21. Be inspired by Design Afrika’s brilliant Totem collection

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VISI / REASONS

ELEMENTAL MOOD

Launched via an inspiring showcase in Cape Town in October 2021, Design Afrika’s new Totem collection features beautiful pieces by designers and creative makers from across the African continent.

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ombining thoughtful curation with generous collaboration, and featuring the work of more than 30 designers and creatives from Africa, the Totem collection is a joyful celebration of functional art. It’s also an honouring of the creative community, inspired by artists and makers in South Africa, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and other countries.

A totem is a natural object or creature that serves as a symbol of a tribe, clan or family – and many of the pieces in the Totem collection draw inspiration from West Africa, where totemic symbolism is distinctly graphic and bold. All items reflect each maker’s unique practice and process, too: Belinda Blignaut’s tactile ceramic vessels and vases, for example, are in part about the fact that she digs her own clay, allowing chance and the unknown to influence the final forms and shapes of her work.

Overall, the colours of the Totem collection are inspired by the earth, with deep chocolate, coffee, ochre, sand and off-white shades punctuated by bold black and touches of vibrant yellow. “Totem draws inspiration from the cultures I encounter while working in Africa,” says Binky Newman, the curatorial and creative force behind the collection, and the founder of Design Afrika. “There is huge respect for the land and the elderly, and an honouring of the ancestors.”

Our highlights include mesmerising Bogolan textile art by Malian cooperative Atelier Autodidacts Anti-Algorithms (AAAA); Dor+Kie Objects’ sensual carved wooden Nasan range of tableware; and the elegantly simple, functional pieces by Julia Buss of Black Dog Ceramics. The Keiskamma Art Project’s beautiful embroidery and KwaZulu-Natalbased Alpha Weavers’ sophisticated monochrome woven items also caught our acquisitive eye.

As Binky suggested when we spoke to her at the exhibition, the collection forms part of the re-emergence of local makers and designers following the many losses, both financial and personal, of the past few years. It is, for Binky – and doubtless for many of those whose work is featured – about rebirth. “It’s about coming back from the fire,” she says. “It’s about grieving and rebounding. It’s about surrounding ourselves with objects that have meaning and bring comfort.”

More than ever, it’s local and African design that needs our attention, encouragement and support – and investing in one of these beautiful pieces would be an excellent way to start doing exactly that. designafrika.co.za

WORDS ROBYN ALEXANDER PHOTOS SULY KUHN/LAAIK SOCIAL MEDIA