SOLO STUDIOS INTIMATE ART ENCOUNTERS Page 44

SOLO STUDIOS

Intimate Art Encounters ARTS TOWN Riebeek Valley 8-11 August 2019 www.solostudios.co.za

What has become one of the predominant cultural attractions on the arts calendar in the Western Cape, SOLO STUDIOS takes place for the 4 th year in and around the towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West, this year coinciding with the Women’s Day long weekend 8-11 August 2019. Just an hour’s drive north of Cape Town, the event in “ARTS TOWN Riebeek Valley” has become popular both as a weekend excursion and for day trippers alike.

SOLO STUDIOS is not an “Arts Festival” in the traditional sense; rather it has become, at its core, a pilgrimage for art investors and collectors, interior decorators and designers to visit the various studios and group exhibitions, and a platform to acquire art works from the artists directly.

What makes this event so unique, is that 90% of the participants and content is local to the Riebeek Valley, with only a small number of guest collaborators invited to participate.

18 ARTISTS’ STUDIOS The core of the event remains the artists’ “Solo Studios”, effectively a solo exhibition in each artist’s personal space. Participation is subjected to rigorous selection criteria, and annually an alternating independent curator is invited to determine participation, which in turn provides for some variety for return visitors.

Participants in 2019 include highly acclaimed and accomplished artists, and the line-up consists of Jenny Parsons, Claudia Gurwitz, Greta McMahon, Philip Barlow, Leila Fanner, Tamlin Blake, Riaan van Zyl, Donker Jonker, Louisa Gerryts, Gordon Williams, Solly Smook, Li Nepgen, Emma Willemse, Anthony Harris, Wiehan de Jager, Tanja Mayo, Andre van Vuuren and Ade Kipades.

Arts Town, Riebeek Kasteel Photo. Riebeek Valley Wine Co

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Above: Emma Willemse explaining her work to visitors in her studio Left: Riaan van Zyl at work in his new studio

Initially intended to showcase primarily the renowned established Riebeek Valley resident artists in their personal spaces, SOLO STUDIOS, over the 3 years of its existence, has had the unintended consequence of attracting more highly acclaimed artists to this Arts Town.

Having recently relocated to Riebeek West, acclaimed sculptor Anton Momberg, for example, will occupy a space in fellow new arrival Anthony Harris’ newly built home, which is anticipated to be completed just in time for the event! Both artists recently arrived from Port Elizabeth, and will be participating in SOLO STUDIOS for the first time.

The studios are open strictly to Pass Holders on Friday and Saturday 10h00-17h00, and on Sunday 10h00-16h00. Since the exhibitions take place in the restricted space of the artists’ home studios, access is limited and pre-booking is essential.

6 GROUP EXHBITIONS For visitors taking full advantage of the long weekend, registration commences from 10h00 on Thursday 8 August, by which time the 6 group exhibitions will open. These include the 2 permanent contemporary art galleries in Riebeek Kasteel, namely RK Contemporary and The Gallery, which will host exhibitions titled Works on Paper and the Spier Arts Trust Creative Block respectively.

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Pictorex Photographic Gallery & Print Studio will host a group photographic exhibition, and a selection of ceramists, potters and clay sculptors will collaborate to present an exhibition titled CLAY.

Rounding off the group exhibitions, in Short Street – “The Hub” of Riebeek Kasteel - a selection of local crafters will exhibit their wares in a Craft Emporium.

THE BUSINESS OF ART Following the introduction at the 2018 event of a series of guided walkabout of the studios and art related talks by a number of “Guest Collaborators”, the 2019 programme offers an intriguing line up of curators, collectors and academics.

ART RELATED TALKS covering a wide range of topics are conducted by highly acclaimed personalities in the art world, and feature the following:

SAFM radio personality MICHELLE CONSTANT was until recently CEO of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), and is the Patron of Solo Studios for the second consecutive year.

KEFILOE SIWISA holds an MFA in curating from Goldsmiths University in London and a BA in Art History and Visual Culture from the University of Cape Town. She is the curator of the RMB Turbine Art Fair in Johannesburg.

ANDI NORTON is a strategic development consultant specialising in art and education, and is a founding member of the Stellenbosch Outdoor Sculpture Trust (SOST) and the Deloitte KickstART programme.

KHANYISILE MBONGWA is a Cape Town based independent curator and award winning artist, and is Chief Curator of the Stellenbosch Triennale.

Visitors gain access to artists’ intimate spaces

DR. MIKE MAVURA has a PhD in Politics from Rhodes University and extensive experience of working on art projects and curatorial practices. He is Visual Art lecturer and Change Agent at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design.

From completing an MFA and being awarded a Museum of Modern Art Residence in Dublin, GABRIEL CLARK-BROWN established the SA Print Gallery, and is the editor of Art Times Magazine.

Internationally renowned ceramic artist and Fellow of Ceramics SA, ANN MARAIS’ works can be seen in museums in South Africa, France and Italy.

Jenny Parsons concluding a transaction

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Solo Studios Patron Michelle Constant will be presenting an art talk

Mosaic artists in Tamlin Blake’s studio

Participating artists’ Works on Paper

GUIDED WALKABOUTS of the three loops, each comprising 6 artists’ studios, will be conducted by Diana Williams, JP Meyer and Pieter Swart respectively.

DIANA WILLIAMS is currently Vice Chair of AVA (Association of Visual Arts) and founder of Art Trails, a tour guiding business providing insight into the current contemporary art scene.

In 1996, JP MEYER swapped corporate life for that of a student at the Foundation School of Art in Observatory, Cape Town, graduating at the end of 1999. Since then he has been painting full-time. He currently lives and works in Porterville.

PIETER SWART is Director for Special Projects at Stellenbosch University, and serves on the Boards of GFI Art Gallery in Port Elizabeth and the Stellenbosch Art Museum. As an avid collector, he has a passion for art.

OTHER EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES In another unintended consequence of the event, a plethora of creatives has been exposed and uneathered among the residents, some of whom now share a platform at this bespoke event with the acclaimed artists, in various art forms and disciplines.

Musicians, poets, dancers, wine makers, chefs, and artisans display their skills throughout the valley, ranging from formal performances to random street shows and pop-up appearances. Visitors are encouraged to spend the entire weekend in the valley to take in the entire experience.

PRE-BOOKING TICKETS AND ACCOMMODATION SOLO STUDIOS is intended as an “Intimate Art Encounter”, since the core of the event takes place in the mostly confined spaces of the artists’ private studios and workplaces. Therefore, access is strictly limited and prebooking is essential.

There are a variety of “Passes” available, from a Premier Weekend Pass at R395.00, to Day Passes at R195.00, Sunday Day Passes being at R145.00 per person. As the event takes place over a long weekend, Women’s Day being a public holiday on Friday 9 August, accommodation in the Riebeek Valley would need to be secured in advance to avoid disappointment. Book accommodation online at www.roomsinriebeek.co.za.

Disclaimer: At time of going to print, the programme is still subject to being finalized. Please take note of updates on the website.

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