BORROW TO BEAUTIFY A JOURNEY OF BECOMING

By Gemma Hart www.nasmus.co.za

Imagine if you could curate your space with just a click of a button. That you could convert any blank wall in your lounge, dining room or even office into a mesmerising show-piece. Whether you want to immerse yourself in a space that evokes feelings of joy, tranquility or reverie - there’s an artwork for you. The key to finding a work of art that you’ll love, is discerning what resonates with you. Cater to your own taste and cultivate contemporary culture through a tailor-made experience. You can browse an extensive catalogue of original artworks from the comfort of your own home. Collecting work doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment. You can ring the changes with each new season or to suit your unique specifications. Breathe life into your living space. At a fraction of the sale price, leasing work offers the same gratification but without the financial burden. Whether you have a loft with a view, cozy cottage or a postmodern mansion, Art Bank of South Africa, the national art leasing initiative, has a turnkey solution for transforming your space.

A recent client of the ArtbankSA who leased several pieces from the collection described how “all of them spoke to me for various reasons”. The first one that caught his eye was a large-scale oil painting by Asanda Kupa. Chained in Blue (2017) “is a big painting of women in blue overalls and you can’t actually make out their faces, you can’t even make out their form, but if you stand far enough back you can see that these are people in uniform”. For him, both the mood evoked by the piece as well as its scale, were crucial factors in selecting the work, “I had quite a big wall to fill, but also what it depicted was these unseen masses of women in overalls. These marginalised black women are invisible, but they are everywhere. You walk past them, you drive past them, they work in your house, but you never see them. So that really blows my mind. Even now, sometimes I just look at it and it sort of entrances me”.

Asanda Kupa, Chained in Blue, 2017, oil on canvas, 136 x 280cm

Thalente Khomo ‘Umnikelo’ (2019) Digital Print. 59.4 x 42 cm and Cassian Garrett Robbertze ‘Wanting’ (2019) Bronze Sculpture. ArtbankSA Collection. Opposite Page: Asanda Kupa ‘Chained in blue’ (2017) Oil on canvas. ArtbankSA Collection

Thematically connected, Thalente Khomo’s Umnikelo (2019) takes pride of place on his red dining room wall. “It’s red-on-red. I like that. Again, the strong woman who is everywhere but nowhere, but on Sundays she really comes out in her regalia. Ironed and starched, just the outfit alone is striking enough”. The third piece on loan from the ArtbankSA’s collection is a bronze sculpture by Cassian Garrett Robbertze featuring a man reclining against a bench - the crevice concealing his hooded head is empty. “That resonates with me because as a person who regularly meditates, we always try to look for the ‘I’. Who are you? Where does your ‘I’ or being really reside? Is it in your head? Is it in your heart?” The artwork evokes some contemplative and deeply philosophical questions. He chuckles and says, “I like the sculpture because it is actually sitting right next to me here in my study and I always refer to it. It tempers my ego”. Previously, finding works of art to collect had been an “odyssey”. In stark contrast, this client’s experience with ArtbankSA was swift and smooth. Once he had made a selection of work online, ArtbankSA Project Manager, Nonto Sheryl Msomi, reached out to him.

“She is a very delightful person. She was very helpful, she told me how the process works… She asked me about the space that I had, but she never influenced my choice”. After completing the loan agreement and signing on the dotted line the works were shipped across the country to their new home for the year. Assistant Project Manager, Nkosinathi Gumede, and his team arrived to execute an expert installation. “You know they are very knowledgeable guys, in terms of how to hang up the artwork…They engaged my wife, putting the stuff where it needed to be, as well as how to mount it. It was just a very seamless process.” Another long-standing client of the ArtbankSA echoed many of these sentiments, also mentioning that the dedicated ArtbankSA team “have woken up a love for art that is within me, and I never knew it existed”.

Every year the ArtbankSA’s panel of tastemakers acquires a new selection of works, keeping abreast of the latest innovation in the South African art scene. You can peruse many of these offerings at your own pace online. Although the full catalogue of works is not yet available, recent appointments by ArtbankSA have been made to expedite uploading the inventory for your greater choice. In the next few weeks substantial additions will be made to the virtual catalogue. The digital catalogue is easy to navigate, and works are categorised by medium, artist and price. The artworks span a variety of styles and techniques - from dramatic large-scale paintings to petite works on paper, scintillating sculptures and multi-media masterpieces. Each work on the website has its exact dimensions - so that you can effortlessly assess where it might fit in your space. Finding the perfect piece has never been so simple.

“Cater to your own taste and cultivate contemporary culture through a tailor-made experience.”