Melville just added another edition to their many creative spaces.
The Resource Gallery, founded and curated by Nkululeko Mabe, has become a cornerstone for the community and local artists.

Open for just six months, Mabe shaped Resource Gallery into a hub that not only exhibits visual art; it brings the community together through creativity. “We do a lot of workshops with children and their parents. They paint, sculpt with clay, do collages – even paper mache. It’s endless what they can do.”

Read more: Art is has become more than hobby for Lillian Gray Art School artist

The exhibition challenges the cultures’s obsession with productivity and measurable success. Mabe highlighted that each breath represents survival through daily struggles – anxiety that tightens our chest, stress that shortens our inhale, and overwhelm that makes even simple tasks feel impossible. “The work in this exhibition invites you to pause and recognise the achievement in presence itself. These pieces transform quiet moments of breathing into acts of resistance against a culture that only values visible productivity.”

Mabe’s gallery also weaves music into its identity, hosting live performances that celebrate art in all its forms. For him, the space is more than a gallery; it’s a community project where anyone can come to create, learn, and share.

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Supporting emerging artists lies at the core of the gallery’s mission. “I work a lot with up-and-coming artists, many from the townships. It’s hard for them to break into galleries, so I offer them a place where their work can be seen and bought.”

Through this, Mabe hopes to help artists turn their creativity into livelihoods. “We want to curb unemployment and allow people to put bread on their tables through their art.”

Mabe recalls the time he was fortunate enough to be part of the FNB Art Fair, where Resource Gallery drew the attention of collectors and buyers. “That really opened doors for us. It allowed people to see the kind of artists we’re bringing forward.”

Currently, the gallery is hosting a group exhibition, rich in African-inspired work, something Mabe says came about naturally. “I’ve unintentionally attracted artists who capture a lot of African art, so it makes the place stand out as an African gallery. I am open to all forms of art.”

Mabe and his artists are preparing for their next exhibition on December 5, featuring both familiar and new artists. He values growth and collaboration. “When the tide rises, everyone on the ship should rise as well.”

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