Barcelona-based gallery Suburbia Contemporary announce salon-style pop-up exhibition ‘Ifestile’ at Kitsune in Bo-Kaap

Feb 5, 2024 | News, Art

Suburbia Contemporary proudly announces their first pop-up exhibition in the vibrant Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of Cape Town, titled “ifestile”. Suburbia Contemporary’s exhibition proposes a selection of artworks that manifest through different types of media, from emerging and established artists in the heart of Cape Town. 

By expanding beyond the four walls of the gallery, and similar institutional spaces: ifestile offers a window into aspects of everyday life that uniquely inform the art world as we know it. Curated by Kim Makin and Francesco Ozzola in a salon-style (as a nod and play on the host space Kitsune), ifestile seeks contact across alternative contexts. 

In this way, different paths have been chosen that, through the artists’ gaze offer new possibilities for discovery and adventure in and out of the city. Where ifestile presents the isiXhosa translation for ‘window’ in English, through a play on language it is interesting to note the manner in which the word similarly translates across local languages with reference to the same root word: “ifasitela”, in isiZulu, “venster” in Afrikaans, “lefasetere” in Sepedi, “fensethere” in Setswana, to name but a few. Thus, the exhibition presents unique aspects of the every day, that simultaneously speak to some shared experience across space, place and people.

ifestile will feature a diverse array of talented artists, including Alexandra Karakashian, Amy Rush, Ciara Dunsby, Jacob van Schalkwyk, Jake Aikman, Ed Young, Han Bing, Kim Karabo Makin, Kutlo Mabua, Shana-Lee Ziervogel, and Yolena Doda, Lucy Jane Turpin each contributing their unique perspectives and artistic expressions to enrich the showcase.

Curator Kim Makin, courtesy of Suburbia Contemporary

 

Kitsune in Rose St, Bo-Kaap, courtesy of Suburbia Contemporary

 

Investec Cape Town Art Fair
Unbound City
We are excited to participate as exhibitors in the eleventh edition of the The Investec Cape Town Art Fair, an annual event that showcases contemporary art from Africa and around the world. 

The 2024 edition of the fair will have a new theme: Unbound City, focusing on emerging and unbound voices. The role of the city of Cape Town becomes even more relevant for its local artists and for an international audience of collectors and institutions. This year the fair provides individuals a platform for expression, a space where diverse voices can be heard. Unbound serves as a conduit for exploring alternative possibilities and breaking free from constrictive narratives.

Suburbia Contemporary
Based in Barcelona, Suburbia Contemporary is on a mission to showcase challenging and innovative creations from various cultures and backgrounds. Founded in 2017 in Granada with the purpose of providing visibility to artists with a geographically balanced variety, transcending traditional artistic forms with their unique and distinctive perspectives. Suburbia Contemporary curates a well-balanced selection of art, representing a wide range of styles and mediums, from painting to sculpture and performance. In 2019, the gallery introduced Satellite spaces in Cape Town and, in 2020, in Florence. Demonstrating a forward-thinking approach, Suburbia Contemporary seeks to connect people across borders through its international art collection, fostering a global dialogue in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art.

Kim Karabo Makin, Ceramic Basket (series), 2023, courtesy of Suburbia Contemporary

Jingle Bells by Kutlo Mabua, courtesy of Suburbia Contemporary

Jacob van Schalkwyk, untitled, 2024, courtesy of Suburbia Contemporary

10 – 15 February 2024
Opening Hours: 10.00 – 17.00 h
Kitsune, 72 Rose St, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, 8001
Admission: Free

Curated by: Kim Makin and Francesco Ozzola

Artists: Alexandra Karakashian, Amy Rusch, Ciara Dunsby, Jacob van Schalkwyk, Jake Aikman, Ed Young, Han Bing, Kim Karabo Makin, Kutlo Mabua, shana-Lee Ziervogel, Yolena Doda, Lucy Jane Turpin

‘ifestile’ forms part of the program of Unbound City by Investec Cape Town Art Fair

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Universal Music Group Has Pulled Its Music From TikTok

Feb 2, 2024 | News, Music

Global music corporation, Universe Musical Group, encompasses record labels, artist management and publishing; with a significant influence across the world’s music industry. The company is at loggerheads with video-format app, TikTok, accusing the app of “trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music”. 

It’s been 20 years since the release of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder on The Dancefloor’, but with the release of the film Saltburn; the song has gone viral across a new generation, looking to re-imagine that dance by Barry Keoghan’s character, Oliver. This ‘renaissance moment’ is just one of the many examples of the power of viral songs on TikTok. 

Over the past few years, TikTok has emerged as a formidable force in the music industry, uniquely positioned among a select few entities capable of propelling songs to viral success; record labels depend on the platform for discovering new artists and amplifying their content. TikTok asserts its role as a facilitator for artists to connect with expansive audiences, positioning itself as a crucial discovery platform for showcasing their talents; with TikTok users being noted for their ability to make songs ‘go viral’ as part of trends that occur on the app. It should be noted, though, that TikTok only allows a maximum of 60 seconds for any song added to a video, and music cannot be played outside of creating or viewing videos.

Photographed by Cottonbro Studio via Pexels

Photographed by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

As Daily Maverick reported, “music companies have long complained that the platform doesn’t compensate artists fairly for their work. While ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) generated more than $110 billion in sales last year, revenue from TikTok accounted for only 1% of UMG’s total, the music publisher said. In 2022, labels began pushing the company to share the wealth with rights holders.”

UMG released this open letter to explain their position, while TikTok’s official statement simply reads, “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters. Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent. TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”

This is yet another difficult situation that the music industry has had to face with the digitisation and availability of music through streaming platforms and apps alike. Usually, the artists are the ones who inevitably suffer the most. While UGM pulling Taylor Swift and The WEEKEND might be relatively inconsequential – any smaller artists emerging across their labels could miss out on a life-changing moment. 

This is a developing story.

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

‘The transformative potential of public space’ – with award-winning architectural practice ‘The MAAK’

Feb 1, 2024 | Interviews, Community

I am extremely lucky to have the conversations that I do with a myriad of people; each of whom I hold immense reverence for, in both their varying praxis and for their beingness. Still, each conversation I have seems to unveil an even deeper excitement and revelation about the potentiality of not only South Africa – but life itself. My conversation with Ashleigh Killa and Max Melvill is no exception; in fact, it is one of the most profound to date. 

