Wanted Online - July 2021 by SundayTimesZA

wanted Villa 47 by Alexis Christodoulou

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ACTING EDITOR.

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Aspasia Karras

your nether regions. Nice work if you can get it. Prada is pointing to our nowtenuous relationship with office life. The jacket/underpants combos that proliferated on Zoom are a strange fashion artefact, and if this is next year’s sartorial prediction then this truncated life may not be over quite yet. More to the point, will we ever choose to dress in full workwear again? And will we ever really go back to the office as we knew it? Yesterday I popped into my office — counter to instructions to try to stay away. I was in gym kit. It felt sacrilegious. I was just passing through, picking something up, and the ritual of dressing in my work armour — my proactive and protective exoskeleton that I have worn for years to establish formal boundaries between myself and chaos — seemed redundant. God knows, I haven’t seen many of my colleagues in the flesh for well over a year, and hardly anyone was mooching around the empty shell of the workspace. Many of my workmates decisively switched their cameras off at the beginning of the first lockdown and never turned them on again. For all I know, they could be fishing, or on the beach, quietly going about their lives — in a new hybrid format — in teenytiny shorts and a jacket. And a bucket hat to keep the sun off their necks.

Left: Prada SS 2022 Menswear show

SEE PRADA JUST hosted its Spring/ Summer 2022 menswear show on a Sardinian beach. The models walked in terribly short shorts, which were a mere slip away from underpants, and oversized jackets — blazers, really — complemented by awkward ties and bucket hats. If this is the future, it is still undecided! The clothes seemed to be asking themselves, “Should I manifest on this webinar, go fishing, or skive off to a ’90s rave?” And that just about sums up the state we are in. Our relationship status with whatever counts as normal life now is complicated. It makes sense that our clothes, which once had a relatively clear correlation between form and function, would be a little existentially confused. What are they even for these days?

Prada is nothing if not an astute reader of the moment. A fashion haruspex — reading the entrails of our lives and making meaning. And clothes. So, to beaches — who knew they would become such a point of contention? As we cycle through the Greek alphabet of Covid-19 strains, we cannot even be sure that the longed-for vaccines will do their jobs and keep us out of the hospital and on a trajectory to a reasonable semblance of life as we knew it. We are all probably still going to be working from home for quite a while, as many companies and governments wade into the remote-working conundrum. The beach office would be the best possible outcome. Emerging from your beach hut for your Zoom meeting in your semi-operational work gear, while grabbing a bit of sun on

In other news, I am delighted to welcome Siphiwe Mpye as the new editor of Wanted. Our next edition in August will be his first, but here is a short introductory note from him: “As an advocate for and lover of print, I am privileged to take over the reins of a legacy brand and industry leader. I look forward to maintaining the magazine’s high editorial and aesthetic standards as I introduce new voices and explore new methods of storytelling, in an irreversibly digital world.”

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Siphiwe Mpye

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Grey ceramic case with integrated bracelet. In-house UNICO chronograph movement.

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20 Chanel launches a fun, new collection that’s fit for the times

24 Audrey Mothupi is all about disrupting the status quo

Mudzira wall light by TheUrbanative

AFRICAN BY DESIGN:

Eight of the continent’s best and brightest .................

Alexis Christodoulou’s 3D artworks are a feast for the senses

Museums and art galleries are finding a new place in the world

44 The super-rich are snapping up country and coastal mansions like never before

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QUALITY TIME The Great Explorer

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Gary Cotterell

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer

OLEX HAS USED the great outdoors as its laboratory since that first cushion-shaped Oyster model made the English Channel crossing in 1927 around the neck of

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endurance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze. The following decade, the company also began equipping Himalayan expeditions with Oyster watches. Meeting the needs of extreme adventures where precision and endurance are crucial, the

new-generation Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer continues this proud legacy as an evolution of the original watch from 1953, inspired by the first ascent to the summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on 29 May that year. Since then, the Explorer has accompanied some of the greatest pioneers. But, amigos, we don’t need a perilous adventure to justify having one of these fine tools on our wrists: there’s nothing like the refreshing view of the world as seen through the eyes of my 6-year-old niece (aka “Dora the Explorer”) to remind me of this. There is also adventure enough as we scurry around preempting the shutdown of our digital equipment in the wake of a new round of loadshedding. Fear not. Equipped with a new Superlative Chronometer certified Calibre 3230 self-winding mechanical movement, the Explorer will at least guarantee you precise time management, even in the dark. The 2021 36mm model replaces its 39mm predecessor of 11 years. Its Oyster case is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100m and is available in Oystersteel or two-tone Rolesor. Rolesor is a combination of 18kt gold and Oystersteel, which has been a signature feature of the brand since 1933. On the Rolesor reference, the bezel, twin-lock winding crown, and centre links of the Oyster bracelet are in 18kt yellow gold, while the case and outer links of the bracelet are in Oystersteel. The black dial, now lacquered, bears the index hour markers and emblematic 3, 6, and 9 numerals that are part of its identity. In dark conditions, Chromalight-coated hour markers and hands emit an intense blue glow, while in daylight they have a

sharp, white hue. Released last year, the Calibre 3230 features the patented Chronergy escapement made of nickel-phosphorus, which is insensitive to magnetic fields. According to Rolex, the movement is fitted with an optimised blue Parachrom hairspring, manufactured in a paramagnetic alloy that makes it up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shock. The blue Parachrom hairspring is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring the calibre’s regularity in any position. The oscillator is fitted on the high-performance Rolex Paraflex shock absorbers, increasing the movement’s shock resistance. The calibre is equipped with a self-winding module via a Perpetual rotor and has an extended power reserve to approximately 70 hours. Rolex certification tests are done on fully assembled watches, after casing the movement, guaranteeing “superlative performance on the wrist in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness, and self-winding”. The rate deviation tolerated by the brand for a finished watch is a precision of −2/+2 seconds per day, which is significantly smaller than that accepted by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (Cosc) for official certification of the movement alone. One of the criteria for chronometer certification by Cosc is that the average daily rate on the first 10 days of testing is -4/+6 seconds. If the peaks are not calling you, the Rolex Foundation will ensure that the R100 500 or R169 700 you drop on an Oystersteel or Rolsor Explorer supports pioneers young and old in the fields of environmental protection, science, arts, and culture for generations to come. rolex. com or Rolex Watch Co SA 011 784 9230

Swatch Group 011 911 1200

CERAMIC POWER Hi-tech ceramic has come a long way since those early watches of the 1960s. Many luxury brands now confidently use the robust material in their watch cases, but most apply it to bezels to benefit from its scratchproof and anti-wear properties. With everyday practicality in mind, ceramic is making even more of an appearance this year. Combining performance and style, this 41mm Longines HydroConquest Ceramic

also highlights the reemerging twotone trend through its Sunray-grey ceramic bezel framed by red-gold PVD-coated bezel teeth, and matching numerals and hands. Its steel case houses the Calibre L888 self-winding mechanical movement with 72-hour power reserve. Water resistant to 300m and presented on a grey rubber strap. R28 400, longines. com or Swatch Group 011 911 1200

HIGH CLASS Frederique Constant has added three elegant, sporty designs for women to its Highlife collection, reinvigorated last year with a redesigned case and interchangeable, integrated bracelet. These include the

BUILT TO LAST Yes, the ’70s are a thing right now but the elegant, ergonomically designed Tissot PRX with its integrated bracelet has a classic edge to outlast any fashion trends. Tissot has produced affordable and practical, Swiss-made luxury timepieces for over 150 years and does a stainless-steel sports watch particularly well. Its slender, barrelshaped 40mm case is based on an emblematic design from 1978. This is one of the coolest watches of the year and a must-have for any new collection — particularly on a tighter budget. Water-resistant to 100m. Tissot PRX 40 205 with quartz movement, R6 200, PRX Powermatic 80 with chocolateblock dial and automatic calibre, R11 600. tissotwatches.com or

NEWS

Highlife Ladies Automatic Sparkling, Ladies Automatic, and this charming Ladies Automatic Heart Beat with a

window on its automatic heart, the calibre FC-310 with 38-hour power reserve. Available in all-steel, or in rose-gold-plated steel, this versatile 34mm collection also comes with an additional interchangeable rubber strap. Given the highquality finishes, they are well priced from around R29 995. frederiqueconstant.com or Picot & Moss 011 669 0500.

Charlize Theron Misty Copeland Yao Chen

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ALL EYES ON VERSACE

STYLE NOTES

Nokubonga Thusi

POWER OF GRACE

orget rose-tinted glasses, the way we want to see life is through a pair of frames from Versace’s new Cody Simpson x Versace eyewear men’s collection. Fronted by the epitome of the Versace gent, singer, actor, model, and swimmer Cody Simpson, the collection features both optical and sun styles donning the signature Medusa logo in contemporary openwork frames. See life differently with a choice of three styles: a reimagined classic pilot shape, a futuristic style with rimless lenses in a a statement wraparound frame, or an optical version of the classic pilot frame style in a sleek open-wire design. versace.com

BULGARI

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Oréal Paris teams up with longtime collaborator, fashion designer Elie Saab for a limitededition, nine-piece makeup collection that’s a masterpiece. Inspired by L’Oréal’s brand DNA of women empowerment and Saab’s diaphanous creations, the collection seeks to enhance our natural beauty with a skin-tone-inclusive, nude colour story.

The queen of prints, Mary Katrantzou, lends her exuberant, maximalist, and uplifting approach to design to an iconic Bulgari fragrance pillar with the creation of Bulgari’s Omnia Capsule Edition by Mary Katrantzou. The London-based Greek fashion designer collaborates with Bulgari to dress the classic Omnia bottle in a joyful rainbow-ombre colourway that puts a smile on our faces. The new scent profile, mastered by perfumer Alberto Morillas, is unmistakably floral, bursting with an uplifting, zesty undertone of mandarin and fig leaf accord. Highlighting Katrantzou’s favourite flower, the gardenia, the bouquet is made complete, well-rounded and endless with notes of Mediterranean orange blossom absolute, blond woods, and musk. Bulgari Omnia by Mary Katrantzou EDP 65ml, R1 540, limited edition

SLAM DUNK

L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab La Palette Haute Couture eyeshadow; R385, L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab Color Riche lipsticks; R180 each; L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab gloss, R165; L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab Le Volume Haute Couture mascara, R195

e all know that water is precious, but Cartier just made the element even more so with the creation of a collection of eaux fraîches, Rivières de Cartier: three fragrances that pay homage to nature and the raw beauty of river water. Capturing the unique and nuanced scent profiles of different rivers, house perfumer Mathilde Laurent went to a molecular level to create three depictions of water affected by various natural elements, such as leaves, flowers, roots, and rocks. Indulge in the icy, green freshness of Luxuriance — with notes of fern, lentiscus, oak, rosemary geranium, and wild herbs — which settles like a second skin. Allégresse, which is zesty and tart, carries a soft, cloudy-floral undertone comprising notes of tuberose, petitgrain, bergamot, and blackcurrant bud. Insouciance is a layered, fruity floral that is completely enveloping with notes of iris and violet. Rivières de Cartier Luxuriance, Rivières de Cartier Allégresse, Rivières de Cartier Insouciance, 100ml, R1 940 each

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BLOOMING

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The latest men’s collection from Louis Vuitton is a meeting of creative minds, pop culture, sports, and fashion as the brand teams up with the US NBA (National Basketball Association) for a second season of sports-infused threads. The Pre Fall 2021 LV x NBA Men’s Collection explores the collective memories of the two institutional forces through the lens of the basketball mania of the 1990s. Artistic director Virgil Abloh incorporated his design signature of unity, inclusivity, diversity, and relatability to merge the worlds of the game and fashion, with the help of designer Don Crawley, who collaborated on a blouson, shorts, and a Keepall clad in basketball iconography and emblematic objets. louisvuitton.com

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THE HAPPIEST FACE OF ALL text

Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly

HIRTY YEARS AGO, Julia Roberts became famous for her beaming smile and infectious giggle in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman. Equally acclaimed by critics for her roles in romantic comedies as well as in dramas, the Oscar winner was an instant hit at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, when she strode up the famous steps of the Palais des Festivals barefoot and wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress highlighting a Chopard Haute Joaillerie emerald-anddiamond necklace. It was one of those unforgettable red-carpet moments that only Julia Roberts could carry off.

Who better to embody the spirit of a watch called Happy Sport than the Hollywood star with the world’s most radiant smile?

The Chopard Happy Sport comes in a comfortable case inspired by the “golden ratio” principles of aesthetic harmony, redesigned in a 33mm diameter that is particularly well suited to the female wrist.

