A fantastic art experiences awaits you at RMB Latitudes Art Fair this weekend in Johannesburg

40 exhibitors and interesting curatorial spaces and concepts as well as a comfortable drive to the venue in a luxury Lexus.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

This weekend in Johannesburg is arty and there is a lot for those interested in everything arty. There is every reason why they should look forward to the experience. First there is the Open Studios Joburg that will take visitors to some of the most interesting, even hidden art studios around the city, including in some of the most obscure places that you never expect to find artists hard at work, creating great art objects. But they do, and what they create is indeed beautiful If you happen to be one of the people that has a ticket.

But what is in the mind of many is the RMB Latitudes Art Fair, which opened to the public today (Friday May 26 running till Sunday, May, 28) at the sprawling massive Shepstone Gardens, East of Johannesburg. It is off Louis Botha Avenue, on the side of Linksfield.

And those who have the hottest ticket in town-that is the ticket to the RMB Latitudes Art Fair, an amazing art experience created by smart and hard thinking curators Nkhensani Mkhari, Lucy MacCarry and Roberta Coci, awaits them. MacCarry and Coci are co-founders and directors of RMB Latitudes Art Fair, and Mkhari is the special projects curator. This articulate curator is someone to watch out for, and his five years of experience scouring art fairs in Europe, has clearly become handy in this exhibition. He speaks passionately about his role in this year’s edition of RMB Latitudes Art Fair.

In fact this team of there have transformed Shepstone Gardens, the three acre, property into an oasis of art, where even the most ignorant when it comes to art, will find their senses assaulted in a good way by this magical experience. They intellectual senses are bound to be tickled to come alive, enabling them to appreciate what they will see here. They will realise art viewing is neither boring, nor the preserve of those with big pockets or advanced knowledge of art. Art is for everyone – at least to view If not buying.

CITYLIFE/ART witnessed this magic yesterday, May 25, when we joined other media organisations on a preview tour of this year’s RMB Latitudes Art Fair ahead of its official opening today. What we witnessed is an event that other art fairs in future will find hard to surpass with regards to planning and execution. Believe you me you, you do not have to be an experienced art collector, a connoisseur or culture vulture to be affected in a significant way by this year’s addition of Latitudes Art Fair. It is as If the organisers decided to come back and deliver a big revenge to the world pandemic, Covid-19, which after starting relatively well, promising big things to come in 2019 at Sandton Conventional Centre as a physical event, the pandemic prevented the art fair to take place as a physical thereafter. Till now, the art fair took place online as Latitudes Online, and in an ironic twist of fate, became hugely successful as a platform featuring contemporary art from the continent.

But here I am not intending to digress and instead want to talk about what is in store for you dear reader. That is If you are lucky to still get that hottest ticket in Johannesburg this weekend. This is because yesterday, rumours were abound that either the tickets were selling fast or out-rightly sold out.

And so this is what is in store you this weekend, running from today (May 26 to Sunday, May 28, 2023. You will drive or use en e-hailing service to Old Edwardians Society 9 Avenue No. 15 in Lower Houghton, next to Virgin Active. There, you will park your car If you are driving, or you will get out of the e-hailing service and get into a luxury car waiting for you at the exit of the Old Edwardians Society premises. And when I say luxury car, I mean exactly that.

A Lexus will take you straight to RMB Latitudes Art Fair, an eight minute drive. You cannot reach the destination without inconveniences If, you intend to drive there as the place has no parking as it is a destination venue. Basically this means for all practical reasons, drive or e-hail to Old Edwardians and from there, enjoy one of the most comfortable drives to the venue. These cars do not cost millions of Rands for nothing after all. It is as simple as that.

Then an art oasis and experience of magnificent scale will embrace all your senses as you get into the venue whose massive stone buildings have been divided into several different art hubs, each of which showcases contemporary art galleries and exhibitions from across the continent of Africa.  There are also art talks hosted by leading art auction house Strauss &Co. But again unfortunately these are sold out If you already have not booked a ticket.

While the experience in each of the arts hubs is great, here I would like to recommend that look out for the hub called INDEX. This is one of Mkhari’s curatorial sections. INDEX is dedicated to independent artists that for one reason or the other, are not affiliated to an art gallery. This section is carefully curated and the art objects you will find here are just stunning. This is the ‘think’ section of the art fair, If, I may use that word, as the engagement with these art works is designed to make you converse, argue, agree and differ with the narrative the artists are promoting. The subjects are as wide as the creators themselves. You are bound to find one idea or one artwork that connects with you here.  From contemporary politics, environmental issues to recycling –all these subjects are housed in this section.

 Sections

Latitudes Centre of the Arts

 Here you will find big name gallerieson the continent and internationally,  including Goodman Gallery, Everard Read Gallery, Smac Gallery, Gallery Momo, Kalashnikov Gallery and galleries from as far as Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Portugal, Nigeria, and Spain.

The rest of the sections housing various projects and galleries are as follows:

Annex, Studio, Mezzanine, Rooftop, Centre Court, Chapel, Glass Marquee & Gardens and Design Store Exhibitors.