Ash and Max are co-founders of award-winning spatial practice ‘The MAAK’, based in Cape Town. Specifically focused on ‘social impact’ architecture, The MAAK is situated between intersecting realms of design, artistic inquiry – architecture (of course) – and most crucially? People. In a world in which architecture feels a more grand and impersonal execution of human ingenuity than ever; The MAAK’s focus on social impact and public spaces, synonymously, is indisputably human-centric. 

This approach, though not explicitly stated by The MAAK, reminds me of the ongoing theory around the ‘Third Space’. This term holds a dual-function; in an urban-planning context, sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the ‘Third Space’ as intrinsically a community space – the first space as being one’s home and the second space as being one’s workplace. So, the Third Space are places that exist beyond the ‘individual’ modes of existence of modern living – and into parks, coffee shops, community centres, libraries and so on. This identification of the Third Space was furthered, more enriching, by critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha; without diving too deeply into his incredible assertions, he describes the possibilities for the Third Space in a decolonial, globalised framework. Bhabha puts forward the notion that the Third Space is a prerequisite for cultural expression today, which in turn facilitates the cherishing, protecting and merging of cultural heritage and diversity.

When we think about architectural practice, or the act of building material containers in which to live – work – play – the civic arena, in our local context, tends to elicit feelings of dullness. Yet, public space, seen through the lens of the theory of Third Space, is one of the most important features of our society. For Max and Ash, their  acknowledgement of this arose as early as their studies together; with the two understanding  the potential of public buildings to act as ‘north stars’ and beacons of transformation for communities. In a South African context, a richly diverse and complex context, Max explains that “one of the things that makes architecture unique, and the potential of it in our country, is that it’s fundamentally local and fixed. Through this, the potential of craft can be used to connect the identity of a people with the specificity of place. We are definitely driven by this as a studio and it gives us great pride to work with our rich context to create uniquely South African things.”

Workshops and maker-sessions are used to engage with and learn from the eventual users of the space, Otto Foundation.

Interior sketch of the library with reading pit and work area & collage drawing of the entrance to the new library, Otto Foundation.

In asking both Ash and Max the why for public spaces – they each point to the essential social implications of their work. Max notes that, “Although The MAAK is continually evolving as we grow. A golden thread for us, is the idea of ‘publicness’ and inevitably social impact. Because we work predominantly in under-resourced areas, we are critically aware of the potential impact each project can have. Focusing on public buildings (libraries, clinics, creches etc) and public space, has been a way for us to maximise on this potential and focus our craft.” While Ash describes their work as a form of ‘care work’ enacted through architecture; “For me, The MAAK has fundamentally been about people. It hasn’t actually been about buildings. I would have loved to have been in the medicine or care work world in another life, and so public spaces have become this vehicle for me and way of caring for people.”

The MAAK is a process-led practice that strives to move away from ‘outputs’ being the driver of what they do. An important part of this is working in a way that deals with  agency as having been experienced by everyone involved. Working in the public realm involves looking at the users of the space as being as important as the client or funder(s) who pays for it. The two note that this opens up each project as a space for serial collaboration and presents the opportunity to engage the act of architecture beyond the conventional modes of typical ‘client/ architect agreements’. 

Take their current library project at Rahmaniyeh Primary School in District 6 (being built in collaboration with The Otto Foundation) as an example. Beyond pleasing the school (and the project funders) their primary goal is to engage with and understand the learners themselves. By hosting workshops and making sessions, they have created the container from which they can learn from and build empathy with the eventual users of the space; the learners themselves. This process towards understanding each projects’ needs is not typical in architectural practice – and is what sets The MAAK apart. Max explains “we often talk about ourselves being midwives who are really just trying to safely carry ideas, needs and desires, through the expression of architecture, into reality. In the context of our work it is rarely the client or funder who will make use of the building. Knowing this, it becomes critical for us to find ways of engaging with the people who will actually use the space. It is ultimately their brief (not the clients) that will determine the success of each project.  

The MAAK governs an area of ‘sustainability’ or environmentalism which tends to be under emphasised; the need for human beings to exist safely and with dignity. As Ash explains, their thinking is about quality and the experience people will have with the building, “for us, sustainability is as much about the environment as it is about urban resilience. We are lucky to work with a lot of sponsors, some of whom donate materials to our projects. It is our responsibility to make sure that these resources are deployed in a way to lift communities as opposed to becoming a burden on them. Constructing maintenance heavy buildings or using short-term solutions (like containers or prefab structures) do more harm than good- especially in low-income environments.”

Each year, The MAAK hosts ‘Follies in the Veld’ (FITV); a fast-paced ‘design and make’ programme that invites collaborators to experiment with unconventional materials by building a temporary installation together.As Max says, “architecture is typically a very slow process – getting to the point of construction can sometimes take years from the point of conception.  Follies in The Veld, in some way, is a reaction to that . It is a chance to act, think, experiment, fail, learn and unlearn quickly. Using chosen materials as the lens to do this, has been a liberating process and has produced wonderous innovations over the years.” For the FITV programme in 2019, The MAAK, in collaboration with visual artist Amy Rusch and the creative collective ‘Our Workshop’, used up-cylced TetraPak to create 2 large canopies in an under-utilised public space in Langa, Cape Town. The profound installation stands testament to how acts of creativity and joy can encourage new life in our cities.

FITV participants working hard mid way through the programme & activation of public space post installation, Courtesy of The MAAK.

Happy face enjoying interacting with the structure, photographed by Sophie Zimmerman.

As a part of the library project they are currently working on in District Six, The MAAK have teamed up with the land activist Zayaan Khan and photographer Kent Andreasen; together they have been interested in exploring deeper stories of land relevant to the area. Max recalls “Guided by Zayaan, we have been sifting through clay reserves that exist in District Six. In this clay we have been discovering bits of building rubble from the houses that would have been demolished there during the forced removals in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. We are now in the process of making new bricks from this material that will be used in the construction of the library. For us it is important to find ways, through the architecture, to acknowledge what happened on this land.” 

