The traditional gallery model is a necessary function and incubator of artists and exhibitions – yet a gallery is fixed to the space in which it exists, and although a space can always be transformed to suit the thematic needs for a particular exhibition – what if there was no confinement to one single venue? This is precisely the task of FEDE Arthouse – as a nomadic gallery launched by founder and artist Lebo Kekana, FEDE acts as conduit, curator and community-centric initiator of exhibitions that play with varying notions around the inextricable link between art – in multiple mediums – and its surrounding environment. Without the pressure of a venue – whether rented or owned – Lebo has tapped into the wellspring of vision and adaptability in himself, and his peers across art, fashion, music and design. Interestingly, FEDE Arthouse is not a counter-reaction to the traditional gallery model – in fact, Lebo feels it is intrinsic to our growing artistic landscape – but rather that there should always be alternative ways in which any artist can seek expression of their work out into the world. FEDE Arthouse is rooted in a very grassroots idea; that art arises from the ground upwards, among friends, family and communities – and that somewhere deep inside us all, our greatest longing is to create and share such creations with each other and have a great time doing it.

“I’m an artist and predominantly a painter. I really wanted to get into the art scene in Cape Town, but  I wasn’t very familiar with the channels or which doors to knock on. I have always had ideas around curation and how I would, in my own practice, like to see art being shared or experienced – so it made sense to start my own gallery. At first, not having a physical space was challenging – one has to really envision what a gallery is, as independent of a physical space. It became an opportunity to create exhibitions that feel dynamic – so far we have just done group shows, and each one is entirely different from the other. Currently FEDE is Cape Town based, but I’d love to see it spread across the country.” Lebo says, speaking to the tenacity of the artist to create what they require for their own development; this is a powerful sentiment, and one that is deeply encouraging for anyone who has an idea to bring a space or experience into being.

Although FEDE is a relatively young initiative, having been founded in 2020 with all the pandemic constraints many of us experienced, its foundations allows Lebo to meet his collaborators in a liminal space quite different to a physical gallery setting particularly this year in 2022, “I’m big on creating really immersive experiences. Being nomadic means that every show or experience is totally new, and comes with its own set of considerations that are unique – honestly, this keeps projects and exhibitions fresh; and it becomes an even bigger collaborative journey between myself and the respective artists; it shifts the dynamic in which I’m not inviting them into “my” space as a venue owner, rather we are entering and creating a new space together each time. I’ve seen how this evokes an entirely different energy around exhibitions.”

Engaging in art through various mediums is a central tenet to FEDE Arthouse – in turn, opening up the exhibition format to a wider spectrum of creators. Dissolving the boundary between what constitutes art as physical or material exhibition within a set of mediums is something we continue to witness in the world; in which “art” as in the industry, becomes more and more a function of exclusivity, while realms like fashion, music and digital lenses such as 3D illustration and graphic design constitute art, with the creators of multiple mediums identifying themselves as artists. Being an artist himself, Lebo is the figure behind FEDE – yet each new show brings with it a collective-style effort of collaboration. On this, Lebo says, “FEDE is just me, but depending on each project I have a variety of makers who come on board. It’s a temporary, project-based dynamic. I think there’s an impression that FEDE is a collective – which is great, because it is in a way – it’s a collective that is always changing and adapting to what is required, with the direction of it and myself being the only the constants. I love that this is the nature of the space – because with just one individual, none of this would be possible. I can begin and implement, but FEDE comes together and comes alive once more creators are involved and in space. I like the impermanence of it right now, but I hope in the future there will be a cohesive unit both with projects and outside of them too.”

The first exhibition put on by FEDE was at a house in Woodstock, with the spatial considerations emphasizing elements such as furniture and seating. Within this domestic space, a stripping away of the seriousness and rigidity of traditional gallery spaces and rooms, allowed the attendees to feel into the space, and connect with each with comfort and ease. Most recently, FEDE showed at Ghost – with the element of music being central to the experience alongside The Other Radio, on this Lebo says, “That was a great experience – but challenging too. With the feeling of an event, art is not the central focus or purpose at any given moment, but I really relied on the idea of someone suddenly finding themselves, mid-conversation at a party, surrounded by art.” This show featured a panelist of speakers; “With the panel for our last show, I really wanted to bring in an intellectual element, in which there was direct contextualisation for the experience coming from a select group of artists. I think galleries can be intimidating, so to have a more relaxed environment of conversation and interaction allows the show to be more accessible – and introduces people to a variety of artists and mediums in a single space, from writers to musicians and so on.”