It was no surprise, therefore, that Chopard president and film-lover Caroline Scheufele asked Roberts to embody the face of the Happy Sport woman when launching new versions of this watch that has also become an icon. Said Scheufele: “It was her and nobody else! Julia Roberts was the only person I felt could convey the spirit that I see in Happy Sport.”

HAPPY TALK WITH JULIA ROBERTS Something that makes you happy instantly? The sunrise. Instantly is very specific… Your happiness tips? 1. Be kind to others. 2. Surround yourself with loving, kind, compassionate people. 3. Kissing, followed by dancing as a close second. Your favourite qualities in a woman? Depth, soulfulness, and just a real personal strength. What makes you laugh? Cleverness. Not so much things that are funny, but things that are clever; a thoughtful thread to humour. What do dancing diamonds evoke for you? Perhaps the idea that something is going to happen! How does your Happy Sport watch make you feel? There is something about having a watch and, every time you look at it, seeing all these sparkling diamonds whirling around. It’s pretty awesome and truly good stuff. What does being a free-spirited woman mean today? Being comfortable in your convictions and sharing your convictions with those around you. Not all women have those liberties, and I am very grateful that I have them. How important is responsible luxury to you? It’s something that not enough brands pay attention to. The thing with a maison like Chopard is that it has really pioneered the idea of having a conscience, leading the charge, and setting an example for other brands to follow. What is so special about Chopard? Chopard just represents this timeless idea of elegance and sparkle and being ladylike. You kind of think: “When I grow up I want to be having a great time and wearing watches and earrings by Chopard”— and now, look at me, I’m all grown up! Your favourite motto? The motto that I repeat the most is “No way out but through.” HAPPY SPORT THE FIRST The relaunch of the Chopard Happy Sport signals the rebirth of a 1993 icon. Chopard has released Happy Sport the First: two releases limited to 1 993 and 788 pieces of the very first watch presented when the collection was launched. They pay faithful homage to this icon, thanks to its legendary diamonds and its “pebble-link” bracelet, while adding major innovations: a new case in Lucent Steel A223, redesigned in a 33mm diameter inspired by the principles of the golden ratio, as well as the Manufacture Chopard 09.01-C movement with automatic winding.

ART DIRECTOR XAVIER DOLAN PHOTOGRAPHER SHAYNE LAVERDIÈRE STYLIST ELIZABETH STEWART WATCHES AND JEWELLERY CHOPARD

HAPPY SPORT - Handcrafted in Ethical Gold -

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DOWN TO BUSINESS

Manelisi Dabata

HERE WAS A time when travel used to be fun. I feel bad about even complaining, as the very fact that I was able to go overseas puts me in an exclusive group — even more so, being in the UK at the same time when President Cyril Ramaphosa was attending this year’s G7 meeting, to which he took his message for Covid-19 vaccine equity. He’s unlikely to have been as stressed about his trip as I was. Last month I wrote about how, even after having booked and paid for a flight, there’s still no guarantee that one will

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JOURNEY TO THE OTHER SIDE text

Lukanyo Mnyanda

the great thinkers had a word for such a phenomenon. Stockholm syndrome, the answer came, much more obvious than I anticipated. And I would have expected the budding philosopher to be the one overthinking things. Speaking about overthinking things... Back when travelling was fun and exciting, all you had to worry about was whether you had your ticket, money and passport; the assumption being that anything you forgot could be replaced, provided you had a Mastercard. Now we have to travel with so many documents

got on the plane, with some almost running to board. It was as if they couldn’t quite believe something hadn’t gone wrong, given the many opportunities that came with all the dreaded admin. In the midst of it all, there is always something to make you smile, such as when I checked in in Frankfurt for my final flight. The person who was doing yet another passport/Covid-19 test/travel locator form check was clearly from South East Asia, and I took a wild guess that she was from the Philippines, which turned out to be correct. She looked at my passport and

“It was like going back in time to the Mandela years: South Africa is the flavour of the month and you are asked, in places you’d least expect, about Doctor Khumalo” actually get to travel. They may call it the Beta variant now, as opposed to the South African one, but the damage has been done: we are still treated as pariahs by most of the world. It seems like Mexico is one of few countries one can visit with a South African passport (something I discovered from fellow travellers heading there via Germany). At least, it was last month. Once you have gone through the exhausting process of simply trying to secure a flight, you are left looking forward to the prospect of an almost two-week hotel quarantine. I asked a friend who has a PhD in philosophy if

and the anxiety that we might have forgotten something. After waiting weeks with bated breath to hear which airline will stop flying from South Africa, you have to go for the dreaded Covid-19 test. And then all the forms. Have you got the travel locator? With connecting flights, you then have to work out for which country you need to fill in the form. It was only once I was asked for my German address that I realised this one wasn’t needed. There was something strangely reassuring seeing almost everyone in the check-in queue looking equally nervous, and relieved once they

said, “Sawubona!” I told her I was impressed that she knew that. She told me that she’d had South African housemates before and even knew the anthem, which she then proceeded to sing. It was like going back in time to the Mandela years: South Africa is the flavour of the month and you are asked, in places you’d least expect, about Doctor Khumalo. And they know he’s a soccer player and not a medical doctor. Three hours later, it’s back to quarantine hotels and eating out of a box. But if you can travel in these times, it feels wrong to complain. Lukanyo Mnyanda is the editor of Business Day

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Judd van Rensburg

The newest edition

of watchmaking excellence

The

Dark Knight

STOCKIST TUDORWATCH.COM

Black Bay Ceramic watch, R80 250, Tudor

THE GOODS

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Setting up a connected home doesn’t have to be daunting. Here are some of the best devices on the market

Smart speakers are a dime a dozen; I should know, I have more speakers in my house than I have space for. But the Denon Home 250 is a standout. The speaker is the latest in the company’s HEOS-equipped multiroom range and features an understated elegance that allows it to disappear into the background while making the audio the star of the show. Unlike many other smart speakers, which are only compatible with one smart assistant, the Home 250 works with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa and is compatible with Apple AirPlay 2. Featuring four active drivers and a passive bass radiator, the Home 250 boasts audio quality that belies its size and is arguably one of the best-balanced smart speakers I’ve ever experienced. You can cast music to it directly from your favourite audio-streaming service and it gets impressively loud — something my neighbours most likely don’t appreciate — without distorting any vocals. It also supports highresolution audio. R9 999, homemation.co.za

HOME IS WHERE THE SMART IS text

Brendon Petersen

LIGHTING

KITCHEN

LG Insta View Sideby-Side Fridge When you think of a smart home, you’re probably thinking of smart speakers, smart lights, or maybe a smart security system — but not a smart fridge. LG’s InstaView Fridge is not only beautiful, thanks to the matte-black finish, but it’s also super fun. The InstaView functionality means that all you have to do to see what’s in your fridge is knock on the door twice and, voila, you can see all the wine and cheese you have in there (or is that just me?). It has door-in-door functionality, which lets you access your favourite snacks without having to open the section of your fridge where your actual food is, and it’s compatible with LG’s ThinQ IoT platform. The ThinQ app is compatible with Android and iOS and lets you do things such as remotely adjust the fridge’s temperature, which is perfect for large shopping hauls and can help save energy. R48 200, hirschs.co.za

Xiaomi Mi Bedside Lamp 2 Xiaomi is a brand that most of us associate with Android smartphones, but the company also makes all kinds of fun, futuristic, fabulously smart-connected devices, including a kettle that lets you set the water temperature and a timer for how long you’d like to keep your water hot. The Mi Bedside Lamp 2, however, is one of my favourite Xiaomi smart devices, and it’s more useful than it might seem at first glance. Not only can this LED lamp change between up to 16-million colours, it’s also internet connected, which means that you can turn it on, or off, from anywhere in the world, or in your home. Thanks to its compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant via the Google Home platform, and Apple HomeKit, you can also just speak to power the lamp on or off and to change the colour. It makes a great nightlight for kids, and I’ve used it as a makeshift security device by turning it on remotely if I’m not at home when it gets dark. Not only does it make it appear as if someone is home, it also means that I don’t have to return to a dark house at the end of a long day. R769, syntech.co.za

POWER

Tesla Powerwall You’ve made it this far and you’re probably thinking, “Brendon, all of these connected devices sound great but how am I going to power them all during all this loadshedding?” To which I have a single-word answer: Powerwall. Made by Elon Musk’s Tesla, Powerwall is a renewable-energy solution that is now finally available in South Africa. Available in various configurations, Powerwall can store energy from solar panels when the sun is out, and from the grid when it isn’t, to ensure that you remain connected no matter what happens. The companion app lets you monitor your home’s power consumption in real time, helps you optimise your usage, and provides remote access. It’s water resistant, childand pet-friendly, and can be floor or wall mounted indoors or outdoors. from R159 300, tesla.com

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Denon Home 250

AUDIO

GLOBAL DESIGN, ROOTED IN AFRICA

We ’ re a b o u t b a refoot l uxur y – wher e timel ess desig n, r aw natur al mater ial s and r efined cr aftsmanship cr eate the ul timate r etail exper ience.

— Chris Weylandt

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TRANSFORM WITH CHANEL FACTORY

It’s a brave new world for the House of Chanel as its Factory 5 collection celebrates unrestricted luxury, celebrity, and creative expression

Nokubonga Thusi

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N 1921, GABRIELLE “Coco” Chanel changed the perfumery landscape by creating Chanel N°5, an iconic fragrance and vision of luxury that defied the norms of the time, and transformed a functional object into one of the world’s most desired luxury items. 100 years later, the brand’s artistic bravery comes full circle as Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, head of Chanel global creative resources — fragrance and beauty, fine jewellery and watches, reawakens Chanel’s audacious spirit of creation and transformation with a limited-edition centenary collection — Chanel Factory 5 — bringing a joy, freshness, and modernity to the house. “I think it would have been easy to be in a conservation mood. To me, it was a ‘let’s go and do something new’ mood. We came back to one of the original elements of N°5 and of Gabrielle Chanel’s vision when she created it. We remembered that in 1921, when she first launched N°5, the bottle of N°5 was a lab sample — a highly functional bottle that had no meaning and no value. It was N°5 that turned it into an icon and so the idea was, could we do the same thing?” says Du Pré de Saint Maur. Taking inspiration from the vision that N°5 can transform the perception of a lab-sample bottle, the production of hyper-disposable items, and pop artist Andy Warhol (who spoke a lot about celebrity culture in his New York Studio The Factory), the Factory 5 collection brings back an element of surprise. It merges the codes of the house with a notion that the spirit and celebrity of N°5 can once again reinvent itself and imbue everyday life with its iconic allure. “I think this is how we ensure N°5’s future: not taking ourselves too seriously, taking N°5 down from its pedestal for that very limited period of time and embracing it in a way that is more daily use. I think part of it is that we’re in a world where luxury has become a commodity. When luxury becomes disposable, people don’t actually put much value in the things they consume. It’s just about owning it, but not really interfering with it. So we said, we’ll do the opposite: let’s take the hyper-disposable, the hyper-consumable, and put it in a luxury thing. The more we developed that story, that thinking, and that collection, the more convinced I was that the world needs lightness and a bit of humour,” he says. The 17-piece collection, featuring iconic N°5 scented formulations, is a huge feat and dresses high-consumption items in N°5 packaging for

the centenary. The collection includes 11 body products, but the five hero products really stand out. Drawing from the customisation and freedom of application found in the world of art, the N°5 body cream and shower gel allow for fun layering as the cream is dispensed from paint-tube packaging, while the shower gel comes fashioned as a paint pot housing berlingot packages. Alongside bath tablets in a tea box and body lotion reinvented to

look like a detergent pouch, the classic N°5 body oil — a personal favourite of Du Pré de Saint Maur — comes housed in a super-functional burette that mimics an anti-grip oil used in bicycles, allowing for a measured, sensorial application. The collection not only transforms everyday packaging into luxury items, but also reignites the creative expression of pop art and modern, highcolour, gloss imagery. Factory 5 redefines the idea of luxury and the seemingly once-unattainable status of N°5 for a world that’s become more confined to home and relates differently to the unapproachable, unrelatable and, sadly, disposable form of luxury that serves more as an outward symbol of wealth. “It’s so true to what Chanel is about; the value of luxury is in the experience of it. More than anything, this is why she originally chose that bottle of N°5 — she didn’t want the bottle to be a placeholder of a perceived value. She wanted the bottle to disappear because the only thing that was important is ‘What do I feel when I wear N°5?’ — it’s always about me. The pandemic reinforced that requirement from our customer, which I think is a good thing because, at some point, maybe luxury became a bit lazy,” says Du Pré de Saint Maur. The spirit of Chanel N°5 has withstood the test of time through its cycles of innovation and recreation. If the question is “Do you want to be admirable or do you want to be desirable for the rest of your life?” then N°5’s answer is to be both — and to continue evolving to maintain an impactful and lively relationship with those who experience it for years to come.