This artistic (for want of a better word) layer of The MAAK’s practice, so laden with emotion and depth, is perhaps the moment I realised that what we were discussing goes far beyond the reach of ‘social impact’. Rather, I would liken Max and Ash’s expression as creative architects to something futuristic – and not in a technological sense – but in a truly sensitive and expansive way. When we are challenged to imagine and create beyond the established means of doing something – then, true ingenuity arises. Speaking to Ash and Max is like peering past the veil of the creative conversations that I have had, and into something entirely new and undiscovered.

Interplay of colours and shadows inside the covered courtyard play area. Photographed by Kent Andreasen.

Kids playing on the adjacent public street to the creche. Photographed by Kent Andreasen.

The new creche is the first piece of formal public infrastructure built in New Rest Valley. Photographed by Kent Andreasen.

For the New Rest Valley Creche in Riebeek Kasteel, Max and Ash convinced their client to not build a wall or fence around the building, instead they maximised the facility’s footprint and used the walls needed in the project to create a secure envelope for the scheme , “We explained that putting buildings behind walls or scary electric fences mitigates the potential for architecture to help build more cohesive, welcoming and dynamic communities.” Max notes. As a child day-care centre, the New Rest Valley Creche  demonstrates a thoughtfulness towards the inhabitants of the space; soft, curved walls, provision of shade and opportunities for rest and chilling are perfect for young kids and their parents/caregivers for whom the site now forms part of their everyday lives.

Last year, The MAAK were invited to Georgia by the Tbilisi Architectural Biennial. For this, Ash and Max designed a range of site-specific furniture ‘to raise awareness around the illegal dumping of construction waste in Digomi Meadows, one of the last remaining riparian forests in the region’. Titled ‘Love Thy Monsters’, the project is an iteration of RRRUBBLE – a collaborative research project by The MAAK and Space Saloon, a cross-country collective of researchers, artists and architects. Max says, “we went through this process of foraging the area of Digomi Meadows, which has a very specific and important role in Tbilisi and is at risk of being ruined. From this, we created hyper-contextual furniture pieces that use the material we found to cast light on the tragedy that is occurring in the area. These pieces will be used in the refurbishment of a derelict power station into a new community-space and a listening bar for a local internet radio station.” For Ash and Max, architecture is incontestably also an act of activism; an opportunity for design-thinking to transform our understanding of the world and how we live in it.

Aerial view of the Love Thy Monsters exhibition during setup & public learning about the Dighomi Meadows tragedy at the exhibition opening, photographed by Nino Kakabadze.

Final catalogue of pieces for sale at the Love Thy Monsters exhibition. Courtesy of The MAAK/ Space Saloon.

The MAAK weaves together all the most pertinent threads within a much needed ‘design-as-change’ narrative. Technical ability, precise intentions, thoughtfulness, genuine curiosity and above all –  execution, are just some of the inputs that coalesce to form their spatial-lead vision. I bow humbly at their work and what it means for South Africa and the planet’s future. 

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Chapter 23 | Six Brands Whose Love-letter to Fashion is Handcrafting

Jan 31, 2024 | Fashion, Interlude

I don’t know if it’s the state of the world or the endless, visual onslaught of our digitally-driven lives; but I have had a deep sense of fatigue around my love for fashion. So, in thinking about the first chapter of Interlude for 2024 – I knew instinctively that the topic would need to be gentle and embody slowness as its sartorial compass. 

Handcrafting encompasses a wide variety of traditional, manual techniques. While it is a tradition of creating that has always formed part of fashion, it has become somewhat of a rare and precious feature. The machine age, with all its convenience, is generally the most efficient way for a brand (big or small) to do just about anything. While technological tools are incredible, embedding some form of handcrafting into one’s practice is a noble commitment to the preservation of makers as conduits of their own creative energy. This is not to say one can’t achieve a level of attentiveness with the use of tools – but that in a robust fashion future, handcrafting should always remain as an available pathway. 

As it turns out, and not to my surprise, handcrafting is for the girls. Chapter 23 looks at six brands across jewellery-making, leather-making, crocheting and embroidery – and asks, why does handcrafting matter and what do these techniques mean to these six creators?

TSHEPISO JEWELLERY 

To understand Tshepiso’s eponymous jewellery brand, is to note her background as a fine-art graduate. With a focus on form as a principle from where all else is possible, her fascination for crafting jewellery fuses her love for art and fashion; into profound talismanic objects for bodily adornment. I am a big fan – major – of Tshepiso’s work, which has been featured from Bubblegum Club to Vogue; as she breathes an etheric vision into the hardy, fire-born act of smithing. 

While Tshepiso’s brand is focused on silver and metal she explains that, “I consider myself a metalsmith, I am however by trade a goldsmith. However, I am deeply interested in silversmithing and blacksmithing as these do lean more into my fine art background.”  Forging, casting and forming metals is an ancient craft; Tshepiso explains the difference between goldsmithing, silversmithing and blacksmith, “goldsmithing is mainly jewellery and body oriented work. Silversmithing is more so object based, think silverware you only use on special occasions and that sort. Blacksmithing is also object based but the objects are made from harder materials such as iron, steel and are made to forge said jewellery and objects.” 

As a graduate of Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence, Italy, Tshepiso’s gift for wandering between form and the various techniques is matched only by her ceaseless, imaginative ways to breathe life into metals.  As she explains, “my designs are drawn from the ebbs and flows of life which in itself contains a lot of personal meaning. During my goldsmithing studies we had a particular task to complete, in the end I created a neck piece that was made of broken soldering bricks, acrylic shards and pieces of zinc strung by fishing line. This became a catalyst for my designs, broken shards, slurry drips and granular pieces to make something whole. I don’t abide by the seasonal drops. Every single piece of jewellery that I make is a dialog with what I’ve made before which allows me the freedom of consideration and care.”

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Armand Dicker

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Zhentago Er for Schön! Magazine

Tshepiso Jewellery photographed by Armand Dicker for Nataal Media

BY PANASHE

Panashe Ndhlovu graduated from Design Academy of Fashion in 2023 and her collection was a stand-out, sensory experience for CEC, who were in attendance at the DAF grad show. Though ‘quiet luxury’ and minimalism echo the discretion and isolation of the times that we live in; Panashe’s emerging brand, By Panashe, is an ode to the pure, unbridled joy of crafting techniques. As Panashe explains, “I believe that self-expression is collaborating with our inner child. My design style is based on a mixture of things like the essence of my childhood and culture as well as the influences of my personal style like Harajuku style and maximalism.”

