final product.

    Her works reflect the moment of tension that comes with the destabilization caused by change. Colonialism has ended yet its fragments remain.  There is a beauty to these structures but they came at a cost to our very own collective humanity.

    Yet the very issue also applies to the conceptual gaps between the body of work and those understood as being its ‘maker’. We see human form in her photographs of the construction of the JAG.  Bodies are depicted as shadows amongst buildings. She features photographs of the building during the museum’s recent renovations. The builders are distant figures in the background in a spectral haze.

    What Ferreira seeks to challenge seems to be perpetuated in these very works. The black body remains separate from the works. Only the names of the architects is revealed and the labor of those who built the walls go unrecognized. We see a woman building a hut yet we do not see the faces of those who made the concrete walls.

    Ângela Ferreira, Maison Tropicale (footprints), (2007), Installation view South Facing, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 2017 (1)

    The challenge to this history will be one that critiques the very relationship where black bodies are reduced to viewers or consumers and not the actual producers. We remember the names of the architects and salute their work yet no attention is given to the other forms of labor.

    The very line fenced between the JAG and the Joubert Park continues in her works as we are not made aware of who actually made the buildings and their labor made a non-factor. We need to begin to reimagine how we speak about our current buildings in South Africa. Questions need to be asked over whose names get associated with the buildings.

    Yet for the artists we are called upon engage with such a past through our consumption of its works. “Buildings contain history… But mostly for me they are also sculptural. They are designed for a function but architects also have an aesthetic program in mind. So I see them as public sculptural interventions. We all judge them all the time. They inhabit our daily lives and we are entitled to comment on them.”

    Watson discusses how “​ ​there is an interesting parallel between the structural failures and the intellectual limitations of museums, South Facing represents a response ….​​ on these urgent questions​”. Through these works the viewer has the opportunity to question how we go about filling the gaps. As consumers of public art we are forced us to engage with ideas over who gets chosen to represent the ‘achievement’ of a civilization.

    Ângela Ferreira, Double Sided, (1996-2003), Installation view South Facing, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 2017
    Ângela Ferreira, Werdmuller Centre, (2010), Installation view South Facing, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 2017
    Ângela Ferreira, Remining (Mine building), (2017) Installation view South Facing, Johannesburg Art Gallery, 2017

  • Lauren Opia – taking to the streets of Johannesburg one eye at a time

    The streets of Newtown, Braam, Maboneng and Troyeville carry the mark of Opia and her haunting eye illustrations. Lauren Opia is the 19-year-old graffiti artist coming from a private school background. Practicing art in a scene commonly thought of as a boys club she contributes to giving girl culture new meaning.

    Opia was born in Johannesburg and has lived in the city her entire life. Expressing that she has always leaned more towards the creative side, she has enjoyed making art ever since she can remember.  Opia tells me that when she started with art, she never had a distinct point that she was hoping to convey. From a young age Opia was continuously expressing herself with art because of the gratification she got from it, despite the fact that there aren’t creative people in her family.

    Stating that she is unsure of how her passion for graffiti was ignited, she believes that it was a mixture of influences. Opia has been exposed to a large amount of graffiti art from living in Jo’burg, a city that has an abundance of murals and graffiti art that regularly shape shifts into newer displays. Going through a hip hop culture phase, she desired most of all to do art that was different from what the rest of the kids sharing her background were doing.

    “I definitely didn’t think that I would take this route.  If someone were to tell me three years ago that I would be a graffiti artist, I would have just laughed and shrugged it off.”

    Opia expresses that it took time to develop her style, and that she is persistently working on improving and perfecting it.  “When I started painting, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my own work.  I focused too much on being like other artists and thinking about what other people would like to see.  It was only when I started using the colours that I like and started painting what I would like to see painted in the city that my style began to develop.  Ironically, people then started to like my work more anyway.”

    The word ‘Opia’ is a fabricated word created by a psychologist signifying the abstruse intensity of looking into someone’s eyes. A feeling that can be experienced as invasive and vulnerable in chorus.  Opia explains that she chose this pseudonym, as it is how she feels when creating her work for the public to see, as well as the fact that it ties in with the use of eyes in her graffiti pieces that are her signature. “Just like most artists, I put a lot of myself into my art so sharing it with others is quite terrifying. However, I hope that there are some people that feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable when viewing my graffiti instead of it just being a background for a teenager’s selfie.”

    Opia has a tendency to make use of blues and purples with traces of yellows and pinks in her work. In our interview Opia communicated to me that her process is particularly intuitive and that she does not have a meaning in mind when she initially starts transforming the canvases that she works on; the walls of the city she sees around her. Her work is comprised of surreal worlds, worlds that are an escape for her, and are an expression of what is going on in her mind.

    Identifying as a tomboy and growing up with boys has contributed to Opia’s comfort in the graffiti scene commonly thought of as a men’s world. “Obviously, being a girl, it’s a lot more dangerous for me to go out and paint somewhere, especially in town.  So unfortunately I don’t paint in public places as frequently as I would like to.  That is the only negative side to it.  Being a female in a mostly male-dominated subculture has made me an anomaly that has provided a wave of opportunities which I’m really grateful for.”

    Opia expresses that despite her introverted nature she finds a significant deal of inspiration from people. Other facets that inspire her work are cinematography and interesting set designs in films. She tells me that Mars (a Johannesburg based graffiti artist) has been an inspiration and motivation for her. Opia believes that his colour palettes, fades,compositions and line work are perfect and what all artists strive for.

    The young graffiti artist’s message for other young women wanting to pursue the art is to, “Practice, practice, practice.” Opia has met a number of people that told her that they had tried to spray paint but couldn’t get it right. “Just like all other media, spray paint is something that is not perfected after a couple of hours.  I still have a long way to go but each time I paint it gets easier and I learn more. Don’t feel pressured to do what other artists are doing.  Just paint something that you are passionate about. It will give you more fulfillment and it will show in your work.”

    At the moment Opia is taking a gap year and has taken on design internships, practicing art, looking for inspiration and doing short courses.