.jpg)
This year's edition of RMB Latitudes brings a phenomenal line-up of independent artists, contemporary galleries, and special projects to Shepstone Gardens. The sprawling property, with its eclectic architecture that nods to ancient cities, in the historic suburb of Mountain View, provides a unique indoor-outdoor venue for the fair, uniquely suited to its strong focus on sculpture.
What makes RMB Latitudes a standout art event is its inclusion of design, food, and wine, which is just as exquisitely curated as the art itself. In the main design section of the fair, visitors can shop garments by Guillotine, knitwear by Romaria, jewellery by Pichulik, and artist collab scarves by L'MAD. Unusual players in the furniture design space, Durban's Studio Kalki and Johannesburg's The Herd also come to the party. And, if last year's event is anything to go by, the food and wine are sure to delight.
If you missed our round-up of the special projects at RMB Latitudes, discover what we're most looking forward to here. Ahead of this year's fair, keep reading for three of the designer-artist collabs on our radar.
Written in thread
Among the artworks spread across Shepstone Gardens' mezzanine and rooftop levels, SMTNG GOOD design studio unveils a series of collectable textile art created in collaboration with Ditiro Mashigo, Maja Maljević, Renée Rossouw, and Lulama Wolf.
"Written in Thread enters a new terrain for our studio, pushing the boundaries of how to define textile pieces. Each work is an expression of the artist's output in a novel way – for some completely different to anything else they’ve produced in the past – composed of a profound yet quiet story," the studio explains. To define these unique, limited-edition artworks, SMTNG Good uses the term "soft sculpture" to express the flexibility and gentility of these objects, created with sculptural textile engineering.
Artists on deck
Run by Thys Dullaart and his three sons, Crispy Skateboards crafts premium skateboards by hand at their workshop in Orchards, Johannesburg. In the lead-up to RMB Latitudes this year, the team invited 25 South African artists to use a skateboard as a unique canvas for a work of art. These include prominent talents Roger Ballen, Mary Sibande, and Michael MacGarry.
"Art has always been synonymous with skateboarding and skating is all about expression, almost an art form in itself," says Kaelik Dullaart. "We are super excited to present some of our favourite artists' work on our very own skateboards." And it's all for a worthy cause, with 10% of sales revenue from the fair donated to the community organisation Girls Skate South Africa.
On the scent
Lucinda Mudge's ceramic vases are almost good enough to eat. At RMB Latitudes, Everard Read invites you to consider what they'd smell like, too. Five of the artist's gutsy, fantastically funny, and vibrant works will be paired with complimentary perfumes from cult French fragrance brand Frédéric Malle. It's bound to be a curious cross-pollination and sensory exploration that puts the craft of perfumery on a level with fine art.
It's all happening at Shepstone Gardens from Fri, May 24 – Sun, May 26. Book your tickets for RMB Latitudes now.
Comments