With exceptionally executed techniques like embroidery, quilting and more; Panashe’s sartorial vision is so full of life; reminding me of the child-like wonder of the eyes through which I used to see fashion (and eyes I hope to return to). On her graduating collection, Panashe notes that “this collection is about capturing feelings of nostalgia and seeks for us to work with our inner child as adults to heal and transport us back to the moments we were most content as children. The brand is my fantasy world that I created using techniques like quilting, crochet, kanzashi flowers, knitting and ruffling to successfully elicit feelings of healing and nostalgia.” I am so excited to see how Panashe’s brand grows and continues to employ such detailed-oriented traditions into South Africa’s sartorial landscape.

Imagery by Tśele for By Panashe

NÜUMAGOO

Jelly Prest’s jewellery brand nüumagoo is the new kid on the local block – and it’s already a massive hit. Self-described as ‘shiny, wearable goop’ – nüumagoo is filling that corner of every creative person’s mind reserved for chromatic, globular, organic shapes and forms. One of the most beautiful aspects of metalsmithing is that it takes mineral treasures from deep in the earth and through an intricate process, it becomes something entirely new; it’s why the line between smithing and alchemy has historically been razor-thin. Jelly’s approach has injected South Africa’s jewellery and fashion scene with something inarticulable; from hair charms to drippy-style rings,  nüumagoo is perfect, dreamy and essential. 

For Jelly, nüumagoo has become a vessel for her creative expression – on finding this medium, Jelly says that “I don’t know if I would call myself a silversmith! I use the cire perdue method, which involves me sculpting into wax and casting those sculptures in silver. Growing up I loved to paint and draw and thought I would make a career of it. However, I always felt the pressure of perfection which in the end made me give up all creative pursuits for most of my adult life. For five years I hadn’t touched a paint brush, a tool, or anything to create with. After some self work and lifestyle changes I started dabbling in ceramics 3 years ago which led to me majorly accepting that my “perfect” was imperfection,  and that is OKAY! I guess that’s my ‘style’ – I seemed to overlook beforehand or rather, thought it wasn’t “good enough.”

Nüumagoo is the culmination of Jelly’s love for 3D mediums as both artful and functional. After being introduced to making jewellery by her partner Sam Maritz (whose brand is Ode), Jelly notes that “I like working with clay, it gave me the same satisfaction of taking an idea in my head, planning a working design, and then using my hands to mould, sculpt, and build a piece of art that I could create a purpose for. My background is in research and I can’t say I don’t love a little practicality, so I found that this medium allowed me to both use critical thinking as well as artistry.” 

On a practical and meaningful approach to building a brand, Jelly says that “as far as fashion and practicality not going hand in hand…well, Nüumagoo wants to be part of the world of brands that believe that doesn’t always have to be true. I want to create quality pieces of art people can use for function and fashion and recycle into different styling options. Working with this medium is new to me and every mistake I make leads me to learn and pushes me to be innovative. I’m excited to see where it takes me! At the end of the day I just wanted to make art I like and want to use. And it’s been really amazing to see other people enjoy it too.”

Imagery by Luke Doman for nüumagoo

DAISIE JO

“Honesty over perfection  /  at DAISIE JO we embrace our imperfections and humanness  /  it surfaces in the fabrics we source and the textile development of our garments  /  Our studio is a space where our craft is passed on from generations  /  it is important for us to use fashion to create new opportunities & train new generations  /  skill transferring  /  investing in quality  / wearable & useful art”

From the Karoo, straight to the heart of effervescent beauty. It’s hard to put into words what Daisie Jo does – and has been doing for some years. I came across Daisie’s work when I first started writing about South African fashion (my interview with Daisie here is one of my favourites to date) and it has remained one of the most fascinating spaces in our sartorial landscape. Daisie creates wearable art; embroidery onto organza, cotton or raw silks – no two pieces are ever alike, and each piece builds upon a pretty profound life, led by Daisie – who remains in Karoo, emboldened by the land and its people to create beauty, colour and consciousness. 

As the brands manifesto notes, “we focus on EMBROIDERY and fabric manipulation. We use various techniques to have a no waste process in the studio, every garment is hand cut & each detail carefully considered. Mindful creation, mindful consumption.”

Imagery by Zander Opperman for Daisie Jo

PROJECT DYAD

Project Dyad is the brainchild of Jessika Balzer, for whom hand-crafting is expressed through leather-work and design. From Project Dyad’s Woodstock studio, the brand functions as a site for design-thinking (and execution), the preservation of tradition and nurturing of the Dyad community. As Jessika notes, “everything Dyad creates is informed by the principle of hand-crafting. Dyad started with a passion for creating things by hand and a passion for slow fashion.” 

Informed by lines, shapes and the tactical (and innate pride) in using leather for its durability, Project Dyad’s incredible and perennial collection across bags, wallets and even coasters is an ode to the power of crafting as a form of resistance against mass-production, with Jessika noting that “the goal has always been harnessing expertise in a very traditional craft while infusing it with a contemporary design aesthetic and out-of-the-box thinking. The design process is tightly woven with that craftsmanship, it informs what’s possible, which boundaries can be pushed and if something can be reproduced many times. So in that way, our studio is built around craftsmanship. We take a lot of pride in making almost everything in-house in our studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. Every piece that leaves our studio is infused with the passion of the hands that made them. This thought brings me immense joy—I believe it transcends.”

Imagery by Frances Marais for Project Dyad

ABRIELLA CROCHET

Gabriella Brown’s vision for crochet is kaleidoscopic; colours and shape, motivated by yarn, tell the tale of colour as one of most powerful sensory experiences. Gabriella’s brand, Abriella Crochet, is a handcrafting dream, as she says that “handcrafting is a special kind of art. Crocheting in particular allows me to do shapes and textures that machines can’t make. The thought that someone will be able to wear and appreciate an item that took me hours and days to complete is satisfying.”

