Rand Merchant Bank hosted an innovative indoor and outdoor art experience
Latitudes team brought together artists and exhibitors from across the continent to transform Shepstone Gardens into a curated celebration of art from Africa.
Rand Merchant Bank and Latitudes Online joined forces to bring RMB Latitudes – an innovative new indoor/outdoor art experience – to Shepstone Gardens on May 25.
The central curatorial theme for the 2023 edition was co-emergence. “In the context of African art, co-emergence refers to the complexities embedded in the interaction of various cultural and aesthetic influences on the creation and interpretation of African art,” said Latitudes’ special projects curator Nkhensani Mkhari.
“In ‘looking both ways’, practitioners working both on the continent and beyond explore how diverse aesthetics and cultural influences echo each other in the diaspora and African contemporary art.”
Artist and resident James Delaney said he enjoyed being at the gallery.
“Shepstone Gardens is providing the most magical backdrop to the Latitudes Art Fair. My work is outside, the perfect settings for the boulders and ghost night light [collab with Lady Skollie], though rather a challenge to find as there’s so much to see.”
Another resident Kennedy Tembo said exploring the art gallery was an experience. “I enjoyed the mixture of nature’s art, the natural light and then the architecture of the place.”
Head of Marketing for RMB in Broader Africa Linda Kachingwe-Sisya said RMB partnered with Latitudes because they shared a belief in Africa’s vibrant and resourceful economy.
“The universal language of art enables powerfully creative communication across Africa, with the ability to express the spirit of the time and bring societies together.”
Another artist Morgan Otagburuagu from Nigeria is a Lagos-based photographer whose powerful and experimental imagery celebrates the strength of black bodies and the iridescent beauty of black skin. Otagburuagu seeks to share undocumented aspects of his home country with a global audience. His works range from stunning seascapes to the hidden sides of masculinity.
Otagburuagu is a master of light, whose work is praised by art lovers and industry professionals alike. He fundamentally considers art as a way of life, an attitude that clearly and confidently informs his every portrait.
Related Article:
New world record price for rare piece by exiled South African artist
Quava Vocal Group serenaded the St Martin’s In-the-Veld church crowd