1. N°5 Eau De Parfum Factory 5 Collection Limited Edition, 100ml 2. N°5 L’Huile Corps The Body Oil Factory 5 Collection Limited Edition, 250ml 3. N°5 Les Galets De Bain The Bath Tablets Factory 5 Collection Limited Edition, 10 x 17g 4. N°5 L’Émulsion Corps The Body Lotion Factory 5. N°5 Le Gel Douche The Shower Gel Factory 5 Collection Limited Edition, 20 x 6ml 6. N°5 La Crème Corps Body Cream Factory 5 Collection Limited Edition, 150ml

Discover the full Chanel Factory 5 collection at chanel.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

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REG WILLIAMS started his life in photography at age 19. “I was smuggled into Burma and spent a week with the Karen guerillas. They were child soldiers who had been fighting since World War 2. They had helped Britain, who had promised them their own land, and had been fighting for independence ever since. The plight of these people really moved me.” Telling human stories through his documentary and foreign-news photography took Williams into the heart of global conflict in the ’90s. He shot in warzones from Grozny, Chechnya, to Mozambique. “I was in Sierra Leone in 1995. It was a brutal time and I had the hell scared out of me. I vowed not to work in warzones anymore.“ His father had given him a book on the international cooperative Magnum Photos when he was 15 and, apart from sparking his lifelong conversation in the medium, those iconic images had a bearing on what he did next. “I was fascinated by pictures of old Hollywood — ‘the misfits’, the set reports, Life, Look magazines.” And this form of documentation, albeit in a lighter format, has been particularly inspiring. He has now worked on over 200 movies, but never as the unit photographer apart from some of the Bond films. He explains that his work as a photojournalist informs and guides the way he works today. It explains the immediacy and groundedness of his images. There is no stylised set choreography, but rather a raw energy. A very humane element. “I shoot in bursts of two minutes of high energy, it’s very first-person and very authentic. My eye thinks in the best shape in a given second.” He believes in old-school photographic skill. “So many people love photography, but it’s a common trap; people think it is about the equipment — black, shiny pieces of kit. You need basic skill to take a good picture, regardless of the kit. You need to teach people to think like a photographer: to understand light, how the picture changes with front light, side light, how to compose the picture, frame them in, get up and move, and do stuff.”

PA R T N E R S H I P

DOUBLE C DE CARTIER: FORM AND FUNCTION FOR THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

A PERFECT SHOT

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Aspasia Karras

Cartier launches a new, chic collection for those who desire a bag that they can rock from the catwalk to the coffee shop

World-renowned British photographer Greg Williams on his lifelong commitment to the perfect portrait and designing the limited edition Leica Q2 with Daniel Craig He qualifies his crash course: “That does not mean that great equipment does not help professionals.” But his own lessons as a photographer have been on a personal level. “How to get the most out of the subjects? I get on with people quickly — have them trust me. I have a positive agenda, I’m not looking to break some secret story. I want to get to the person behind the personality. I explain to people what I am after. I am not the fly on the wall, but neither am I the big man. I am, however, definitely a presence; you can see me in my picture, looking over the camera, not through the lens.” “I like getting people’s reactions, and I am going in somewhere to like the person. I maximise the situation I am in. The more you shoot, the more confidence you get that your way of looking at the world is valid. And

because I shoot with actors, artists, musicians, I believe they have an artistic take too. A photoshoot is a collaboration: we work together, they have clever ideas and a really creative brain, so the result is bigger. We are the sum of our parts.” And that collaborative principle has worked. I ask him about his luminous portraits. “I love working with Tom Hardy, he’s a friend of mine and we collaborated on a film together. I love what I get out of him. Kate Winslet, I got her in the cold British ocean. A lot of people I have shot a lot, such as Daniel Craig on 2 300 separate days. That is a lot of experience of a person. The more you shoot someone, the more you know them. I am always shooting — whether I am being paid or not. I do very little retouching and covering up the photograph; it detaches the viewer from the picture and you don’t believe it."

Turning to the design collaboration with his perennial subject Craig, Williams explains: “Daniel and I have bonded over a love of photography. We are very different but we both geeked out over the Leica. It is a collaboration from both of us. I love the black and gold colours, they remind me of the vintage Leica M models of the ’60s and ’70s, in which the brass base with black camera enamel would rub off through wear and the brass would shine through. I loved that mix of black and brass and that colour palette. We researched and, in the ’20s, Leica had a gold Leica badge. This is the first one in 100 years. I grew up as a kid in awe of them and was finally able to afford one in my late twenties. It was a career highlight. You never see me without a Leica around my neck.” gregwilliams.com

The Leica Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams is limited to 750 units worldwide. Each unit’s serial number is shown as a laser engraving under the display glass.

ARTIER DOUBLES DOWN on its branding with the new Double C de Cartier range of bags. The jeweller, watchmaker, and now celebrated bag manufacturer has long been a beacon of sophistication, class, and beauty. Its new range, neo-classical and streamlined, reflects on the brand’s rich history with a lacquered double-C clasp, referencing the wax seal used to seal the jewellery of its founder Louis-François Cartier. Cartier’s director of leather and leather-accessory creation Marlin Yuson says, “We sought to modernise the logo by freeing it from the interior oval, where

it had previously appeared on the maison’s bags. We handled it like a piece of jewellery, with particular attention paid to its unexpected opening. For the first time, its presence is both aesthetic and functional, not to mention the pretty ‘click’ sound it makes when closed, further enhancing its jewel clasp.” This modern essential is an instant classic, focusing on aesthetic and contemporary sensibility. The bags can be worn across the body or over the shoulder. Opulence, besides the clasp, is boiled down to its bare essentials: comfort, style and

elegance, making the bags versatile and perfect for the urban environment. The millennial client is as much the focus of the bag as is its clasp; the adjustable straps, multiple colours, and price point make it an everyday essential. Four seasonal colourways are available to suit every outfit from the catwalk to the coffee shop or in the boardroom, either to add tone-on-tone sensibility or a pop of colour. The Cartier Double C Bag is available in Deep Black, Intense Red, Powdered Pink, and Fuchsia Pink from select Cartier boutiques and online. cartier.com

PROFILE

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Audrey Mothupi is disrupting business, technology, and even herself

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Aspasia Karras

Simz Mkhwanazi

what makes them tick; you may not like it but try to understand it. My life has been very colourful, so in my journey I see the lights and not the darkness — it manifests in everything I do.” Her journey as a young professional after her degree in Canada has been defined by curiosity. “Being born and raised in exile, my father insisted we grow up in a very African way, reading Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, Karl Marx. My history teacher was

very surprised that I had interrogated The Communist Manifesto and what it meant for the developing world. My experiences at Standard Bank and Liberty were like university. Now I think I am something like the ‘chief hustling officer’ — my primary aim is to create jobs. Now I am a good capitalist, I tell my dad, and in creating jobs we create lives.” Talking to Mothupi feels like getting a masterclass in management. “If you

are going to be disruptive, don’t take on challenges that are unexpected and selfdestructive — just because I have taken this path before does not mean I must continue. I take the skills I have learnt and use them in complementary, nonlinear ways. I have been a management consultant, worked for the public broadcaster, wealth insurance, banking, and am now running a data and innovation company.” To this non-linear path she has just added an education in

with public speaking, but after I am done on stage I will disappear into my onesie and my home.” Clearly, her system is working. From being an eight-person startup, SystemicLogic now employs over 200 people and has created innovative digital solutions for a slew of international and local financial-service companies. “A lot of the work we do is partnering with banks to optimise their services. We create a marriage between disruptors and traditional banks and play the role of an accelerator. We take on the youngsters to accelerate their business and act as a bridge from the ideator to the traditional bank.” Her advice to young entrepreneurs? “Every step you take and everyone who comes into your life — good or bad — learn from them and the experience, and

THE CHIEF HUSTLING

weave that into the next job. I worked three jobs in Canada when I was at university. One job was from 7pm to 7am in a factory where we would put the tops on deodorant bottles. I loved talking to people in the breaks, elderly women who had been there for years who took the time to teach us. They did not have to, but they taught me to be patient and not to be resentful of where you are in life. I think in that patience you learn how to listen. We have a tendency to want to get to the answer and lose sight of some of the insights we would get by standing still. At that conveyor belt at 1am or 2am, these women just wanted the best for me. In the break they would encourage me: ‘Pull out your books to read. Why are you still standing, don’t you have books to study?’” I still use that lesson if I find myself

OFFICER

KNOW THAT ENGAGING with Audrey Mothupi — even on Zoom as the third wave takes hold — means downing a ton of Berocca so that I can keep up with her. She is that energetic. Before this driven and charming CEO started the SystemicLogic Group, a technologysolutions company, eight years ago, she was CEO of group strategic services at Liberty Holdings and head of inclusive banking at Standard Bank. She is also on multiple boards and the chairperson of Orange Babies South Africa — a nonprofit that looks after orphans with Aids. I am tired just writing that. The mother of two has a global vision, and she is not stepping off the forward-thinking trajectory any time soon. “I always say to people that I am a pan-Africanist but I am actually quite global. My parents were in exile from apartheid South Africa in Uganda when I was born. Then Idi Amin happened, so we moved to Nairobi, Kenya, then I went to Canada. Most of my high school was spent on scholarship at the Lester B Pearson College UWC in Canada. There were kids from all over the world — 63 countries were represented there — Black and white South Africans, Israelis and Palestinians. I was very influenced by a global perspective, which has guided me throughout my life and career: trying to understand people first.” Her schooling experience taught her lifelong lessons. “It was the culture of the school to come together on the basis of our shared humanity and to believe in the possibility of social change through courageous, selfless leadership. Having been raised strong and political at home and knowing the anger that I felt, the school really helped take that forward and to channel it into action. Every single role I have taken has depended on understanding people and the premise of

photography

artificial-intelligence machine learning through MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — during the Covid-19 pandemic. “In the disruption you should be relearning and using different tools. I am always studying. My daughters thought I was crazy, doing assignments. I just found something that excites me, I have a curiosity to constantly learn.” Even when Mothupi is rebooting, she is doing so creatively. “The hardest part of the journey towards disruption is the self; when you are your own stumbling block. So if I can’t solve my problem, I will go for a walk, read something, or cook. I am a serious introvert, I find my peace in my own space. I have had to learn to be an extrovert for work and my journey, because of what I preach in terms of creating jobs. I have to be the face of the business. I have no problems

in a difficult meeting, I pull the meeting back and step back to reflect on some of the human lessons. “That was the lesson I drew on when, years later, I had to travel and hustle. I went to Nigeria and, as South Africans, we don’t realise that the rest of the continent does not sleep. I sat outside the CEO’s office and pitched at 1.30am — eight years later they are still an amazing client. It comes full circle, being in the world and understanding different cultures. We are all human, and I was not foreign to them. In my business journey, borders have not created a barrier for me, just an opportunity.” Her philosophy boils down to the advice she gives her daughters: “They call them ‘Audrey quotes’. Listen to the voice in your head. You are not crazy, it is your truth seeking your action.”

B E SPOKE D E SIG N B E I N SP I RED . C REA TE T E YO UR O WN .

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Come in store to be inspired or shop online. www.americanswiss.co.za

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Celebrating Celebrating the the shapeshifters shapeshifters working working

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at at

the the forefront forefront of of

African African design design

FURNITURE AND INTERIOR DESIGNER .

Mpho Vackier

dividers, and more. Homecoming, the latest collection presented by TheUrbanative in collaboration with other South African designers and makers, also takes its cue from African communities, with forms inspired by vernacular architecture as far afield

as Mali and Cameroon. Each piece is named in an indigenous tongue, with explanatory notes in English to relay its significance. “Some names are from languages that we didn’t even know existed,” says Vackier, pointing to the incessant cultural investigation that

exists in her collaborative work. “In the future, I’d love TheUrbanative to be involved in more aspects than just furniture and interiors,” she says, “as a vessel that tells stories through things such as fashion, architecture, and material-making.” theurbanative.com

THEURBANATIVE, South Africa

heUrbanative’s founder Mpho Vackier, following a calling to express the narratives of various African cultures, left a prosperous engineering career to study design and launch TheUrbanative five years ago. Her furniture and homeware collections have referenced the diverse people and places of the continent: from the graphic shapes and colours of the Ndebele culture and the hairstyles of Ethiopia’s Oromo people, to Queen Nenzima, who ruled over the Mangbetu tribe of Congo. These local idiosyncrasies have provided inspiration for servers, ottomans, room

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Left: The Homecoming collection: Isinmi ottoman, Amani planter, Pumzika couch, Mudziira wall light, Muk’eti nesting tables, and Faraji mirror Right: Mpho Vackier

Tracy Lynn Chemaly

E SPEAK TO SEVEN DESIGNERS and innovative thinkers who are moulding a contemporary narrative for how local skills, materials, and cultural knowledge can be contextualised to create products and spaces that are true to their origin

FURNITURE DESIGNER .