Informed by Gabriella’s own longing for a colourful wardrobe that truly expresses her essence, Gabriella explains that “I started my crochet journey in 2021. I kept coming across beautiful crochet creations, I saw how people were able to express who they are through crocheting. The fact that not many shops made vibrant coloured clothing that speak for me, I saw it as an opportunity to create things I would like. At first I didn’t have enough money to buy crochet needles, so I carved my own out of a chopstick I had in the kitchen, and used my aunt’s old yarn to start practising. Thanks to my close friends who financially supported my business, I was able to grow and buy more materials and tools to continue exploring my creativity.” This idea of using her own carved needles out of chopsticks and the support of her community – well, I’m not sure if the ingenuity involved in handcrafting can better be explained than with this?

Imagery by Gabriella Brown for Abriella Crochet 

Written by: Holly Beaton
For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

How Maison Margiela’s SS24 Haute Couture Show Astounded Everyone

Jan 30, 2024 | News, Fashion

This year, John Galliano is celebrating ten years at the helm of Maison Margiela. To mark the occasion, Galliano showcased an astounding theatrical sartorial display; for the first time in years and years, a true narrative was on offer to the fashion landscape. The show wove together Galliano’s vision and penchant for referencing; a sublime feat that the designer has always been noted for. It was 1920s Parisian underworld in some instances, 19th century ‘Gilded’ in moments; still, it felt modern and relatable, particularly because it dosed us with something we have been missing. Fashion as true fantasy. You can listen to Galliano’s own thoughts on certain Maison Margiela collections, here, to understand what I mean.

In an underground part of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris, Maison Margiela’s 2024 ‘Artisanal’ (Haute Couture) toyed with form in a multiplicity of ways. With his long standing collaborator, make-up genius Pat McGrath; model’s faces were affixed with rich hues of colour, set in a mysterious substance that portrayed a glass-like, doll-like look; otherworldly, but not technological – etheric, but also ‘of this world’. These contrasts and dances with surrealism are where Galliano has always shone brightest; Galliano is arguably one of the greatest designers of our age; I implore you to read here to learn about this enigmatic emperor of couture.

Valentine Charrasse for Maison Margiela, Artisanal 2024, Make Up by Pat Mcgrath, from @patmcgrathreal IG

Naomi Apajok Lueth for Maison Margiela, Artisanal 2024, Make Up by Pat Mcgrath, from @patmcgrathreal IG

The garments worked as distinguishing features of the model’s own form; cinched waists, prosthetic manipulation, cascading, sheer fabrics made their way down the intimate space, as the models undulated and contorted themselves; as if this were really a performance and not simply a fashion show. This was all choreographer Pat Boguslawski’s doing, alongside legendary art director Lexy Roche. As Alexander Fury wrote for AnOther Magazine, “The models – or muses, as Galliano rightfully calls them these days – wound up melding with the clothes, literally in a sequence of body-smothering pieces inspired by the Fauvist artist Kees van Dongen, who saw bodies in blue and skies in pink and green, and painted a fantasy world unlike that we mere mortals see.”

As reported by Alexander, the techniques employed by Galliano and his team convey some of the most discreet and yet astounding ‘fashion trickery’ techniques; silicone treatments to make fabric appear soaking, or treated with glue to age – decoupaged lace and ‘porcelain’ necklaces. It was as if the Atelier had spent months simply playing and we were finally allowed to see the final thing. 

The show featured many incredible threads, but nothing quite held people’s attention than the fanciful and brilliant mind of Pat McGrath, fashion’s legendary make-up artist. Beauty fanatics on social media furiously sought out the trick; with WWD reporting that the product might be revealed by McGrath, as part of her own iconic beauty brand. 

It appears that in the midst of luxury fashion’s ill-fated relationship with excess and overconsumption – true artistry still exists to inspire us all. Thank you Galliano, for seeing your work through.

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Fashion designer Robyn Agulhas on experimenting with trust through her brand, SinCHUI

Jan 30, 2024 | Interviews, Fashion

I first spoke to Robyn Agulhas in 2021, having been introduced to her work through Lemkus. Robyn’s brand SinCHUI (pronounced ‘sin-chewy’) was only two years old; born out of her graduating collection at CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology): an institution that arguably boasts one of the best fashion departments in the country. In our conversation back in 2021, Robyn was one of the first designers hopping onto a sartorial wave most commonly defined as ‘tech-utility’. A branch of streetwear with a scrupulous focus on construction and functionality, SinCHUI’s ‘tech-utility’ approach has grown from strength to strength – and Robyn has come to be one of the most important contemporary designers in South Africa. So much so that Robyn was recently awarded the SA Fashion Weeks Mr Price ‘Scouting Menswear’ competition. The prize, aside from its immense industry recognition, includes mentorship, cash and a collaborative collection between SinCHUI and Mr Price, launching in 2024. After four years of building SinCHUI, this recognition is hard-won and symbolises a kind of grit in Robyn that I hope many aspiring designers will attempt to embody. 

For someone who has overcome many doubts and a self-professed ‘late start as a designer,’ Robyn described the win, “I didn’t go with any expectation to win. My goal was to just showcase at SA Fashion Week because as a platform alone, they’re just incredible. It was a dream come true just to have SinCHUI as a runway show. Regarding the win, I’m really proud of myself – especially as a creative, it’s a win over my doubts and my fears. Going into the unknown and designing collections for a fashion week was an immense challenge and it proved to me that I really love what I do. I am getting more involved with loving the process.” This was the second collection that Robyn produced last year for a runway show, having shown for African Fashion Spaces in September. I’ve spoken before about the importance of seeing streetwear on the runway; it brings brands directly to an audience for whom tactically remains paramount. Asking Robyn how winning the award at SA Fashion Week felt, she says, “when I got back from SA Fashion Week, I had to jump straight into another project. I’m not sure I even had time to process it! I’m still processing it and when I got back, I needed to rest. Winning this award has shown me how much I’ve grown. I’ve been working on this brand since I graduated and I have taken every single opportunity that has come my way; so I look at this moment to affirm that pushing and not giving up really, really does pay off.”

