This year sees the launch of a new art fair in Joburg – making three landmark art fair events on Joburg's calendar. The city's art scene is dynamic, and has a firm place in its cultural diet – so it is always exciting to see changes and new additions, and to work out how each fair will add something unique for an art-going audience of locals and visitors.

RMB Latitudes takes place from May 26-28 at Shepstone Gardens in Mountain View in Johannesburg. This year the fair is joined by openStudios.Joburg on May 27-28 with 10 artist studios and spaces open across the city. Tickets for RMB Latitudes are limited so we suggest you book here soonest. 

The team at Joburg's newest art fair, RMB Latitudes 2023  have loads of experience in the art world. They also have  a unique venue in Shepstone Gardens, and this indoor-outdoor fair has extended lots of thought to not only setting up this impressive space to deliver the experience, but to each aspect of the fair's curation. RMB Latitudes 2023 promises to bring an experiential approach to what has become the traditional art fair with special attention paid to how visitors will move through the space and what they will take from it. To give you an idea of what to expect, we talked to the key players behind  RMB Latitudes 2023 . Here's what they had to say. 
 
Shepstone Gardens, the eclectic venue for RMB Latitudes 2023.
 

Roberta Coci – Co-Director of RMB Latitudes and Latitudes Online

Roberta Coci, Co-Director of RMB Latitudes and Latitudes Online.

 

How has your experience in curating gatherings around food, culture, design and art shaped your plans for RMB Latitudes Art Fair?
I am passionate about curating specialised food and wine events in Johannesburg, which I have done for over a decade, from years of curating the Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair in Hyde Park to running the Pantry Market at Keyes Art Mile. I have a great respect for the creativity in these industries and I love to create platforms for culinary creators to share their wares. The food and wine elements of an event are crucial to encouraging visitors to stay longer, delve deeper, and truly engage with the content. For RMB Latitudes 2023 I have curated a culinary offering to appeal to art enthusiasts, and those who have a taste for the finer things in life.

What aspects of the experience will make this a unique Joburg event?
We have partnered with Franschhoek Wine Valley , who will fly 12 of their top vignerons to the event to share their top wines and bubblies with our audience. We are also working closely with sustainable chef James Diack , who has put together an incredible menu, from his renowned wild-boar ragu pasta to fresh salads, burgers, soups and more. Diack will be producing organic, fresh and ethically created food for the duration of the event, much of which is being grown on his organic family farm, Brightside, just 80km from the Fair. Of course, the spectacular venue serves as the perfect backdrop to this celebration of art, food and wine.

"There is a lingering perception that art is a formal experience, and that one needs to be serious and contemplative while engaging with it. I disagree with this and believe that there are few things more joyous than engaging with art."


What are the challenges of staging an art fair at Shepstone Gardens?
This venue was never intended for an art fair, so the challenges have been immense. But I have always subscribed to the ethos that the biggest challenges present the biggest opportunities. While a convention centre is purpose-built to host exhibitions and conferences, we've had to be incredibly imaginative when designing over 40 spaces for galleries within gardens, parking lots and giant halls with no walls. The result is that visitors will be able to discover and explore art in all corners of the unique venue, as they wander through marble halls, secret gardens and rooftop pavilions. It's going to be a very special experience.
 
Shepstone Gardens brings a unique mix of indoor and outdoor spaces to RMB Latitudes 2023.

How does this space change the art fair experience?
There is a lingering perception that art is a formal experience, and that one needs to be serious and contemplative while engaging with it. I disagree, and believe that there are few things more joyous than engaging with art. Which is why we have curated this experience in a way that encourages people to have fun, explore, be inspired, and ultimately, walk away feeling a sense of great joy.

Nkhensani Mkhari – Curator of RMB Latitudes 2023 special projects

 
Nkhensani Mkhari, trans-disciplinary curator.
Latitudes has always supported independent artistic practices through our art fair and digital platform. The RMB Latitudes INDEX project is a direct result and reflection of this; by creating new models, we are able to foster care and offer space to independent artists who are often left on the periphery of art fairs. 

"[This exhibition] is an opportunity to see the world in a different way and to question our own understanding of reality."


You chose the theme Coemergence for this fair. What does it mean and how will it be displayed?
Coemergence forms the curatorial theme for the RMB Latitudes INDEX and International Galleries section . The staging explores the concept of the absolute, and its relationship to form and non-being in the African and diasporic context. Through the works of various artists, we delve into the idea that all forms possess a sense of insubstantiality and lightness and that they are all equal... This exhibition challenges the traditional understanding of substance and invites viewers to question their own cognitive filters and perception of reality. It is a thought-provoking and paradoxical exploration ... [and] an opportunity to see the world in a different way and to question our own understanding of reality. It is a journey to the absolute and back again.