Jean Servais Somian SOMIAN DESIGN, Côte d’Ivoire

clectic and unusual, the wooden furniture produced by Somian Design is made in collaboration with local craftsmen in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam, where designer Jean Servais Somian’s atelier is based. Having gained his design, woodworking and cabinet-making education and experience between his home country of Côte d’Ivoire, Switzerland, and France, Somian’s oeuvre bears witness to both African and European influences. It is his homeland, however, that provides the biggest inspiration. Somian uses locally sourced or recycled materials “to facilitate the livelihood of the local community”, creating furniture from what is available around him. The trunks of the country’s abundant palm trees — often cut down to make way Pieces from TheUrbanative’s collaborative Homecoming collection

for building developments — are turned into functional statement pieces such as consoles, stools, and bookshelf totems, which Somian calls “functional objects at the crossroad of sculpture and design”. Ebony and amazaque wood also feature, sometimes encrusted with pieces of mirror, embellished with wooden beads or ox bone, or decorated in bright pops of paint. A studio signature is the use of old Ivorian canoes, abandoned on the coast by fishermen, which Somian transforms into sofas, upholstering their interiors and giving them legs to stand as striking, contemporary forms. somiandesign.com

2. 1. Meridienne Pirogue 2. Buffet Architecture 3. Banquette Pirogue 4. Cabinet D’après Mondrian

Siege, DOZO

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1-2. Hamed Bransonka-Bra Ouattara with Djenné 3. Tombouctou 4. Ouaga

FURNITURE DESIGNER .

Hamed Bransonka-Bra Ouattara

ARCHITECT.

next generation of artisans. “I want to show the youth the possibilities that exist here in Burkina Faso,” he says. “With everything that’s happening in the world at the moment, it is important that we create a strong local economy.” studiohamedouattara.design

Mariam Kamara ATELIER MASÕMI, Niger

“I

n Niger, or anywhere else in Africa, the sky is the limit,” says Mariam Kamara, excited about the prospects for architecture on the continent. Kamara is founder and principal architect at Atelier Masõmĩ, a studio guided by the

n West Africa’s Burkina Faso, oil barrels are a big thing. They’re used to carry the petrol that fuels the millions of motorbikes cruising through the congested streets of the landlocked country. And then they are reused to store grains and other food products. This makes them a popular, recyclable, secondhand commodity. For furniture designer Hamed Bransonka-Bra Ouattara, they’re a source of inspiration and creativity. He cuts, bends, shapes, assembles, and welds these barrels into new iterations, transforming them into one-off tables, stools, cabinets, and servers fashioned with hinges and handles made in-house due to the lack of availability of such objects in the country. The studio’s latest collectable pieces, Tombouctou and Djenné, are

Left: Mariam Kamara 1-3. Various views of Hikma Religious and Secular Complex in Niger’s Dandaji village

STUDIO HAMED OUATTARA, Burkina Faso

inspired both by Sahelian architecture and by Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Empire, and are the self-taught designer’s homage to ancient West-African civilisations, a subject of deep interest. Ouattara’s studio in Ouagadougou has become a training ground for the

belief that architecture should provide people with a better quality of life. She and her team have been instrumental in presenting Niger with architecture that is sensitive to culture and context. Niamey 2000, for example, is a culturally appropriate modern housing solution in the growing capital of Niamey, offering privacy to its Muslim dwellers, while Artisans Valley is envisioned to turn an abandoned part of the city into a safe, bustling public promenade leading to the National Museum. Sustainability is a core value for Atelier Masõmĩ, which champions the use of local materials, knowledge, and skills and employs masons, weavers, and metalworkers from the region to help with the development of buildings such as the Hikma Religious and Secular Complex in Dandaji, where a derelict mosque was turned into a library with a new mosque built alongside it. “We have unlimited potential,” says Kamara of the current state of the built environment in Africa. “There is still so much to discover. Now is the time for us as African designers to claim our territory and uncover a new way forward.” ateliermasomi.com

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INTERIOR DESIGNER .

INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER .

Nifemi Marcus-Bello

IMBEWU DESIGN, South Africa

hen Nkuli Nhleko returned to her hometown of Johannesburg armed with a masters in interior design from PRATT Institute in New York, she was despondent to see South Africans still abiding by the outdated global view of what typifies African interiors. “We are so much more than safari lodges,” she insists. In 2018, Nhleko set up Imbewu, meaning “seed” in the Nguni languages, exploring Africancontemporary style in interior design. She hopes that by refining this look within South Africa’s borders, she’ll be able to take this to the rest of the continent. “And then we’ll be the ones to tell the rest of the world what a modern, Afro-contemporary

aesthetic is. It’s our turn to define it for ourselves and spearhead what it looks like, because for too long people outside of Africa have been telling us what African is.” Focused predominantly on hospitality and workplace interiors, Imbewu recently completed the first InterContinental voco hotel in Africa, The Bank in Rosebank, with an ArtDeco twist to African chic. This after working with Daffonchio Architects on Legaro Properties’ headquarters in Johannesburg, which was awarded a six-star GBCSA Green Star rating for, besides other aspects, only making use of interior elements produced in South Africa. “The more we can source locally,” Nhleko says, “the better for creating a truly African aesthetic.” @imbewu_design

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Design Awards 2021. This for his design of a portable, modular handwashing station that can be wheeled around and used quickly by healthcare workers as they move between patients. After completing a masters in product design at the University of Leeds, and working in England for a few years, Marcus-Bello returned to his hometown “to figure out a way to make design work here”. His inclination to go beyond preconceived notions of structure and form has had him rework the concept of a three-legged stool with sheet metal, a material readily available in Nigeria because of its use as a covering for the country’s countless power generators. Such is the innovation that comes of Marcus-Bello’s way of adapting to what is around him, be it materials, skills or hurdles. “When I start designing a product, I try to consider everybody — not just the user,” he says. “I design for the manufacturer, the assembly line… for anyone who’s going to touch the product and bring it to life. And I have to be considerate of constraints, like the lack of electricity, or that transportation might be an issue. It’s important to map out the ecosystem before diving in. That’s the only way design can work in Africa.” nmbello.com

Nkuli Nhleko

NMBELLO STUDIO, Nigeria

orking from Lagos, Nifemi Marcus-Bello recently gained international attention by winning LifeEnhancer of the Year in the Wallpaper*

1. Nifemi Marcus-Bello 2. Selah Lamp 1.0 3. Opá Oba 4. LM Stool

RUG DESIGNER S.

Soufiane and Ismael Zarib

Left: The interior of Social in Parkwood Right: Nkuli Nhleko

SOUFIANE ZARIB, Morocco years spent learning from their father and grandfather, who traded in rugs for many years. Their version of the traditional rug is, however, somewhat unexpected. Working under the brand name Soufiane Zarib (their grandfather was also Soufiane), the Marrakech siblings have revitalised the local rug-making industry, injecting it with modern colours and abstract patterns. They

rothers Soufiane and Ismael Zarib are proudly carrying the Zarib name in the 21st century. They are the third generation in a line of Zarib men working with Moroccan rugs, and the first to create their own designs after Left: Galmus rug on the wall Right: Brothers Soufiane (left) and Ismail (right) Zarib

work with nearly 500 women weavers around the country, ensuring the quality for which Moroccan rugs have always been revered remains unchanged, and their pieces are woven from 100% wool, except for the flat weaves that include cotton. Each design, produced in a different region of the country, carries the signature weaving techniques of that particular area.

“People are tired of seeing the same Moroccan-rug designs,” says Ismail. “Just like fashion, they want a carpet that nobody else has.” The distinct designs are inspired both by the vintage rugs with which the brothers grew up and the work of fine artists, and come in limited numbers of around five editions. soufiane-zarib.com

ART

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From a hobby to a massive creative movement, South African 3D artist Alexis

Christodoulou’s magnificent architectural work has taken over the world

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3D renderings

Leana Schoeman

a world imagined Y

our magical, imaginary architectural 3D renderings have taken the world by storm. Where did it all start? It all started as a

hobby while I was working my day job in advertising. I needed

Alexis Christodoulou

a creative outlet and I’ve always been fascinated by computergenerated imagery. You’ve recently relocated from Cape Town and opened a new design studio in Amsterdam; tell us more about that? We moved here

1. Alexis Christodoulou 2.Hole in the Wall 3. Red Moon Rising 4. Pensione Bencista 5. Steam Room 6. Mars on Earth Revisited 7. Happy Hour 8. Future Reflections

for a change of scenery and felt it was time to create a studio to house our creative work. It’s called Color C Studio and we have some exciting projects coming out, including some physical items that we designed in 3D. You’ve collaborated with

quite a few iconic brands recently. Which project are you most proud of, and why?

Most recently we were able to work for Cassina furniture design, which was a big one for us. Last year we worked with Microsoft and we have an ongoing collab-

oration between us and Kenzo. Who or what inspires and motivates you at the moment, and why? Oh,

there’s quite a bit. I sometimes find it difficult to distil it all. I’m currently doing a residency in Florence, Italy, and this city

always inspires me so much, but even more so the countryside that surrounds it. I’ve been doing a bit of cypress-tree research while I’m here, I really love them visually. What are you working on right now? My wife (and

business partner) and I are in

Italy doing an artist residency. She’s a ceramic artist and we’re experimenting with a ceramic and 3D collaboration. I’ve 3D scanned her sculptures in the past and this is a continuation of that idea. Being at the top of your game can be tricky. What’s

your go-to activity when you’re running low on inspiration? It may seem

counterintuitive, but I think the thing that works best is to take a break; go out into nature, sit on some grass, and stare at some trees. alexiscstudio.com

MUSEUMS

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HE PAST YEAR has thrown museums and cultural institutions into turmoil. Part of their crisis — and it has been nothing short of a crisis — has been brought on by the pandemic, and the simple fact that the numbers of visitors to these institutions dropped off dramatically with the onset of the lockdown. Storm Janse van Rensburg, senior curator at the Zeitz Mocaa, estimates that up to 70% of its income disappeared overnight. Others, such as the Apartheid Museum, have been temporarily closed, and still others shut down permanently. Simultaneously, the intensification of various social-justice movements around the world put cultural, social, and institutional reforms under the spotlight and the colonial legacy of many museums, public art galleries, and other cultural institutions was interrogated. Questions surrounding the restitution of cultural objects such as the Benin Bronzes, pillaged during various colonial conquests, have resulted in action being taken, with plans afoot in France and Germany to return them. While museums and galleries scrambled to find ways to engage audiences, grappling, with varying degrees of success, to provide online experiences, and figure out what function they might serve under pandemic conditions, they also found themselves reckoning with the very foundation and reason for their existence. Christopher Till, director of the Apartheid Museum and founding director of the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria ( JavettUP), says that many of the issues that have come under intense scrutiny in the past year have been bubbling under the surface for some time. At the 2019 International Council of Museums conference held in Tokyo, for example, he recalls, “There was an attempt to introduce a modification of the historical principles [governing museums: collect, conserve and educate, in a nutshell] which included making institutions [more engaged] with social issues.” And yet they were not able to reach

a conclusion. “There is such diverging opinion,” says Till. “It’s a time of huge introspection.” Van Rensburg points out that the question of museums’ colonial legacy goes beyond the items in their collections. “The museum itself is a colonial construct,” he says. “The notion of collecting is itself about a kind of classification and ordering.” He points out that this process of “rationalisation of the world, so to speak” historically forms part of the Enlightenment project, and is inextricably tied to it. He says, however, that seeing museums as colonial constructs is only part of the picture. “There are wonderful, interesting models on the continent that [are] also about both the safekeeping and collecting of objects,” he points out, referring to the likes of The Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt, among others. There are other major museums in Africa in the pipeline, too, notably the Edo Museum of West African Art (Emowaa), for which many of the restituted Benin Bronzes are destined. And Javett-UP houses the Mapungubwe Collection, with national treasures including the famous golden rhino, dating back to the 1200s. Several new local cultural institutions, such as Zeitz Mocaa and Javett-UP, have world-class facilities to store the works in their care — with optimal light, humidity, and temperature to preserve their collections. In this way, Janse van Rensburg points out, even the Zeitz Mocaa, which is concerned with contemporary art, mostly post-2000, is concerned with “legacy-making”. What, however, might a museum or an art gallery become in the future? What legacy are they trying to create? What functions might they serve? And how can museums and galleries survive? South Africa is in the rather unusual position, as Owen Martin, chief curator of the Norval Foundation, points out, of having seen a plethora of contemporary art and cultural institutions launch very

