STOKVEL GALLERY
An edgy, refreshing new offering from long-time artist and curator Gordon Froud, Stokvel Gallery is housed in Melville’s 27 Boxes complex. Froud’s own work has been exhibited extensively and, as someone who’s been engaged with the art world for more than 30 years now, he saw the need for a space by artists, for artists in the city. No commission is payable at this concept gallery – a welcome addition to Joburg’s art map that introduces emerging, fringe and lesser-known artists working in all mediums to a wider audience, expanding the horizon of who can exhibit and how. With a roster of exhibitions and events that’s ever-changing and always interesting, you’d do well to pay Stokvel Gallery a visit and see for yourself.
76a 4th Avenue, Melville, Johannesburg.
OOVOOKOO
The name of this hybrid studio-gallery space means 'uprising', and that is precisely what it intends to be a catalyst for within the art industry. Operating out of a transformed building in the Joburg City Centre, Oovookoo provides affordable spaces for creatives to work out of – increasing access to the arts and nurturing a culture of collaboration and generosity of spirit. Oovookoo’s inviting space – perhaps the first of many – seeks to connect artists and art buyers in new ways. Artists from all walks of life coalesce as residents in this vibrant community including Andile Cele of DOPEstore fame, thought-provoking fine artist Vusi Beauchamp, multimedia practitioner Neill Wright, Zambian painter Restone Maambo and classically trained cellist Reginald Teys. With such a stellar, growing cast, Oovookoo is one to watch.
15 Hulbert Road, Village Deep, Johannesburg.
USURPA GALLERY
Whatever your take on the utility of cryptocurrency’s creative cousin NFTs (Non-fungible Tokens), there’s no need to stop at Bored Apes. USURPA Gallery is the new kid on the art block with a local offering quite unlike any other. This modern gallery is all about pioneering NFTs as a fine art medium in South Africa. They’re not all out in the ether, either. USURPA Gallery has a physical space on Oxford Road in Rosebank for hosting exhibitions of limited-edition works by contemporary local artists, all purchasable as NFTs through its online platform. African Ginger, Nandipha Mntambo and Samurai Farai are a few artists who’ve collaborated with the gallery thus far, and we’ll be curiously looking on as it navigates this new territory ahead.
70b Oxford Road, Rosebank, Johannesburg.
LATITUDES CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
Now back as a regular fixture on the arts scene, RMB Latitudes Art Fair is but one of the outputs of this many-armed organisation which has recently opened the doors to its permanent physical space. Latitudes Centre for the Arts (LCA) is a multi-purpose exhibition space dedicated to the year-round promotion of African artists and galleries. Nestled within the magnificent Shepstone Gardens, the location alone is a reason to visit. LCA’s cultural programme includes educational activities for artists and collectors alike, while its overarching aim of putting artists from the African continent and the diaspora on the radar in Johannesburg is what sets this gallery apart.
10 Hope Road, Mountain View, Johannesburg.
THE SELAH GALLERY
The Selah Gallery is community-driven initiative created as a home for the work of exciting, under-represented artists who aren’t part of the established gallery matrix but seek a space to exhibit all the same. As such, this gallery is a welcome springboard for emerging talent, championing new voices in South African art. Though the gallery is based at the Bamboo Lifestyle Centre in Melville at present, it’s not tied to any one physical space; it’s a roaming concept, rather, sharing art with diverse communities around the country. While The Selah Gallery is newly established with a story that is still very much unfolding, all things point to a promising journey ahead.
Cnr Rustenburg Road and 9th Street, Melville, Johannesburg.
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