SAFW AW24 SinCHUI

Robyn created this collection in her own studio, something she had been working on for quite some time to have; a space of her own and home for SinCHUI to evolve, “a win for me is also just knowing that for the past for months, I have this space, I can pay the rent – I could buy a machine. I want to encourage younger brands to aim for those small milestones, because they make all the difference. Being able to build something from the ground up is a slow, steady process”

Robyn’s story forms part of a thread of synchronistic conversations that we have been having on CEC; namely, pursuing your creative vision, no matter what or especially, no matter when. Robyn says, “The last time we spoke, I had just started to focus fully on SinCHUI. I started in politics, then I worked in the fashion industry as a stylist; all throughout my twenties, I didn’t have any idea that I would become a designer or have my own brand. I was just trying to find my feet in fashion. I thought that because I couldn’t draw or sketch, that being a designer couldn’t be part of my journey. So, SinCHUI was born from my determination to overcome the obstacle of wanting to be a designer and the doubts I had in my mind about my ability to do so.” 

Success is a blend of talent and determination. In this world, original ideas exist in everyone’s minds; but whoever is able to integrate these ideas from the ether and anchor them into the world, are those that will see fruition in the work. Robyn describes her initial worry of going back to study fashion in her late twenties, and explains how her perspective has changed – “actually, graduating at 29 was really good for me. I knew who I was, I knew what I liked – that I was a streetwear designer. Sometimes things that happen later for you in life are exactly the way it’s meant to be; with that confidence of knowing, of having developed a point of view from life experience.”

SinCHUI’s winning collection last year at SA Fashion Week was a love-letter to her childhood; specifically, how it was informed by her father and his soccer lineage, arising out of Heideveld. Extremely well styled and constructed, the collection speaks to a current phenomenon (by designers like Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose etc) of women designer’s innovative approach to menswear. Robyn explains that, “the brief was from ‘sport to street’ and I knew instinctively that I would focus on soccer. Growing up, my dad played soccer in the community that he’s from and he ended up playing at a professional level, provincially. Back in the day, Coloured people had a league of their own. I grew up with soccer as a huge part of our lives and I grew up on the soccer field. I took the elements of the goal-keeper, the jersey – the warm-up tracksuit – I even created a formal suit that teams wear when arriving for matches. There was so much to reference from soccer along with my personal connection to it; seeing firsthand what an impact soccer has had in my family and broader community.” This distinct and personal point of view is precisely why Robyn finds herself in this moment. Robyn explains that in designing this collection, she had realised that her sartorial influences had always involved a sporting aesthetic – and with her mom having worked in the fashion industry, it was clear that blending sporting and fashion sensibilities could come naturally. Robyn says, “sport really encompasses a mental toughness that is so powerful. Although I grew up in Goodwood, my parents would take us back to Heideveld – to where they come from – so we always retained that connection to our family roots. We did this through soccer and I saw kids growing up who might have been affected by gangsterism and have the odds stacked against them, but when they came onto the soccer field; they could just be and find some kind of freedom. This collection is my love-letter to this part of my life and aspects of life across the Coloured community.” 

As a designer and creative, Robyn’s focus is to ‘tell exactly what I’ve lived’; this earnestness and authenticity is a precious addition to South Africa’s broader sartorial identity. With 2023 having been a whirlwind year, one only knows what 2024 will bring for SinCHUI; we wait and witness with bated breath.

Written by: Holly Beaton

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Southern Guild present Solo Shows by Rich Mnisi and Justine Mahoney

Jan 29, 2024 | News, Art

Rich Mnisi: Dzuvula (Shedding Skin)
8 February – 18 April 2024 

Southern Guild Cape Town presents Dzuvula (Shedding Skin), a solo exhibition of collectible design by Rich Mnisi, from 8 February to 18 April 2024. Comprising sculptural bronze furniture and lighting, as well as a hand-woven limited-edition rug, Dzuvula is an expansion on the cosmology of duality that emerged with the designer’s debut collection, Nyoka (2021). The body of work complicates the interplay of the mundane and the magical, the matriarchal and magisterial – themes that have emanated from the artist’s embrace of fluidity as a guiding philosophy and aesthetic approach.  

The snake – with its embodiment of fear and beauty – makes a reappearance in Dzuvula, the undulating arcs of its movement distorting and disrupting borders and edges. A hiss resounds through this collection, a sensuous whisper hinting at something deviant, rubbing against boundaries, smoothing hard gradients, holding within its resonant sound conflicting truths and contrasts. 

A polished bronze table, titled Mbhoni (Witness), bulges and swells outwards, held up on a serpentine limb that at once embraces and impales it. A pair of sculptural seats, Ripfumelo I and Ripfumelo II, combining bronze armatures and sheepskin seats, introduce a soft lushness to the collection, embodying fear/comfort dualities. 

 In Vutlhari II (Wisdom), a bronze chandelier, the serpent contorts over and into itself in a manner best described as swirling, consuming wisdom handed down by our forebears. In this edition of the chandelier – a collaboration between Rich Mnisi and designer Charles Haupt that debuted in Nyoka – the shades have been printed with an intricate snakeskin pattern.

Dzuvula also references Bumba, the Bushongo mythological god who created life by vomiting up elements of the natural world. Shiluva (Flower), a rug in Tibetan wool and silk, depicts the primordial soup of Bumba’s regurgitation of life. Nyoka II, a curved console which also first appeared in Mnisi’s 2021 solo, is punctuated by the winding form of a bronze snake, its storage cavity concealed by richly patterned beading inspired by Mnisi’s 2022 Mafamba Yexe fashion collection. Bursts of gleaming bronze are interwoven with insights from the past and the future.

Rich Mnisi’s ‘Mbhoni (Witness), 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

 

Collaborating closely with Southern Guild, Mnisi brought his visions to life by working with various artists and artisans including Charles Haupt of Bronze Age Studio, who was instrumental in Monkeybiz, Paco Rugs and. This aligns with both Southern Guild and the designer’s commitment to promoting craft and South African handwork.  

 Collaboration is an incredibly intimate praxis, requiring connection and closeness before it can reach for comprehension. Intimacy as a theme runs throughout Mnisi’s works, in the way their forms hug the body and require the viewer to move around, their silhouettes changing with every view. Nwa-Mulamula’s Embrace (2021) is named after his great grandmother and models its form on the curved shape of the late matriarch. Reworked in concrete for this collection, it is a powerful evocation of the transfer of knowledge between generations, here transmuted into a gesture of peace, reflected in its title, Rhulani (Peace).  