GABI NGCOBO Javett-UP

Reimagining the art museum

3. Nicholas Hlobo, iimpundulu zonke ziyandilandela, Zeitz Mocaa 4-5. The Rwanda Project by Alfredo Jaar, Zeitz Mocaa 6. Zanele Muholi, Faces and Phases, Zeitz Mocaa 7. Senzeni Marasela, Waiting for Gebane, Zeitz Mocaa 8. Alfredo Jaar, The Rwanda Project, Zeitz Mocaa 9. Interior of the Javett-UP

What is the place and legacy of art institutions in a postcolonial, post-Covid South Africa? text

Graham Wood

STORM JANSEVAN RENSBURG Zeitz Mocaa

1. Poster for the Zeitz Mocaa lockdown exhibition Home Is Where The Art Is 2. Senzeni Marasela, Waiting for Gebane, Zeitz Mocaa 2.

recently. “The emergence of new platforms that engage with the visual arts, such as Norval Foundation, Javett Art Centre, and A4, within the span of four years, is deeply exciting,” he says. Along with other recent museum openings, notably the Nelson Mandela Capture Site Visitor Centre in 2019, !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre, which opened in 2018, and uMkhumbane Cultural and Heritage Museum in KwaZulu-Natal, which won the Africa Architecture Awards in 2017, it is clear that there is a need for museum-type cultural institutions in South Africa and Africa, and they are emerging as a significant cultural presence. But what are they emerging as? “Arguably, many of these institutions, like ourselves [Norval Foundation], are in the process of crafting an identity and defining their role within society,” says Martin. Part of what sets many of South Africa’s new breed of cultural institutions apart from traditional art museums is that many are a sort of hybrid between public art galleries and private collections. “It seems logical then that, as these institutions are defining who they are, they question the museum model, taking from it what is relevant and useful, while leaving behind aspects that aren’t appropriate,” adds Martin. “Importantly, many don’t refer to the concept of a museum in their title or mission statement, instead using a term that’s less historically weighted and less associated with a European cultural tradition.” Janse van Rensburg says, “We are very well positioned as a museum in terms of this conversation in that we are a new institution. We have all of the benefits of repositioning ourselves

from the get-go in a different way. And we don’t have colonial collections. We don’t have that legacy to deal with, but what we do contend with, of course, is this notion of museums as elitist spaces.” Gabi Ngcobo, curatorial director at Javett-UP, says, “I don’t think the new institutions are immune from [the questions facing European institutions] necessarily.” She points out that the collections bequeathed to Javett-UP and others are still the products of “white monopoly capital” — assembled by white businessmen. She adds, even the fact that the Javett-UP holds the artefacts of the Mapungubwe Collection “needs to be interrogated in terms of the process by which they find themselves [in] these collections at this time in this institution”. At the same time, a level of self-reflexivity seems to be built into these institutions. Janse van Rensburg says a museum like the Zeitz Mocaa doesn’t intentionally think of itself as an “alternative model”, it does “think about institution-making as a critical process”. Ngcobo points out, too, that before assuming the role of curatorial director, when Javett-UP opened, she was the guest curator of one of the centre’s opening exhibitions, and she fearlessly interrogated the foundation collection itself. “There was no contesting of the position that I took,” she recalls. “I had this amazing curatorial freedom.” She also points out that the founders recognise the problematic aspects of the Javett collection, and have commissioned artist, curator, and collector Bongi Dhlomo-Mautloa to assemble a collection of Black modernist works to sit alongside the foundation collection, which will be launched early next year. The concept of “knowledge production” is a central part of all these institutions’ functions. The Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation

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MUSEUMS

CHRISTOPHER TILL

1. Journeys, Apartheid Museum 2. Edoardo Villa, Africa, Norval Foundation Sculpture Garden 3. Brett Murray, Again Again, Norval Foundation

OWEN MARTIN

Sculpture Garden

IMAGES CHRISTOPHER TILL BY JERMAINE ADRIAANSE, KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY, AND SUPPLIED

Apartheid Museum and Javett-UP

Norval Foundation doesn’t have a collection at its core, but focuses entirely on exhibition, research, and technology. But most of these institutions include some sort of self-critique, including talks, programmes, and publications, often inviting young artists to participate and respond to the work exhibited in one way or another. “Ideally, these processes of encounter, dialogue and reflection facilitate a richer understanding, not only of the cultural objects that are on display, but also of ourselves,” says Martin. “In this sense, we’re fundamentally an educational institution, but achieved through and perhaps, better said, alongside culture.” And throughout her academic career and practice as an independent curator before joining Javett-UP, Ngcobo experimented with what she calls “pseudo institutions” or “self-organised structures” that question institutional models and “think of other possible worlds, possible ways of being”. She has been radical and experimental in her attempts to reckon with history and alternative-knowledge systems, and says one of the ways in which an institution like JavettUP can interrogate its own terms is to “work with artists who are living and to activate these questions”. Janse van Rensburg also talks about “inviting others into that process of thinking and making”, collaborating with young artists in unconventional ways. Ngcobo says that art and cultural institutions have a major role to play in developing the language necessary to articulate the questions of our times. She points out that much of the global conversation about the removal of historical statues has its roots in local movements like RhodesMustFall and FeesMustFall, and yet, when she reflects on the local attempts to frame the death of Collins Khoza in terms of the BlackLivesMatter protests, “it doesn’t translate”. “[In] the early ’90s we kind of lost the language to speak for our freedom because it was not so clear who the enemy [was],” she says. “So, it’s interesting to me to observe what kind of language institutions like ours could … develop.” “If anything, these institutions have a better opportunity to be able to have those dialogues but also to make those things physically visible through our programming,” she

says. As the world’s largest museum for contemporary African art, Janse van Rensburg says the Zeitz Mocaa has “a massive responsibility”, both in South Africa and the rest of Africa. “We also understand that certain objects tell us about our time and our place and our history,” he says, “and that it’s important to look after those objects as best we can.” Till reminds us that, as “laboratory practices” and knowledge production remain an important way for museums to define their own functions, the whole debate remains “stuck in the discussion around what museums could be”. It’s a reminder of why the irrefutable artefact is crucial to museums. But, as these historically relatively unencumbered institutions have found, even inconvenient objects and artworks remain central to these institutions’ ability to perform a valuable cultural function. As much as certain radical ideologies might attempt to rewrite history, another threat to public discourse might arise from unexpected quarters. There has been a notable tendency among some commercial art institutions to take on the rhetoric and even purport to assume some of the functions of public institutions. While Till also warns of the danger of museums and cultural institutions attempting to attract audiences by giving themselves an unexamined “contemporary flavour”, perhaps the flipside is more dangerous: the commercial elements of the art ecosystem opening the door for history to be rewritten according to any convenient ideological script. As much as cultural institutions might grapple with their collections and curators might find them frustrating, perhaps one thing that is clear is the ongoing value of interacting with cultural objects and engaging with the ways that they resist and complicate all narratives. “The object remains whatever the object might be,” he says. “And we are creatures of what we’ve created.” Janse van Rensburg notes that it is very important for institutions like Zeitz Mocaa to see themselves as part of a larger art ecosystem. Understanding that they are not exceptional is crucial to their success.

Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, Storm (detail), R 1 000 000 - 1 500 000

JH PIERNEEF: IN/SIGHT A single artist auction dedicated to a modernist master VIRTUAL LIVE AUCTION | 26 July 2021

OPEN FOR VIEWING: 12 - 16 & 19 - 26 July 2021 Strauss & Co, 89 Central Street, Houghton, Johannesburg +27 11 728 8246 | jhb@straussart.co.za | www.straussart.co.za

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Q&A

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Shannon Daniels

COLUMN.

THE ULTIMATE TOUR GUIDE text

HENEVER I HEAR righteous sourdough makers fretting about their starter — its stiffness or sniffiness or bubbliness or whatever it is that is most desirable — I hear these words in a deranged and drunken voice: “Feed the bitch or she’ll die!” They come from Anthony Bourdain’s first book Kitchen Confidential, now 20 years old and as wildly entertaining as it was when it first appeared. Bourdain had spent two decades as a chef, mostly in New York City, and wrote this exposé of what really goes on behind the swing doors of restaurants. Badass doesn’t come close. The critic AA Gill called it “Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino”. Here’s a sample: “You might get the impression from the specifics of my less-than-stellar career that all line cooks are wackedout moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts and psychopaths. You wouldn’t be too far off base.” One of his underlings was “Adam-Real-

Michele Magwood

Travel the world one last time with Anthony Bourdain

Last-Name-Unknown”, whom Bourdain called the psychotic bread baker, given to 36-hour coke-and-booze benders. When he couldn’t get up off the floor and into work he would phone and beg Bourdain to feed his dough starter with fresh yeast or it would die. “Feed the bitch!” he would shriek, sobbing. And Bourdain would have to wrestle the “massive, foaming, barely contained heap”, which was pushing up the weighted-down lid of a 35-gallon plastic drum, and spilling onto the table where it was stored. Bourdain in full flight made the TV show Hell’s Kitchen look like a Montessori classroom and Gordon Ramsay a nebbish. Tattooed, calloused, scarred, mophaired, and with an on-again, off-again drug problem, Bourdain had no idea when he wrote it that he would become a global household name, sell millions of books, win multiple awards and, most importantly to him, experience littleknown cultures and showcase them on television for the rest of the world. Out this month is a bookend to Kitchen Confidential titled World Travel: An Irreverent Guide (Bloomsbury). It contains some of the last words written and spoken by Bourdain before he died by suicide in 2018. He and his longtime assistant and amanuensis Laurie Woolever had started planning the book, and she had taped their meetings and made notes, which she has now gathered into a travelogue of sorts. Forty-three countries are featured, with Bourdain’s reflections on the place, memories of meals eaten, hotels stayed in, and stories he was told, and augmented with more detailed travel information by Woolever. We learn where to get the best yakitori in Tokyo and where he once ate a 15-course, three-star sushi meal in just 20 minutes. In Glasgow, surprisingly one of his favourite cities on Earth, he eulogises the custom of deep-frying everything: “I want to go no deeper than the bottom of a bubbling cauldron of hot grease. It’s calling to me: A happy place from my past.” There’s his favourite Deco bar in Miami, favourite seafood tagine café in Tangier, favourite chop bar in Accra. In Sri Lanka the creepy, “Graham Greene grand colonial in a post-colonial wartime” hotel is besieged by crows. A man armed with a slingshot keeps them away from the guests having breakfast. As always, you can taste the food he describes: blue-corn tortillas stuffed with spinach and zucchini flowers in Mexico City; spicy tilapia pulled from Lake

HOMEGROWN INSPIRATION

WORLD TRAVEL: AN IRREVERENT GUIDE Anthony Bourdain with Laurie Woolever

We talk to Chris Weylandt about what inspires him and keeps him ahead of the game

Naivasha in Kenya; sticky whole-hog barbeque in Charleston. Head to Tobago rather than its twin, Trinidad, he advises. “Tobago is what you hope for when you waddle away from the buffet on the SS Norway cruise ship. Lazy beach days, boat drinks, villas, all set to a calypso beat.” Don’t bother with breakfast in Rome — scoff a pastry cornetto and an espresso and make plans for lunch instead. In the suburb of Glasnevin in Dublin there’s a bar known locally as Gravediggers because it is built into the wall of an early cemetery. Stay at the Raffles Hotel in Phnom Penh or the book-stuffed Hazlitt’s hotel in Soho in London. Walk the ramparts of the ancient Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan, open an umbrella in the perennially rainy Vancouver. It’s good to travel with Bourdain for the last time, to be reminded of his curiosity and empathy, his dry observations and unholy wit. With the world gradually opening up again, and people thirsting to travel, there’s no better guide.

IMAGES SUPPLIED

1. Lyon floor lamp, R4 000 2. Marconi sofa, R23 000 3. Cloud crockery, from R30 4. Tuareg dining table, R14 000

HRIS WEYLANDT is the founder and CEO of Weylandts, South Africa’s leading furniture and homeware retailer. Inspired by his love of our continent, his obsession with design, and a driving passion for creating customer experiences, the savvy entrepreneur and creative force has built Weylandts into a world-class retailer. How would you describe the Weylandts look? Weylandts celebrates richness in design coupled with the use of natural materials

and handcrafted skills. The brand’s natural rawness is balanced with refined, attentive craftsmanship and contemporary, timeless design. Weylandts is about raw, refined beauty, bold shapes, materiality, and authenticity. Where do you find everyday inspiration and what influences your work today? I find inspiration in travel, food, architecture, and nature. We have been fortunate enough to travel to many beautiful places, frequently off the beaten track. These

trips are always deeply inspiring and we return filled with new ideas. I love to spend time close to product. I’m happiest in factories and I immerse myself in the manufacturing process, finding immense reward in the detail of creating the perfect product Materiality is very important to our brand and I have always preferred natural leathers with nature’s markings to glossy, over-corrected, and treated finishes. I love natural timbers, the way wood ages, and simple shapes that are timeless.