Recently, Lebo spoke to Bathandwa Ngwendu at Maak ‘n Plan HQ at the Exchange Building (Lemkus’ home for all themselves and all their collaborators) – a podcast I encourage you to listen to. Powerful conversations and actions are happening, and FEDE Arthouse is a central space for the evolving landscape for art in South Africa. We are excited for the upcoming showcases and releases from FEDE – info dropped at @fede_arthouse as when it happens, it happens.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

The pathway from architect to designer and artist seems to be gaining ubiquity – from Danielle Smith, a previous feature of ours, to Virgil Abloh, to Zaha Hadid and Mario Bellini – yet, perhaps the distinctions we hold for categorising architects / designers / fashion designers and artists are merely that; categories that provide neat constructs for us to understand the creative anima that precedes, initiates and directs the outcome of these disciplines. Maybe it’s not so much a pathway or pipeline; but an eventuality for some, and a shift we need to make regarding our prescriptions and semantics around the act of creating. Ross Robertson is one such designer who originated his perceptual and creative through architecture; and with his entry into design; exemplifies the intersecting nature of architecture and design – the idea that these two methods exist more as an axis than as parallel occurrences in his life. Under the moniker Oliver Whyte, Ross is finding creative solace in defying the rules of his own making as an architect, with an initial design praxis that concerned itself with sharp lines and clean materiality; the latest designs from the studio at first glance read as concrete forms depicting rawness and heaviness – yet made with rubber and foam – bring together a juxtaposition of lightness veiled by weight and in some cases, lightened and tempered with pastel hues of baby pink, lavender and mint green.

This collection, titled “Heavy” debuted at Decorex 2022 – on this Ross says “Sometimes my work looks like two different designers – there’s this juxtaposition between clean lines and a clear reference to architectural technique, and then the robust presence of colour and the shapes of concrete that I elected to paint in pastels. I’m usually so clear on being monochromatic in my own personal life, so using colour as part of my design process has initiated this sense in me that things can be playful. When we are younger, anything can be anything – like using a spoon to make an aeroplane or a pen into a car – as an adult, objects are totally fixed, and the suggestion of otherwise is a cause for concern. I think that’s why I’m quite focused on form at the moment – function is what it is, it is always being dealt with – this collection is really about that own inner process I’m experiencing as a designer.”

To create as a designer is to self-actualise – and often, creative blocks arise when we resist the call to go deeper, or further, from the spaces that provide comfort and familiarity, speaking to the inner-initiatory challenge that every artist must eventually face, Ross comments “I think it’s important to stave off any conception of the final destination. We were taught that in architectural training – to never envision the final building too closely, and instead focus on the process. It’s only by that, that I’ve been able to realise over time that my head has wanted me to perfect design – perfect angles, geometric expressions, cleanliness. But my hands do otherwise, and instead of having to confront this struggle, I’m now allowing a total surrender to unfold in my development as an artist and designer, to ensure I make things that reflect different aspects of who I am and what I’d like to see in the world.” Part of this actualisation has been Ross’ incorporation of an identity etched in his full name – for which he explains, “Oliver Whyte is the middle name of my full name, and like an alter-ego too. It was this whole portion of my name that sounded like a real person on its own,  that wasn’t being used – and so it’s been great to use Oliver Whyte. I respond to both Ross and Oliver, and don’t correct people if they say either because they are both my names – just in a linear order, but descript for my whole identity.”

With a design landscape emerging – ours in South Africa is considered quite young – the sense of particularity in our collective design aesthetics is built around a small percentile of tastemakers who with privilege and access, tend to define the mood of design in the country; yet for Ross, this totally counter-intuitive to process of design; “I think we have such an abundance of amazing designers making great things, but I think we are yet to have the spaces in which our design industry can fully take root. There are more art galleries in Franschhoek than design galleries in the whole of the country. I don’t know if we are yet at a place where we truly see design as art, and whether either space is at all accessible. These are still very exclusive spaces that feel like it’s by invitation only. Yet, most designers and artists I know including myself are designers because it’s an inherently democratic process – it’s innate to human nature, for all of us, to make with our hands.” It’s with this simultaneous participation and defiance that Oliver Whyte Studios finds its place as a nexus for compelling design and considered philosophy; towards a democratised design industry, injected with joy and imagination.

