New Sandton art space celebrates African creativity
Standard Bank expands its arts portfolio with a bold new space in Sandton City.
Standard Bank announced the launch of The Standard Bank Art Lab on June 5. The new visual arts space is located at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton City. Positioned as a hub for collaboration, experimentation, and creativity, the Art Lab adds a dynamic new element to the bank’s longstanding support of the arts.
Margaret Nienaber, Standard Bank Group’s chief operating officer, said: “For over four decades, Standard Bank has proudly supported the arts, a commitment deeply rooted in our purpose: Africa is our home, we drive her growth.”
She added that the launch of the Art Lab marked an exciting extension of their arts portfolio, which included the Standard Bank Gallery and Corporate Art Collection, the Standard Bank African Art Collection (jointly owned with the Wits Art Museum), the National Arts Festival, and Standard Bank Young Artists Awards.
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“We are thrilled to present this contemporary art exhibition at Sandton City, part of our Liberty2Degrees property portfolio,” said Nienaber. “This space is designed to foster collaboration among artists, clients, and the wider community, all in support of a thriving creative economy.”
According to Dr Same Mdluli, Standard Bank curator and gallery manager, the inaugural exhibition, themed: Follow the Blue Thread: It’s Woven Into Who We Are, celebrates the transformative power of African art through tapestry.
“Woven from mohair and realised through collaborations between artists and master weavers, the works reflect deep connections between textile and visual arts, commerce, craft, and culture,” said Mdluli.
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Mdluli explained that featuring works by Penny Siopis, Judith Mason, Sam Nhlengethwa, William Kentridge, and Miriam Ndebele, the exhibition reimagined the corporate collection, not as a static archive, but as a living resource.
“It asks vital questions: What cultural memory do collections preserve? Whose stories do they tell? And how might they contribute to the creative economies of tomorrow?”
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