I don’t like to overcomplicate things in my life and in my business. Ours is a brand of barefoot luxury that cherishes design and encourages and supports artisanal work and handcraft skills, and we continually strive for quality and the ultimate retail experience. These sentiments are at the core of everything that we do at Weylandts. I also enjoy reading about business challenges and current affairs and take inspiration from successful leaders and trailblazers who show the courage and vision to follow their dreams. With the travel restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic, we have had to look inward — both personally and regionally — to fuel our creativity. South Africa has such a rich design culture and this continues to inspire and invigorate our work. We have increased focus on our in-house designs and local production in our factories that manufacture a significant portion of our furniture ranges. In terms of global design trends, where do you think Africa is positioning itself? Africa is rising. There are a growing number of homegrown creatives who are making their mark on the global stage: incredible artists, designers, musicians, and entrepreneurs. I’m excited about the prospects ahead. As a brand, we are firmly rooted in this continent, this is our home and Africa has shaped me, my take on design, and what’s important in the way we live in our homes. What do you do in your free time? Spending time with family is essential for me. My wife Kim and I divide our time between city living, our wine farm Maison in Franschhoek, and our holiday home on the coast. Weekends are for relaxing. We love to cook, catch up on reading, dream up new plans, walk in the mountains or along the coastline, drink our wines, and talk for hours. Three of our four children are in the family business, which is such a privilege, and meal times are often spent discussing work — such an integral part of our lives. Tell us what you’re most excited about at the moment. Covid-19 has meant we have needed to re-evaluate our business model. The past 18 months have seen a greater focus on efficiencies, a reduction in overheads, and the introduction of better processes. We are doing a major expansion on our inhouse manufacturing and distribution centre — all of which underscore our confidence in our business and the future of our country.

M MO OTTO O RR II N NG G

OLLOWING RESTRICTED supply due to the pandemic, the floodgates have opened for Audi’s high-performance sports models in South Africa. The four-ringed brand has introduced a range of fiery new family cars wearing S and RS badges, combining sportscarlike performance and styling flair with space and practicality. The two cars that best exemplify this “spacious supercar” theme are the new RS7 Sportback and RS6 Avant. Both are powered by a 4.0l TFSI V8 turbo petrol engine with 441kW of power and 800Nm of torque, giving them the ability to blaze 0-100km/h sprints in just 3.6 seconds with the aid of launch control. Top speeds are electronically governed to 250km/h but can be raised to 280km/h with the RS Dynamic package.

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FANTASTIC FOUR

Sporting Audis provide family-sized thrills

text

Denis Droppa

PRICING 3.

AU D I R S 6 AVA N T TFSI QUATTR O R 2 070 000 AU D I R S 7 SPORTBACK TFSI QUATTR O R 2 173 500

1. Sizzling performance with space for the rottweilers and mountain bikes: the RS7 Sportback (left) and RS6 Avant

AU D I R S Q8 R 2 354 500 AU D I S8 R 2 484 000

2. The Audi S8: a limousine with lusty power 3. The RS Q8 holds the SUV lap record

around Germany’s Nürburgring circuit

The fourth-generation RS6 Avant is the more practical stationwagon version while the second-generation RS7 Sportback, though also roomy, has more coupé-like curves. Practical it may be, with space for the rottweilers and mountain bikes, but the RS6 Avant strikes a sporting pose with its aggressive bumpers and flared wheel arches, made more menacing by a glossblack honeycomb grille and 22-inch wheels with 285/30 tyres — features it shares with the RS7. Inside, athletic accents include RS sport seats covered in Valcona leather with a honeycomb pattern, and a flat-bottomed, perforated-leather steering wheel. Futuristic interfaces include a digital instrument panel and an RS monitor that displays drive system component temperatures, maximum G-forces, and tyre pressures. The V8 roars through a pair of large oval exhausts, and drivers can further raise the sonic intensity at the press of a button. Power’s fed via an eight-speed Tiptronic to a quattro all-wheel drive system that adapts to driving conditions, shifting up to 85% of the power to the rear wheels and up to 70% to the fronts. RS adaptive air suspension drops the ride height by 20mm and provides corner-hugging performance with long-distance comfort.

“Fiery new family cars combine sportscar-like performance and styling flair with space and practicality”

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IMAGES SUPPLIED

Dynamic all-wheel steering is part of the optional RS Dynamic package, reducing the turning circle at low speeds for more agility, and improving stability at high speeds. Lighter and more fade-resistant ceramic brakes are also available at extra cost. In recent years, sports SUVs have become a growing phenomenon. Along with their family-sized space and supercar-like power they have the higher riding position that so many modern buyers seek, and also some off-roading ability if owners don’t want to risk damaging their low-profile tyres. The most sporting of them is the Audi RS Q8, which holds the SUV lap record of seven minutes and 42.2 seconds at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, set in November 2019. Built on the same platform as the Lamborghini Urus, the RS Q8 is the halo model of Audi’s crossover SUV range. Power comes from a 4.0l twinturbo V8 with outputs of 441kW and 800Nm, and this large SUV blitzes the 0-100km/h sprint in an impressive 3.8 seconds. An eight-speed automatic feeds a rear-biased quattro all-wheel drive, assisted by a torque-vectoring rear differential and all-wheel steering. Adaptive air suspension is aided by an active antiroll system. It has various mild-to-wild driving modes, including programmable modes that can be quick-accessed by a button on the steering wheel. A more luxurious spin on the spacious supercar theme is the Audi S8, a refined super-sedan launched in South Africa to compete against highperformance models in the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class ranges. The V8-engined sports limousine has 420kW and 800Nm, and takes just 3.8 seconds to blitz the 0-100 km/h sprint. Predictive active suspension, dynamic all-wheel steering, and quattro drive with a sport differential make this a lithe limo through the corners. The sporting prowess is bundled together with finesse and luxury. The state-of-the-art cabin includes electricallyadjustable comfort sports seats with heating, ventilation and an optional massage function.

PROPERTY

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NTEREST IN acquiring a pied-à-terre in a global sun or ski belt has apparently rocketed among well-heeled buyers looking for a remote-work destination in aesthetically pleasing surrounds. Others are opting for a bolthole in the country, where they plan to see the pandemic out on large hectares of land far from the madding crowd. Whether they’re opting for Palm Beach or the Cotswolds, one thing seems sure: the seriously wealthy are now gravitating towards expansive homes with plenty of acreage, family compounds, and even private islands as the ultimate social-distancing retreats. That’s according to a recent report on the state of the global realestate market by US luxury-property specialists Coldwell Banker. English country estates — think Downton Abbey — have become particularly sought-after. UK-based property group Savills last year sold 21 country estates in England, each valued at £15-million-plus. That compares to only one such sale in 2019. Earlier this year, prince Bandar bin Sultan, a senior Saudi royal and former ambassador to the US, reportedly sold Glympton Park, a large country estate in the Cotswolds, to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa alKhalifa for more than £120-million. The sale includes an 18th-century manor house, 39 cottages, a Norman parish church, and 68ha of parkland.

The mansion boasts a number of eccentricities, such as bulletproof glass on the driveway and a replica English pub, according to Britain’s The Guardian. New Zealand has also become somewhat of a “safe-haven” destination of choice — especially among US tech billionaires. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, seemingly led the charge when he bought a 193ha former sheep station in New Zealand a few years ago. Kate Everett-Allen, head of residential research at international property group Knight Frank, says that rcently New Zealand has appeared increasingly on the radars of global investors on the back of the successful handling of the pandemic and a quick economic recovery under the watch of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. In fact, New Zealand’s newfound favour among affluent property buyers is underscored by Auckland’s emerging as the best-performing luxury-housing market in the world last year. New Zealand’s largest city notched up price growth of 18% in 2020, according to Knight Frank’s latest prime international residential index. The index tracks top-end house prices in 100 locations. Everett-Allen says higher-thanexpected demand for residential brickand-mortar investments supported house prices in many key international markets last year. Five cities registered

IMAGES SUPPLIED

The quest for country

and coastal mansions is hotting up

double-digit price increases, compared to only two in 2019. An uptick was seen across a number of second-home destinations in the US. She says: “In North America, from The Hamptons to Florida and Aspen, suburban space, coastal retreats, and mountain air were in demand.” She refers to Florida’s coastal enclave of Palm Beach as being a key “superprime” performer. The area recorded 20 sales, each priced above $20-million last year — up from 10 sales in 2019. Increased activity was also seen in prime European holiday hotspots such as France’s Provence and the wider Côte d’Azur, as well as northern Tuscany in Italy and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. As Everett-Allen puts it: “From June onwards the focus in Europe was firmly on coastal, rural, and alpine resorts, mirroring the pattern seen in the US.” South Africa has also recorded a steady increase in big-ticket property sales in recent months. Local realestate players ascribe buoyant market conditions to near-50-year-low interest rates and pandemic-related changes in home-buying patterns. It seems that the biggest common denominator among high-net-worth buyers is a search for larger and better-equipped homes. Chris Cilliers, CEO and co-principal for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in the Cape Winelands, cites the search for additional square meterage as one of the key pandemic-induced trends to emerge in the luxury-housing market. She says: “After a long year of spending an inordinate amount of time

at home, it’s hardly a surprise that the ‘less is more’ trend has been supplanted by ‘bigger is better’.” It’s not only locals who are pouring money into spacious, multi-millionrand trophy homes. Ross Levin, managing director for Seeff Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl, says there’s been a marked return of foreigners to South Africa’s shores. Almost a third of Seeff’s sales above R8-million over the past six months have gone to offshore buyers. The group’s most recent top sale to a foreigner is a penthouse in the Juliette complex on the front yacht basin at the V&A Waterfront Marina for R45-million, the highest price achieved in the precinct in close to eight years. Levin says the three-bedroom property, which has double-volume living areas, a private pool, and 360-degree mountain and sea views was bought by a German doctor — a single woman in her early fifties who plans to live in South Africa six months of the year. The V&A penthouse sale follows a R36-million sale in Fresnaye to a buyer from Dubai; two deals of R20-million-plus in Constantia Upper; and several R10-million-plus ones in Camps Bay. Levin argues that Cape Town is an easy second-home choice for foreigners as the city still offers way more bang for one’s buck in terms of square meterage than other global capitals. Besides obvious drawcards such as the weather, beautiful beaches, and affordable, cosmopolitan lifestyle, Cape Town also offers top-class tech

and connectivity for remote workers, he says. Dogon Group Properties founder Denise Dogon, who clinched the record R290-million sale of a Bantry Bay megamansion to a German couple in 2016, shares a similar sentiment. She says there’s been a “huge” uptick in sales to mainly German, French, Swedish, and English buyers in recent months — despite travel restrictions. “Lockdown was a period of reflection, and it seems while people were confined to Europe, they yearned for the beauty and unique features of Cape Town, which offers a lifestyle hard to match anywhere else in the world.” There’s also been rising interest in rental properties among digital nomads keen to relocate to the Mother City when global travel restrictions are eased. On the swanky Atlantic Seaboard alone, Dogon has already secured three long-term leases with foreign tenants, each in excess of R100 000 a month. The Western Cape is not the only beneficiary of the renewed trend towards country and coastal living. Erika van der Westhuizen, Pam Golding Properties’ area principal in Hartbeespoort, sold more properties in the resort town north of Joburg last year than in the past nine years. A number of sales went to buyers from Denmark, Botswana, and Nigeria. She says: “Many of our buyers are relocating permanently — they’re looking for a semi-rural, more relaxed. work-fromhome way of life but still want to be close enough to the city.”

1. Dinton Hall, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 2 & 4. St Michaels Road, Tamboerskloof 3. Victoria Road, Bantry Bay

FROMTHE MOUNTAINTO THE SEA text

Joan Muller

NAVIGATOR

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EXHIBITION.