 Where Nyoka attempted to hold the frictions and tensions of creation and life, Dzuvula expands on this world to draw parallels between the snake’s duplexity and our own conflicting nature. Nyoka spoke to creation through regurgitation and the drawing together of things; Dzuvula speaks to the things that quietly encroach in between. This new body of work is the spark created by that friction: the animation of life. Reflective surfaces refract and manipulate light, creating many forms from the teasing apart of one.   

 “We are at once faithful and faithless, bound and free,” Mnisi notes. “Sustaining existence within life’s many tensions defines the human experience. Dzuvula turns the acceptance of this immutable truth into a sensory journey. Every piece reflects the result of growing into oneself – risk and vulnerability, strain and ease – through a vocabulary of forms, patinas, patterns and textures.” 

Born in Johannesburg in 1991, Rich Mnisi’s broad design vision embraces fashion and functional sculpture. His work flows according to the themes and motifs he returns to and continually pushes forward: the women in his life, queerness and the VaTsonga tribe. 

 Mnisi graduated from Johannesburg’s LISOF School of Fashion in 2014, following which he was named Africa Fashion International Young Designer of the Year at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa. He founded his eponymous label in 2015, creating genderless, seasonless collections infused with his own personal narrative and heritage. 

 His first solo exhibition of sculptural furniture, titled Nyoka (meaning snake in Xitsonga), was a bold exploration of shape and fluidity, brought to life through vivid contrasts of forms and materials, including bronze, wool, resin and glass. Mnisi’s work has been presented by Southern Guild at Design Miami and Investec Cape Town Art Fair.  

Rich Mnisi’s ‘Mbhoni (Witness), 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

 

Justine Mahoney: VIGIL
8 February – 18 April 2024 

Southern Guild Cape Town presents VIGIL, a solo exhibition of ceramic sculptures and paintings by South African artist Justine Mahoney, from 8 February – 18 April 2024. The artist reimagines the 12 Jungian archetypes in a series of sculpted figures and large-scale paintings on heavy-weight fabric. Rooted in a wealth of esoteric theory, Mahoney’s archetypes embody and mythologise facets of the collective human unconscious.  

Over an extended period of isolation during the pandemic, Mahoney began a daily practice of self-enquiry through Jungian meditation. Encountering what Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung referred to as “Mythopoetic Imagination” – the dark and fertile landscape of active imagination – the artist conjured vivid manifestations of each archetype. Jung believed these archetypal models underpinned man’s innate and universal personas, behaviours and motivations. They appeared to Mahoney as messengers, carriers from the invisible terrain, arriving as “giant psychic forces” from within. She crystallised their final forms after extensive research into Tarot, Plato’s theory of forms, and a close reading of Jung’s journals (The Black Books) and manuscripts (The Red Book: Liber Novus). She also drew heavily from esoteric knowledge systems that pre-date the advent of Judeo-Christianity. Treating imaginative thought and fantasy as vital creative functions, VIGIL surfaces from a subversive reality; one that belies rationality to ground itself more freely in the ancient, essential and human. 

Mahoney’s process of sculpting this body of work echoes the digital collages in her previous series. Shaping the clay into the desired form, each figure was then deconstructed – bisected, hollowed out, interchanged and reassembled to take their final expression. This act of disruption and reconfiguration extends throughout Mahoney’s three decades-long career, which has been characterised by a preference for transgressive, hybridised figuration. This hybridity is the result of a distinct self-awareness that has seen the artist remain active in and awake to both the making of her work and the larger examination of her own identity.

Justine Mahoney, Mother, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The Heroine, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The King, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

The works in VIGIL regard the figure as an amorphous vessel, transforming each body into irregular contortions. Mother arches backward, life-giving milk flowing from her breasts as 10 fingers reach through her stomach as if growing from within. She is the creator and destroyer, both the abundant life-force and the abyss. The Child looks skyward, mouth agape, holding up two large hands in what could be interpreted as either acquiescence or protest. The figure stands at the precipice of a new beginning, the cosmic infant of boundless possibility. The Wanderer, wearing a hooded cloak, eyes peering out from a painted face of red, holds the head of a wolf. They are the hungry seeker, returning with the spoils from the divine hunt. Some figures read as plant-like, with braided hair or limbs reaching downward to ground themselves in the earth. Mahoney considers these apparitions as the denizens of our inner worlds, encompassing the duality and rapture of our universal humanity.

The painted earthenware figures stand on ebonised plinths of indigenous cedar and pine, which Mahoney treated using the centuries-old Japanese wood-burning technique of Shou Sugi Ban. Each plinth has been torched with a flamethrower, blackening the wood before being sealed with an ebony stain. Returning to painting after years of working solely in bronze, clay and digital collage, the artist created a corresponding series of enamel paintings on large segments of fabric. The two-dimensional figures appear flattened, reducing the form of their sculptural likenesses to deliberate silhouettes of line and colour. The immense paintings – hanging almost from floor to ceiling – converse with the clay bodies, retaining each archetype’s energetic weight in a reimagined graphic figure.  

In a moment of epistemic restlessness and global upheaval, Mahoney’s VIGIL finds renewed meaning in ancient, inner knowing. The body of work elevates the primal and perhaps forgotten knowledge of our collective humanness and shared mythologies.  

VIGIL by Justine Mahoney runs concurrently with Dzuvula (Shedding Skin) by Rich Mnisi at Southern Guild Cape Town from 8 February – 18 April 2024.

Justine Mahoney, The Queen, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

Justine Mahoney, The Wanderer, 2023, photographed by Hayden Phipps. Southern Guild.

