An unusual space in Richmond, The House of Special Things (HOST) is home to a cohort of interesting young artists and fellow fine arts graduates from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) whose collaborative approach offers a refreshing departure from the idea of an artist as a solo practitioner. "We pooled our limited resources to scrape together enough rent for a space we could build into our own little hot pot of creation," says ceramic, tattoo, and fine artist Molly Roberts, a founding member of the collective. 

In addition to Roberts, Gabriel Matthews and Silvy-Li Matthews, Joshua Alexander and Griffen Alexander, Kiah Inglethorpe-Salisbury, Olivia Pintér, and Noa Hall occupy this studio space, as well as honorary member Scrungus, the neighborhood cat. The diverse practices of these visual artists, writers, makers, and creatives contribute to an ideal atmosphere for the cross-pollination of ideas. "We chat, we cook, we clean, we dance, we laugh, we untangle what it means to make and why we are compelled to do it," says the collective. "As young artists, we pull at a multitude of threads from waitressing, teaching, furniture making, bookbinding, tattooing, and house sitting to make our studio possible. We are a house of many things, made from conversations across many places." 

There's nothing else quite like The House of Special Things in Joburg, and it's encouraging to see a collective of artists forging a path forward in this way. In addition to creating their own work there, this generative space plays host to regular figure drawing classes and art workshops.

Follow @house_of_specialthings on Instagram to stay up to date. The collective also hosts free monthly workshops for Keyes Art Night at Keyes Art Mile, in the Atrium of the Trumpet building. Studio visits can be arranged by appointment from Mon – Fri; email houseofspecialthings@gmail.com