STRAU S S & CO PRESENTS PEMBA AND HODGINS: SOCIAL S TA N C E S

Di sp a t ch e s o n a l l t h i n g s c ool , c ove t a bl e , a n d c onve r s a t i o n - wo r t hy

low morals, vicious demeanour, criminal intent... became the order of the day for Hodgins. Yet not all was cynicism or condemnation. He regarded ladies of ill repute, men in loud suits, bewildered exboxers struggling with the after-effects of being too often battered, all with a degree of understanding, humour, and fellow-feeling.” This exhibition reassesses the work of both artists as being intellectual and emotional in origin. The works are products of a disciplined knowledge of artmaking and of transforming life into art.

INTELLECTUAL EMOTION text

James Sey

T Above: Robert Hodgins,Consulting Room; Below: George Pemba,Trek IMAGES SUPPLIED

A RT

O U R H OT W I N T E R G U I D E : A N D S A FA R I , I N C L U S I V E P O L O A N D W I N E , A N D A S P E C I A L J H B C O F F E E S P OT

his extensive painterly testimonies.” Hodgins’ style can be characterised as semiabstract and expressionist, showing human frailty. Neil Dundas writes in the catalogue to the group exhibition: Satire & Irony: Robert Hodgins, Stanley Pinker and Alexander Podlashuc from the Kilbourn, Block, Wiese and Podlashuc Collections, held at Welgemeend in Cape Town in 2019, that, “Ignoble nobility, venal popes, untrustworthy clergymen, men in uniforms or formal suits of importance, disguised somehow by their clothing to compensate for their

he leader in the South African fine-art auction market, Strauss & Co, presents the third in a series of non-selling exhibitions in which pairs of important modern and contemporary artists are displayed together to highlight synergies and comparisons between their lives and work. This year the exhibition features two great South African painters of society, George Pemba and Robert Hodgins. These unlikely pairings set off an interesting dynamic: though Pemba and Hodgins were contemporaries in age, and both took painterly observations of society as their main subject matter, in other ways their experience and artistic expression of it could not have been more different. Pemba is one of the most important 20th-century Black modernist artists in South Africa, approaching the status of a national treasure. Born in 1912 and having lived most of his life in the Eastern Cape, he is one of the artists most typical of the generations of Black artists neglected in the South African art establishment in the mid- to late-20th century, who have come to critical and collector attention in the decades since. His career is primarily marked by a post-expressionist and deeply humane approach to subject matter. Indeed, unusually for a Black artist, Pemba travelled around the country to make observational studies of the everyday lives of South African Black people. Not only did Pemba depict African life in rural areas, but he also painted many scenes of the urban life of ordinary people, caught up in the socio-political situation of his time, with sympathy and pathos. Hodgins was born in 1920 in England and settled in South Africa in 1953, only coming to painting full-time, and to career prominence, later in life — much like Pemba. He preferred satirising society, however — his works teem with imposing businessmen and strutting military officers, and he mocks their foibles and false sense of self-importance. His work very often had a subtle and, at times, an overtly critical, political reach. Their styles are also in marked contrast. Pemba employed a type of social realism, sensitively rendering imagined images of the past and everyday images of the present, emphasising the human dignity of his sitters and their great courage in adversity. As Jacqueline Nolte states in the catalogue to the Pemba retrospective exhibition held at the Iziko National Gallery in Cape Town in 1996, “Pemba’s personal journey, through… spaces of desperation, solace, joy and quiet resistance, is evident in

Above: Robert Hodgins, Difficult Meeting; Below: George Pemba, Waiting Room

EXHIBITION DETAILS Venue: Strauss & Co gallery, Safika House, 89 Central Street, Houghton, Johannesburg Dates: 1-30 July 2021 For more information about the exhibition or about buying and selling art or having your collection valued, please contact Strauss & Co at 011 728 8246 or jhb@straussart.co.za, straussart.co.za

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South Africa. Close encounters with the Big Five are almost guaranteed, as the unfenced area borders on the Kruger National Park. Prepared in advance to surprise me, we come across a table sporting a champagne breakfast, under a weeping boer bean tree. The chef has taken note of my food preferences and we sip bubbly from glass flutes, with background melody from white-browed scrub-robin, harmony by speckled mousebirds, and drumming from a golden-tailed woodpecker. I stroll back to the lodge, finding little creatures such as colourful caterpillars, spiders in their webs, and lizards darting into the undergrowth. When I spot leopard tracks in the dust, I wonder if the Tengile female was here last night. A citrus swallowtail butterfly floats ahead of me, guiding me back to the secluded suite for a swim in my private lap pool. Overlooking the Sand River, the suite is an enormous 200m², with a master bedroom, bathroom, lounge with a fully stocked bar and coffee station, dining area, and a sunken outdoor lounge. A highlight is the outdoor shower area beneath the canopy of a jackalberry. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors allow for maximum light and a view of the riverine forest from every room. Inspired by the nearby Selati Railway Line, Nicholas Plewman — the environmentally sensitive architect of the Tengile River Lodge — incorporated wooden pillars reminiscent of railway sleepers and stone from the railway track bed was crushed to form the aggregate in cement for the terrazzo floors. In keeping with the theme, the table in the sunken lounge is a brass flywheel or spinning disc used in braking during train stops. Unwilling to leave this blissful space, I call my butler, who shortly arrives with a picnic basket.

FINDING BLISS AT T H E TENGILE RIVER LOD G E text

Gillian McLaren

WHERE LEOPARDS PROWL

DIAMONDS, WATCHES, AND COFFEE: THE PERFECT BLEND

barely have my camera and binoculars in place on the morning game drive when we spot African wild dogs on the hunt. It’s a pack of 20, scouring the bush to find prey. My guide follows one group of these painted dogs. They are running hard. We hear a commotion from dogs that are just out of sight. When these pack members reappear, their faces are blood specked. Younger pack members play with a stick, some bully a smaller dog by nipping its flanks, and a few lie down for a quick snooze. The dogs spy a leopard and leap up to chase her. As we follow her off-road, she wisely bolts up a marula tree, where she casually watches the dogs as they circle the base. This pretty leopard was born under the deck of one of the nine suites in AndBeyond Tengile River Lodge, so is affectionately known as “the Tengile female”. She was recently seen mating with the territorial male, so cubs are expected in a few months. If the excitement of the morning drive at the Tengile River Lodge is anything to go by, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve is living up to its reputation as one of the most game-rich areas in MCLAREN FLEW TO SKUKUZA ON AIRLINK:

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In the outdoor dining area he lays out a gourmet lunch. Every meal — whether in my suite or in the communal dining area — is imaginatively presented, with choices from Ottolenghi-style small plates or deconstructed salads. Whiling away the afternoon by dipping into the leather-covered guidebooks, I glance down to a herd of African buffalo fording their way across the Sand River. Three bull elephants are browsing on the other side of the watercourse. flyairlink.com

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ESCAFÉ GOLD IS collaborating with two acclaimed local designers in its new competition, “Crafted Beyond Compare”. Timepieces from Xesha and sparkling jewels from Zungu Diamonds are the exclusive prizes of the competition, highlighting how NESCAFÉ GOLD is the gold standard of coffee. The meticulous craft and time that goes into ensuring the quality and experience of every Gold cup of coffee is reflected by the artistry and talents of these local designers. Xesha South Africa is an independent, black-owned, watch-manufacturing company founded by Kholofelo Xesha Masha in 2018. Each product, inspired by South Africa, is an artwork requiring an average of eight hours to hand craft. Filling a gap in the premium-watch sector, the brand focuses on regionally recognisable symbols and stories, giving poetic depth and cultural sensitivity to the telling of time. These modern watches showcase African identities with a contemporary splash of minimalism. As a tribute to the Alta Rica Blend, Xesha designed a bespoke timepiece,

Two local designers team up with NESCAFÉ GOLD for an exclusive competition

the Tourbillon Infinite, which features eight one-carat diamonds and four laser-cut and gold-plated NESCAFÉ GOLD beans on a gold dial adorned with a rich artwork. This gorgeous prize is a testament to the distinctive and bold taste of NESCAFÉ GOLD. “It is never just a watch or another timepiece for us, in the same way that it is never just a cup of coffee. It is for the discerning taste of the person seeking the finer things in life, for which NESCAFÉ GOLD is known,” says Masha. Nungu Diamonds is a black-owned business offering a unique diamond experience: a tactile and educational journey focusing on the impact, sourcing, and grading of these special gems. Founded by managing director Kealeboga Pule in 2013 and run with his wife Ursula as creative director, integrity is a cornerstone of the company and provenance, substance, and authenticity its core values. All of the diamonds in Nungu’s jewellery are South African and have had their quality graded by the GIA, independent and globally recognised gem experts. For the competition, Nungu designed a pendant, in which cognac diamonds

are encased in 18kt yellow gold, inspired by the matte finishing of the NESCAFÉ GOLD packaging. “We have used an oval-shaped, natural-mined diamond in the pendant, celebrating the coffee bean. This beautifully parallels Nungu Diamonds’ passion for the provenance of each diamond we sell, and NESCAFÉ’s commitment to sustainably sourced coffee beans,” explains Kealeboga Pule. Nivasha Pather, marketing manager of NESCAFÉ, says, “We are very excited about the partnership with Nungu Diamonds and Xesha watches. Similar to our coffee beans, which are carefully golden roasted to give a rich, smooth, and rounded taste, the same can be said about the making of these jewellery pieces.” These two pieces can only be won as a part of the Crafted Beyond Compare competition. Purchase any two participating NESCAFÉ GOLD products, dial *120*2337# and follow the prompts to stand a chance to win an iconic piece of proudly South African art. Ts & Cs apply. The competition is only open to South African citizens and legal residents over the age of 18, and closes on 30 August 2021.

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Q&A

with Isivini’s Itumeleng Akinola

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A NEW BREED

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he investment-bankerturned one-woman-winebusiness has set her sights on taking South African wine to the rest of the continent and beyond. We talk past, present and future with this dynamic woman in wine. Tell us a bit about Isivini. Isivini — meaning vineyard in isiZulu — is my wine distribution, private client, cellaring/cellar management, advisory, and consultancy business. The name is also a Itumeleng Akinola double entendre, referencing viniculture: the cultivation of grapevines for winemaking. What do you hope to achieve with the business? My dream of being the number-one purveyor of quality South African wine on the continent with the cornerstone of wine knowledge at the forefront of that. I want to be an advocate for the fact that we have great wines that are able to compete with all the world’s regions. I’ll start on the continent and then I hope to grow beyond that. Why did you start Isivini? I was tired of the investment-banking field. I had little motivation and decided it was time for something new. I wanted it to be something I was passionate about — my three options were food, wine, and travel. I dabbled a bit in food, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. I started looking into wine and, while I’ve always been an avid wine drinker, it was not something that I had academically invested in. I started exploring wine-education possibilities and have since completed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3 qualification. I began hosting private-client tastings —

Steve Steinfeld

Simz Mkhwanazi

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ell us about your happy place? Watermark Polo Club is a fairly new polo club that is friendly and most welcoming for enthusiastic beginners and intermediate players. The club, based in Krugersdorp, is like a family, where everyone is keen to help each other out. Club members play together or play against each other and constantly

affirm one another. What makes the stables special? The stables are special because of Alida Vermaak, an awesome mentor and coach. Without her, the polo club would not be the same. She has a big heart and she is always there to help members, exactly when we need it. Whether on the field or next to it, she is always there. She is our polo model.

Aspasia Karras

You have a long relationship with polo, what made you love the sport? The expansive polo field captivated me from the get-go. The more I read about polo, the more I became besotted with it. To think that the likes of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan played polo is like going back to antiquity. My relationship with polo has

now evolved as a player because I am starting to get into the intricacies of playing and tactics. What do you need to start learning and acquiring the skills to play a game of polo? A love for horses is paramount. Taking the time to learn to ride and improving one’s horsemanship. Some dedication goes a long way. @watermarkpoloclub

THETEAM’S HANDICAPS Neil Strydom (-1) Masedi Molosiwa (-1) Karen Fourie (-1) Willem Fourie (-1) Namayian Muthokia (-1) Alida Vermaak (1) Matt Bezuidenhout (-1) Anne-Marie Biccard (0) Marilyn Gruwez (-1) Matt de Gersigny (2) Hadley Dickinson (-2) Kevin Ganess (-1)

among an audience I was familiar with from my banking days — and repping and distributing for Erika Obermeyer Wines. Since then, I’ve picked up another brand, Holden Manz, to represent and distribute while growing my private-client tastings and exploring the export market. I travelled the continent quite a bit but felt we weren’t very well represented in terms of our fine South African wines — French and Chilean wines are dominating those markets. I’m taking the opportunity to do something about that. What got you into wine? Wine was not part of my heritage. It’s not something with which we sat down at the table. It’s not something we drank with dinner. However, every time we accomplished something — whether it was getting an A for a test or coming first in a race — my grandmother would celebrate with a bottle of sparkling wine. My love of wine comes from this tradition of marking an occasion or achievement with sparkling wine. Your next step on the continent is in West Africa. Tell us about your plans. I’m setting up shop in Lagos. I’m excited to go out there and teach the regions that don’t currently have a wine culture about our wines, it’s so important to me. What advice would you give other young people of colour going into the industry? I think the most important thing is knowledge; it will always set you apart. Your skin colour has nothing to do with it. Don’t victimise yourself on that level. If you’re passionate about something, educate yourself about it, research all you can — that’ll give you an innate confidence that no one can take away. Once you have the knowledge, be rigorous and aggressive in getting yourself into the right circles. Be loud and speak. Don’t be meek in environments in which you don’t see yourself represented. If you are knowledgeable, it becomes very easy to step into a room, own your space, and be confident about it. Remember, you are what the industry needs.

