Sandton City gets some much needed injection of art colour

Arty types converged on Standard Bank Art Lab at Mandela Square for the opening of Santu Mofokeng’s exhibition Rumours/2026 last week Thursday.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTs Editor

Forget that not that much far in the past, the arty types, or those who regard themselves as cultured and discerning when it comes to places to shop, chill and have a good time, they dared not be seen at malls in Johannesburg, such as Sandton City.

The reason being that malls are often dry, impersonal and have a snobbish outlook, often patronised by people who want to be seen and be heard loud. These are people who like shopping up a storm in some of the most expensive clothing boutiques whose wares are expensive and loud, only those moneyed can afford. Often it is people who are genuine entrepreneurs, those who have earned their money through hard work and decide to gift themselves with that Gucci or Louis Vuitton piece of clothing, or a Rolex watch. Some are those who have scored easy money, a lot of times, through a tender that deserves the attention of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

And even those with dirty money, the hard criminals, such a drug dealers, cash heist Kingpins, and visiting stealing politicians from an African dictatorship splurging out their loot in these malls’ exclusive boutiques, buying ridiculously expensive gifts for their girlfriends. Some are genuinely hard working folk who have earned their money the right way, saved over a period of time, and have decided to buy that one loud expensive piece of clothing that will shout to all and sundry that they have arrived too. In other words, Sandton is the playground for those with strong pockets.

However, when it comes to Sandton city, the arty types would occasionally be seen there to attend one art even or another, such as a film festival, a music launch, or to attend the opening of a theatrical production at the Theatre on the Square at Nelson Mandela Theatre or the opening of an exhibition at Artyl Gallery. Sometimes, simply to attend a meeting.

However since last year, the situation of who gets to be seen at Sandton Mall, has somehow changed in a significant way. For one, the number of the arty types, the cultured crowd, has increased.  Of courseThey are not there to join the crowd that is burning money in the expensive restaurants and coffee shops, or part of the queues at the Louis Vuitton or Gucci shop.

The cultured crowd now go to Sandton Mall with frequent regularity because of the new art space, Standard Bank Art Lab.  Practically a gallery with also the feel of an art museum, since it opened its doors last year to showcase art, fashion, and hosts art and jazz talks, the Standard Bank Art Lab, is increasingly disrupting the atmosphere of Sandton Mall and Mandela Square as only a place for shopping at its high end boutiques, by injecting art into the mix of its offerings. In fact, some of the art exhibitions hosted there are actually of the finest standard.

For example, the current exhibition, Rumours/2026, which opened on Thursday last week, and showcases an important body of work, that the late Santu Mofokeng created from 1988 till up to 1997, is a case in point.

The opening attracted the cultured crowd that included photographers, such as Andrew Tshabangu, Ruth Motau and Siphiwe Mhlambi, as well as the media, who heard opening speeches from the exhibition’s two co-curators Dr Same Mdluli Standard Bank Art Lab and gallery manager, and Lunetta Baritz from the Santu Mofokeng Foundation. This is an exceptionally relevant exhibition in that it features three important sections, dealing with different epochs of South African history. Viewing this body of work, feels like one is witnessing history being given a life of relevance for today’s living. Rumours/2026 refuses to leave what happened in the past, in the past.

One section is dedicated to hosting portraits of black individuals who commissioned these striking portrait images that they commissioned, covering the period 1890 to 1950. This section is titled Black Photo Album: Look at me, 1890-1950.

Another section titled Concert at Sewefontein, is a documentary photographic exploration of how workers on a farm called Bloemohof in the Vaal, South of Johannesburg, released themselves from the firm grip of stress caused by toiling in the farm, by performing song and dance to entertain themselves.

The last section titled Labour Tenancies, comprises of powerful images of farm workers who work the fields as payment for the right to live on the farm owned by a white farmer. This section poignantly reminds us of the unfairness of the Labour tenancy system introduced during apartheid, which dispossessed and dehumanised in some cases, a proud people who suddenly became tenants on a farm that was once owned by their forebears. This section reminds us of injustice, which still persists in a post-Apartheid country till this day.

However, after mingling and networking with each other, food being served and drinks in hand, after two hours, it became clear that those who attended the opening function of Rumours/2026, were satisfied that the experience was worth their time. While there, we even forgot that we were in an art space in a mall.  Just for the two hours, while we were in the gallery.

We were only reminded of the fact we were still in Sandton Mall after all, , when as we left, in we came face to face with a the usually familiar site in Sandton – a manning carrying a Gucci shopping bag, seemingly walking around aimlessly, but clearly proud of his shopping experience. This forced one writer with us to remark. “’I wonder what is in the mind of this guy walking around the mall, seemingly aimlessly, clutching a Gucci bag.” We just laughed, familiar with what Sandton is mainly all about for some of its patrons.

Therefore, though there has been an injection of art in Sandton, Sandton is still Sandton – brimming with shoppers out to shop to impress.