When I last wrote about FEDE Arthouse, it was early days for Lebo Kekana’s developing matrices of artistic expression. As a practising artist himself, the confinement of the traditional gallery environment presented itself as a challenge for Lebo to create something new; in doing so, FEDE was born from the experimental pursuit of unconstrained, unconventional expression. As a nomadic gallery, FEDE has arrived at varying sites to install shows and host events. These have been as much realistic as they are speculative; communal as much as they are curated. The energy around FEDE is enticing and refreshing – quite literally, one never knows where they will be next. 

When blank projects, the deceptively large space at 11 Lewin Street in Woodstock, invited FEDE and Under Projects to join together in a collaborative group show, it made sense. Under Projects is an artist-run project space by Brett Seiler, Luca Evans, Guy Simpson and Mitchell Messina – a testing ground by artists, also focused on alternative modes of exhibition and dissemination.

This is FEDE’s first time ever in a ‘traditional’ gallery space. Such was the symbolism that struck when I went to see the show as Lebo explained that the pieces (by 41 artists) are stacked in ‘the Library’ (effortlessly, un-preciously) and reconfigured by FEDE and Under intuitively as the show continues until the 19th of August. This transience is almost a subversion of the ‘curatorial’ role, but more so that FEDE generally rejects any fixated locations or permanency – that spirit that drives FEDE almost had to manifest somehow. The show has a stellar line-up and reflects both FEDE and Under’s respective communities of established and emerging artists alike, with both spaces presenting artists novel experiences beyond the rigour of the art industry.

How was Fullhouse conceived and what is the intention?

blank projects invited FEDE and Under Projects to come together to take over their gallery space for their Winter exhibition. The intention was to find ways to merge our two spaces in a third space to create an exhibition that brought together the best parts of each party.

FEDE works with a collaborative, community-centric praxis – please comment how Fullhouse expresses these threads?  

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure whether the collaboration made the most sense – because as much as we’re both known for alternative exhibition experiences, we’re also very different in our language and aesthetic. But thinking of this idea of cultivating community allowed us to keep going. It’s important that in speaking of “community”, we refer not only to the people and spaces we are comfortable with, but also those that are maybe unlike us, or exist in ways that are different to what we are accustomed to. It puts you outside your comfort zone and makes you open to new ideas – which is probably the best take-away from any collaboration. Also, that same open-mindedness is how we encourage people to engage with or receive our offerings.

The idea of community then became central to the exhibition, manifested as “The Library”. It exists as two large shelves of artworks in the main exhibition space (the first of two components of the show) which holds a large and broad collection of works from about 40 artists that both FEDE and Under continue to engage with. The Library serves to honour them as the community that supports us, whom our offerings firstly serve, and whose creations are at the centre of our work. Most importantly, The Library speaks to art as a kind of knowledge production that informs our curatorial practice.

It was interesting to see the merger of our ideas, but what has been particularly interesting and beautiful has been the coming together of two different communities, which actually hold similar values and interests.

How has blank projects served as the aligned site for this show?

Although I don’t like to use the term “project space”, which is a term used to describe experimental and/or alternative gallery spaces which often veer away from the traditional gallery format, it’s a term that’s often imposed on us – which I understand. Under Projects is a project space. blank also began operating as a project space before it perhaps ‘graduated’ to become a well-established gallery, and through its exhibitions, it still embodies the same alternative ideas with which it was established.

With that in mind, it felt natural for blank to be the first gallery we work with in some capacity. Also, I like to think of FEDE, Under and blank, as the same kind of “thing” – in the context of the overall art ecosystem – but just at different points in their lifecycle, and each with their own language, which in the case of Fullhouse felt complementary.

What has this year shown you in terms of FEDE’s continued movements and experiments in different spaces?

This year has been very affirming. I think it’s allowed us to practise claims which at the earlier stages felt more like projections or hopes. What was termed as a “nomadic” gallery, initially due to the lack of physical space, has actualised quite beautifully though FEDE’s ability to merge into different forms through working in different spaces. 

Second to that, we’ve always seen ourselves as multidisciplinary, practising at the intersection of art, design and architecture. 

I think of moments like The Jazz Lounge which centred around a sonic experience and also called for a sharp eye for interior design, and EARTH (our Decorex presentation), which had a strong focus on architectural research and practice, as well as furniture and homeware design. These are key moments which have felt affirming and have brought about a lot of gratitude. Moving from ideation, and carrying these ideas through to completion makes us realise we actually can become what we dream of being – and now that feels broader than ever. 

VISIT ‘FULLHOUSE’ AT BLANK PROJECTS
NOW UNTIL 19 AUGUST 2023

Images by @_kylemorland

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