QUICK QUESTIONS

Akinola at Vinexpo Bordeaux 2019

1. Top tips for cellaring wine at home?

2.Top tips for collecting or investing in wine?

3. What wines are you drinking right now?

4. Who do you think is one to watch in the wine industry?

5. How do we get hold of you?

Store wines in a dark area without fluctuating temperatures. In your cellar, keep drinkable wines at eye level. Always have some approachable wines and wines you’re enthusiastic about sharing with people. Most importantly, your cellar should represent your tastebuds because it’s what you should enjoy drinking and sharing.

In terms of collectibles, make sure you’re buying wines you enjoy. Price is not always the reason to buy. If you are buying to invest, speak to experts, do your homework, and get guidance.

Meticulous Sauvignon Blanc by Erika O, Kumusha Cabernet Sauvignon & Cinsault, and Holden Manz Rothko Rosé.

Jolandie Fouche, a Swartland winemaker. Her label is Wolf & Woman. She makes low-alcohol-volume wines, but they’re exceptional. I don’t think she’s even started to make tracks — a truly phenomenal winemaker.

@Isivini_ on Instagram and tumi@isiviniwines. co.za

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hanks to Kate Winslet I have realised I need to channel my inner cuttlefish. It’s a pole vault of logic, I know, but hear me out. I am summoning my inner “cousin of the squid”, not because I wish to end up in a parrot’s cage as a chalky calcium fix, nor because I would love an impressively pronounced brain-to-body ratio. Equally, this molluscinspired mindfulness had not come about through a desire to emit and then vanish behind a huge gust of brown pigment when I’m feeling alarmed. Though, I will admit, the latter does sound helluva appealing. Rather, I am hoping to embrace delayed gratification — a trait that these smart aquatic invertebrates possess, so scientists have just discovered. In March this year, University of Chicago researchers announced that they’d found that cuttlefish “can delay gratification by resisting readily available snacks in exchange for better ones later on”. As one of the university’s student papers, The Chicago Maroon, went on to explain, this “marks the first time a link between self-control and intelligence has been found in an animal other than humans and chimpanzees”. The researchers found that, over time and in presenting a sample of cuttlefish with a small meal followed by the larger meal, they started to skip the first course entirely — opting instead for the bigger second one. Basically, my sepia-tinged (and filled) gurus are able to pass on immediate pleasure in the hope that they’ll get an even better outcome or reward in the longer term. They’ve presumably known this for their whole existence but me, an allegedly evolved hominid, has only just been reminded of its power in this, the middle of 2021. Really, it was the HBO hit Mare of Easttown that did it. If you haven’t watched this fantastic whodunnit, starring a perfect Kate Winslet, you’ll find all seven episodes on Showmax. However, when the series was first released, it was done one episode at a time, over seven weeks. As the final instalment swung around, everyone was completely transfixed. We’d had days to speculate over who the bad guy was, had all been postulating theories for weeks, and were flip-flopping between ideas and emotions by the second. I must have had at least five lengthy conversations with my bestie on the topic. And, because

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Sarah Buitendach

I saw the final episode a few minutes before her, I received a menacing text in advance warning me to “say absolutely nothing”. I loved the series more for watching it this way. My sister reminded me that many aeons ago this was how we watched everything. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 5pm, M-Net Open Time on Friday,” she flashbacked, “that was my jam! I had to record it if we were busy, and waited for it all week — I was so excited.” Kids today will know nothing of what we speak. Recorded? Open Time? But even for their parents and, in fact, anyone else, today our lives are one instant binge after the next. Sure, a weekend of watching every season of Veep that they’ve ever made in one go is deeply enjoyable, but makes for zero anticipation and buildup and little to look forward to. Everything is instant in the gratification department these days. Remember when we had to wait for photos to be developed and letters to arrive in the post? The funny thing is that Covid-19 has actually done us a favour on this front. Before the virus, merriment came so easily and immediately. Did we fully appreciate last-minute international jaunts, big weddings, or simply packing out a cosy restaurant in the middle of winter? Now, I have Mare of Easttown-like anticipation for when we’re all vaccinated and will be able to do all of that again freely. A night out partying and dancing is first on the list and sounds too heavenly for words. I’m going to make like a cuttlefish and hold out through some fine but pretty meh moments right now, then I’ll really be able to savour the second course of normal life, when it comes, BIG TIME. Buitendach is Wanted’s former editor, contributing editor to the Financial Mail, and has recently done a lot of googling of cuttlefish.

The depictions herein are for illustration purposes only and are subject to change without prior notice.

R310 MILLION IN SALES ACHIEVED IN UNDER 3 MONTHS

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R U N AWAY W I T H L I F E An iconic collaboration by the Berman Brothers Group and D2E Properties brings you the ultimate match in modern living. Station House is a cosmopolitan development primely located in Fresnaye, Sea Point; one of the most sought-after locations on the continent. From R1. 595 million, secure your studio, 1 or 2-bedroom apartment overlooking the seascape, Lions Head or the electric city life. Get your ticket to the good life – Come and get a feel for what will be the most dynamic development on the Atlantic Seaboard.

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I popped into the new Croft and Go at Keyes Art Mile — an outpost of the hugely popular Parkview local Croft and Co. Designed by the clever folks at Mezzanine, the attributes we love at the original location have been given a little express treatment in Rosebank. Pick up your morning caffeine at the stylish new location, or sit down and take in the joys of the vertical garden — or wander into the galleries for some inspiration — flat white in hand.

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Wade Bales

T H E U LT I M AT E C RO S S OV E R Introducing Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey’s new XO Caribbean Rum Cask Finish. Whoever thought Irish whiskey and Caribbean rum would mix so well? Finished in first-fill XO Caribbean demerara rum casks, this tripledistilled, triple-blend and triple-woodmatured premium whiskey possesses an Irish heart and a Caribbean soul. Shining with a golden, amber glow, expect notes of vanilla and oak overlaid with citrus, ripe bananas, and delicate spice on the nose. The smooth, creamy mouthfeel brings out burnt caramel, raisin, and warm spice flavours too.

The crowning glory of Glenfiddich Distillery’s Grand Series, this 26-yearold single malt enjoyed an extended two-year finish in rare French cognac casks. This extra touch adds an exquisite layer of toasted oak and velvety brown sugar to the longlasting finish.

TERRIFICALLY SPECIFIC H

aving made its mark as a creator of terroirspecific wines, Cape of Good Hope’s Altima Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a worthy tribute to its vineyards, vintage, and viticulturist. Situated in the isolated Elandskloof valley, surrounded by a steep mountain range, this vine’s unique terroir produces wines with a high natural acidity and low pH level. After

being handpicked in bunch-specific parcels at just the right time, the wine then spends eight months on the lees before being blended and bottled. The result: an intense sauvignon blanc with aromas of flint and justsnapped green beans giving way to a zippy acidity and notes of grapefruit and lemon zest on the palate. Another terroirspecific treasure from Cape of

Good Hope is its Riebeeksrivier Chenin Blanc 2020, which hails from two bushvine vineyards on a wine farm situated on the slopes of the Kasteelberg, overlooking the Swartland. Its unique terroir and Rhône-like shale soils express themselves beautifully in this chenin. Expect aromas of sundried mango, pineapple, and peach, followed by a rich, rounded, and complex palate.

The search for the best vineyards from which to make Boschendal’s first cabernet sauvignon for its premium Appellation Series led its makers to Stellenbosch’s Helderberg region. Famed for its legacy of cabernet sauvignon wines, the Helderberg is characterised by ancient soils and steep slopes that bask in the afternoon sun. According to winemaker Jacques Viljoen, “It’s as if cabernet sauvignon and the Helderberg were made for each other.” We couldn’t agree more. The maiden Boschendal Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon was made from the acclaimed 2017 vintage and boasts bright fruits, muscular-yet-supple tannins, and a long, elegant finish.

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DRINKS.

Boity’s premium peaches

T Signature Frizzante is a peach-flavoured sparkling fruit drink from South African celeb, B o i t u m e l o Thulo’s ever-growing empire. Available in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions, the range was brought to life with the help of renowned winemaker Matthew Krone. B o i t y says the partnership came to fruition in 2019 when the two were first introduced. “I knew exactly what the market wanted, and Matthew has the skills to make it happen, so it was a m a t c h m a d e in heaven. I cannot wait for everyone to try it.”

With over two decades of experience in the luxury-drinks market, Wade Bales’ passion is sourcing really great drinks and sharing them with really great people

GIFTED

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ssential grooming products? Uso and Skin Creamery. Proudly South African products that smell divine and are good on my skin, because they understand our climate. Le Labo Santal 33 is my signature scent. Essential tech? My LG Wing cellphone. It’s a mini laptop in my pocket. I do everything on this small miracle. What is the single most sentimental and important object to you? A portrait of my late parents. Tea or coffee? When I was young, my parents would drink coffee and we weren’t allowed to. So I swore to myself that when I grew up I’d brew my own. The smell of good coffee in the house makes me feel good. Your favourite place to eat out? I love discovering new, hidden gems but Covid-19 has made me less of a restaurant hopper. I love the vibe of Gemelli and Signature, and The Service Station always has the best vegetarian options. What item in your wardrobe signifies your style? My vintage, gold-detailed

cape. It’s always a standout piece. I love beautiful vintage — they sure don’t make them like that anymore! What was the last object that you picked up on a shopping expedition that you instantly fell in love with? Apartment perfume. I love the packaging and the quirky titles on the bottles, and I absolutely love the scent. A watch brand that you love? My father worked for the LWF (Lutheran World Federation) in Geneva and he got me some of the most beautiful Swatch watches. But my phone has spoilt me too. The last place you travelled to that captured your heart and why? KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal. It has King Shaka’s grave and the Chief Albert Luthuli Museum is around the corner in Groutville. Maphumulo is 40km away, with the best scenic views and hiking trails. I love that part of KZN. Currently reading? Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and They Called You Dambudzo by Flora VeitWild. I’ve been obsessed with writer Dambudzo Marechera since varsity.

Do you remember the last meal that really blew you away? My cooking blows me away! Cooking is love in action. I make a mean paella. Listening to? I have a very eclectic mix. From mbaqanga to the soulful sounds of Jacob Banks and Bongeziwe Mabandla. From the Zulu heritage lectures of Mbuso Khoza, then I go crazy to Beyoncé and Damian Marley. What’s next on your list of must-have items? I’m saving for any art piece by Zanele Montle. Art is an investment. But I also have my eye on a podcast kit, with the best quality microphone, for streaming live from my kitchen. The best gift you’ve been given recently? An unexpected gift from my friend Nolwazi Molapo. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. God knows I needed this book, it articulates this feeling of grief in ways I could never have. What place inspires and rejuvenates you? Maphumulo in KZN. I lived there from age 10 to 18. The trees and streams know my dreams.

Every family knows my family and I know theirs. Home. A place, event, person or attraction that’s recently caught your attention? Covid has made me discover so many beautiful podcasts and people to follow on Instagram because of spending more time indoors. I love following the Goop podcast as well as the following accounts: @alarainteriors, @nununtshingila, @pacegallery, and @thenationaltheatre. What was the last item of clothing that you added to your wardrobe? I haven’t bought clothing in a while, but last year I bought a beautiful SiSi dress. I absolutely love their classy designs. Your favourite city in the world? Why? Edmonton, Canada. I grew up on those streets. Biking and skating with my brothers and wearing North star sneakers and Kevin Denim jeans. Good times! The one indulgence you would never forgo? Coffee. My day starts with prayer and a good brew of Kenyan coffee. This is when I plan my day.

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STHANDIWE KGOROGE Behind the screen with the vintage-loving actress and creative director 1. Skin Creamery Everyday Cream 2. KwaDukuza 3. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4. Village by Jacob Banks 5. The Goop podcast 6. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 7. Le Labo Santal 33 eau de parfum 8. Apartment Forgetting Sandra’s Emails eau de parfum,

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