COMING UP AT SOUTHERN GUILD 

Cape Town Gallery 
Justine Mahoney: VIGIL, 8 February – 18 April 2024 
Rich Mnisi: Dzuvula (Shedding Skin), 8 February – 18 April 2024 
 
Los Angeles Gallery 
Zizipho Poswa: Indyebo yakwaNtu (Black Bounty), 22 February – 18 April 2024 
Mother Tongues, Group Show, 22 February – 18 April 2024 
 
Fairs  
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, 15-18 February 2024 
Main Section 
Solo Section: Kamyar Bineshtarigh 
Generations: Terence Maluleke 
Expo Chicago, 8-14 April 2024 
 
 
ABOUT SOUTHERN GUILD
Established in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan, Southern Guild represents contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. With a focus on Africa’s rich tradition of utilitarian and ritualistic art, the gallery’s programme furthers the continent’s contribution to global art movements. Southern Guild’s artists explore the preservation of culture, spirituality, identity, ancestral knowledge, and ecology within our current landscape. Their work has been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum, Mint Museum, Harn Museum, Denver Art Museum, Vitra Museum, Design Museum Gent and National Gallery of Victoria. Since 2018, the gallery has collaborated with BMW South Africa on a year-round programme of meaningful activations that promote artist development and propel their careers. Located in Cape Town, Southern Guild will expand internationally with a 5,000 sqft space opening in Melrose Hill, Los Angeles in February 2024. 
 
Press release courtesy of Southern Guild  

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za

Alita Limona releases her debut Lofi Hip-Hop EP

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Alita Limona makes her return to Stereofox with the comforting new EP Grandpa’s Closet – a project that takes inspiration from the Jazz Age of the 1920s. 

As the daughter of a jazz musician, German beatmaker, and multi-instrumentalist, Alita Limona grew up between the music studio and the stage, even penning her first songs at the age of 13. Her talent and dedication have led to her becoming a stand-out force in the beat scene as she consistently acquaints listeners with visceral feelings of nostalgia. 

“The idea for the EP started out as a side project while I was working on my debut album. I got lost in browsing through old jazz vinyls and absolutely fell in love with the sound and feeling they gave me. And I love Vinyl Crackles. Makes me want to cuddle up in a blanket and sit next to a fireplace with a good smelling book. Working on it made me nostalgic and think of my grandfather a lot. I imagined the life he might have had when he was young. I pictured him as an actor from those old movies dressed in handsome vintage clothes hanging out in underground jazz clubs. I improvised vocals on some of the tracks and intuitively felt like singing them in golden 20s style like Lana del Rey does. The songs are about love and the beauty of momentum before the speed and business of digital times.“ says Alita Limona

Alita Limon Grandpas Closet EP

From the vinyl crackles to the cosy and vintage-looking artwork, Alita’s adulation for yesteryears can be seen and heard all over Grandpa’s Closet EP. Thoughts of her grandpa stayed with her throughout the creation of this body of work, and served as the inspiration for the opener “Grandpa’s Video Projector” and the follow-up “Grandpa’s Old Leather Jacket”. On the lead single “I Can Watch the Seasons Change,” she goes one step further, adorning her smooth and nostalgic instrumental with a soulful vocal performance delivered as if she’s from the 1920s. Ushering you into an experience that feels reflective and romantic at the same time, this release marks the arrival of her debut EP and romanticises the beauty of momentum before the speed and business of digital times.

Listen to ‘Grandpa’s Closet’ HERE 

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Press release courtesy of Mike Kelly 

Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton unveils instrumental gem ‘Midnight Milan’

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Co-founder of the influential group Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton unveils instrumental gem ‘Midnight Milan’, the first single taken from his forthcoming album Sound Vagabond, a 14-track sonic travelogue created by one of the fathers of downtempo electronic music.

As co-founder of the influential group Thievery Corporation, Hilton has spent decades merging diverse global genres into a singular music vision. Sound Vagabond is perhaps the ultimate iteration of this ethos, each track an audio picture postcard of a place real or imagined. “Some memories of the places I’ve been are very clear; others are distant, nostalgic echoes,” says Hilton. “This record started modestly, with some basic ideas, but after writing the first 8 tracks I knew I had a travelogue.”

Hilton, who has used sampling in his music since the early days of Thievery Corporation, didn’t go digging into crates to create crunchy 12-bit vinyl samples for this record, but instead turned to public domain sample libraries. Saying, “This record is like a sound collage, with 60% samples and 40% live instruments. Sampling off old vinyl records is great, but there are obvious licensing and clearance headaches. Public sample libraries are a fantastic resource; you dig through a lot of hilarious garbage, but I’m astounded by the nuggets you can find. You can find specific instruments in any given key, and then the challenge is chopping them up, recontextualizing and integrating them with the track you’re making.” The end result is music where the samples don’t call attention to themselves or distract from the carefully curated mood in any way.

A perfect way to ease into 2024, “Midnight Milan” brings to mind a late night assignation, breathy promises and a doomed kiss.

Listen to ‘Midnight Milan’ HERE 

Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff

DJ Lag & Mr Nation Thingz release viral TikTok song ‘Hade Boss’

Jan 26, 2024 | New Release, Music

Mr Nation Thingz originally teased ‘Hade Boss’ on TikTok in December – a collaboration he’d been working on with 2023 SAMA Best Gqom Album winner, DJ Lag. What they didn’t anticipate was how much the song would blow up on TikTok and champion its own dance challenge, long before it was finalised or had a release date pinned down. Thousands of fans will be pleased to know that ‘Hade Boss’ is now officially available on all streaming platforms.

According to Mr Nation Thingz, “‘Hade Boss’ is about talking to his boss, telling him that he wants his annual bonus now that it’s December because he wants to go party and have fun. He wants to experience the summertime, and play with the other kids.” Essentially an anthem for pens down and vibes up.
Mr Nation Thingz may sound unfamiliar to some, but he’s amassed nearly half a million followers on Instagram and regularly draws large crowds at his performances. He broke onto the South African music scene in 2021, but his first major hit ‘Tholakele’ became a national success in 2023. When he began working on ‘Hade Boss’ his first instinct was to send a direct message to DJLag on Instagram to collaborate on the track, and the rest is history.

DJ Lag x Mr Nation Thingz x Hade Boss Single Cover

Also featured on the track is KC Driller, a DJ, producer and songwriter who has previously collaborated with DJ Lag on their joint hit ‘Shululu’, featuring Loki.
 DJ Lag is no stranger to releasing national hits, with his most recent collaboration with Blxckie becoming a local sensation.Starting 2024 with a banger, ‘Hade Boss’ is set to become the anthem for this year’s summer.

Listen to ‘Hade Boss’ HERE

Connect with DJ Lag:
X (formerly Twitter): @RealDJLag
Instagram: @realdjlag
Facebook: @realdjlag
Tik Tok: @realdjlag
YouTube: @DJLAG