What is art? Subjective? Beautiful? Abstract? Confusing? Raw? Whichever way you choose to describe it, art is an experience and SPACES AFRICA understands that. In collaboration with SA Creatives, they recently announced the début of AFRICAN ART SPACES. It’s an unconventional multisensory exhibition experience set on redefining our creative landscape, curated for the artist by the artist.
AFRICAN ART SPACES: A Safe Space For Artists
The new project is building on the previous success of AFRICAN FASHION SPACES and AFRICAN MUSIC SPACES, as well as the intentions shared during the CR8TOR-CON platform launch back in April. This new purpose continues SPACES AFRICA’s mission to reimagine the creative environments that we occupy into dynamic platforms for collaboration, innovation & creativity.
“At SPACES AFRICA, we are dedicated to elevating creative ambition through authentic and unique collaboration.
By combining our expertise within the agency organisation alongside the unconventional Umbrella platform that is SPACES AFRICA, we hope to elevate and usher through a unique and exciting symbiotic relationship between creatives, platforms, and brands in helping to reshape our entire industry—
AFRICAN ART SPACES is an example of that, a platform curated for the unconventional—multidisciplinary creatives in facilitating credible platform representation where there is a lack of representation for artist alike.” — Jay Kayembe, Fresh AF & SPACES AFRICA CCO
As an experience, AFRICAN ART SPACES brings together Southern Africa’s most compelling multidisciplinary creative in and around contemporary street art, design, and installations art, a platform built not limited to any specific discipline of the arts.
An Artistic Playground
This past month, we made our way to the culture-friendly and artistic hub that is the Playground in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The space is essentially a huge parking lot that was transformed into an artistic escape featuring exclusive & purchasable collections from 10 trailblazing exhibitors. These include Cee The Creator, Kim Van Vuuren, Naledi Modupi, Zee Feels, Njabulo Hlophe, That Art Kid Lari, Ellsphee, Damn Vandal, OUTSIDETHEWOODS, and Joburg Ash.
The African Art Spaces exhibition kicked off with a launch event on 24 July and opened to the public the following night on 25 July. Additionally, a surprise exhibition event was hosted on the 27th July in Durban, South Africa. Here, another exciting collaboration was revealed between Robertsons Spice, African Art Spaces & 6 of 10 exhibitors on the line-up.
A spicy art
The exciting collaboration saw a unique organic approach to brand & talent collaboration in celebrating Robertsons 100 years campaign. This was through a collection of self-expressive curated artworks encapsulating the essence of Robertsons creativity and food ‘THE ART OF FLAVOUR ’ by – Naledi Modupi, Zinhle Sithebe (Zee Feels), Njabulo Hlophe, Larissa Mwanyama (That.Art.Kid.Lari), Sphelele Gumede (Ellsphee), Nolan C Kalwandu (OUTSIDETHEWOODS).
The collaboration between African Art Spaces & Robertsons is special because since the inception of the platform in 2016, Spaces Africa has been highly selective in its coalignments, as the platform is committed to authentic cultural representation. This latest collaboration marks the first official brand rollout for the platform.
The surprise exhibition that took place in Durban was hosted at The Pencil – a prestigious establishment home to some top business professionals, creatives, socialites, and philanthropists. The Pencil has one of the largest and most valuable art collections in the country. Thus, all the artworks from the AFRICAN ART SPACES exhibition will now be exhibited at The Pencil for the duration of the upcoming month.
The future is ART
The entire 3-day experience was hosted by media personalities Leddi G and Siya ‘Scoop’ Ngwekazi on opening night and Kabelo Moremi on Thursday and Luthando Shosha at the Pencil in Durban. Attendees enjoyed eclectic sounds and performances from the likes of Maglera Doe Boy, Wendy Ntinezo, FifLaaa, Deniece Marz, and Chaxllie. Additional multi-layered sonic performances from the likes of Shekhina, A-REECE, Yolophonik, Marcus Harvey, Khuli Chana, Tinx, Franadilla, Namakau Star, Lenzowannabenzo and more.
Naturally, the event attracted a diverse audience of creatives, tastemakers, art collectors, culture connoisseurs, marketers, curators, visual storytellers, and curious explorers from all industry sectors. In doing so, it marked the beginning of an annual celebration of the region’s rich creative diversity.
“AFRICAN ART SPACES marks the dawn of a new era in art exhibition experiences. Unlike traditional formats, this initiative places artists at the forefront, emphasizing their pivotal role. By fostering direct connections with brands, we empower artists to innovate and collaborate creatively, setting a new standard for artistic expression and commercial success” – Ally Fathana, Fresh AF Managing Director
Pastry Playdates 
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