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton

There are certain artists who possess a power and ability to expose us to what we refuse to see; and such artists tend to have the most visceral impact in the deepest recesses of our minds. Roger Ballen is one such artist – a vanguard, whose prolific career has spanned four decades – and of whom it would be impossible to distil into a single article or interview. In a style that is decidedly distinguishable as “Ballenesque”  – a term eventually coined as Roger’s own descript recognition of of a personal articulation throughout the years – we, the viewers, are thrust into a contemplation that can be reactionary; felt in body, mind and spirit. Much of Roger’s work is suggestive of the unconscious asylum in which humanity’s collective mind space exists;  outwardly, we are productive, consumptive, biassed and relentless seekers of comfort, growth and expansion. Inwardly, however, and as Ballen’s work reminds us, there is the haunting reminder of decay – imperfection as one of the only certain truths – and the ever-pervading presence of dualistic fixations. Good vs. Evil is a debate Roger refused to have a long time ago; instead, there just is all that there is. Liberating himself from such selective constructs has meant that Ballen’s path has been carved much like the ancient sediments that he observed as a geology student at Colorado School of Mines (a position that first brought Roger to South African in the 1980s) – a painstaking and curious excavation of his own mind, layer by layer.

“I don’t know what’s stored up there in my memory, that’s the problem. I think that’s what keeps me moving forward. It’s a philosophical question, to wonder if you could unwind every moment that has happened in your life – would every moment be there?”  Roger says on the matter of one’s own mind. Assuming the position of the everyday viewer, I wonder if he recognises the sometimes grotesqueness of his work’s theatrics, the psychological and existential nexus upon which his style exists; to which he says, “My approach has always been psychological, which I think started in the 70s with my first book called Boyhood. It was a trip I made hitchhiking from Cairo to Cape Town and then from Istanbul to New Guinea, and then South America. It was four years of trying to find my own childhood reflected in the world; and I was able to see this thread running through different cultures and lands as sentiments that speak to a shared experience of humanity. When I came to South Africa again in 1982, as part of my PHD training in geology, I started my first project here, Dorps. That was a critical moment for me – that beginning of that publication, ‘Dorps, Small Towns of South Africa.’” Roger reflects, on the metaphoric sense that underpinned that book – ‘’I went to Hope Town in the Free State, and I knocked on the door of a house, and going into that person’s home, I went inside physically and psychologically – and I rarely have ever taken a picture outside again. I started to find my motifs and techniques from then on.” Images from Ballen’s Dorps remain stark depictions of apartheid-era South Africa; the fascist state’s controlled and implemented division of people, subjugation across racial lines – and also, of class lines. Outside of the main city centres and economical melting-pots lay the dorpies; obscured and isolated even more so than sanctioned-against South Africa – itself a country modelled as a bizarre attempt at a utopic white supremacy.

On the seemingly harrow nature of these works, Roger says; ‘’I always say that in nature, there really is no beauty or ugliness. The darkness and light are not oppositional, they just are what they are – expressions of a wider whole. I think what we are dealing with in human society and in our psyche’s, is a permanent state of repression. A repression of the primacy of our instincts, and how deep our unconscious goes. So, there’s nothing really dark about what I do – but it seems to affect people’s psyche because they’re in a state of repression, and so desire order or predictability. Our obsession with attractiveness, spurred on by Hollywood and mass media machines, has made us too easily recoil at discomfort – whether aesthetically or otherwise. I think a world like mine, which is very concentrated, pierces through that repression and makes people somewhat anxious. From a Jungian point of view, the word “dark” would be a side of the Self – so I’ve come to learn that my work has that quality that aims toward getting through repression and denial.“ This inquiry into the Self is as integral to human’s and history as the very earliest variations in our biology; we have been wholly dependent on such endeavours as a propulsion through the ages. Art is then – absolutely essential to the human experience, if not the core of human experience itself; ‘’The work of an artist is an attempt to define the Self.” Rogers says, ‘’and there is never a conclusion to this work, either. You’re always finding bits and pieces stored in various crevices. That’s the problem with language, too. Semantics are restrictive and just our attempt to convey meaning or communicate – but I don’t think we can ever explicitly convey the entirety of what our minds conceive.”

Roger’s own stylistic language, Ballenesque, is so distinct that it led Die Antwoord to their own existential awakening post-Max Normal TV – how strange, we might think, that one of South Africa’s most famed and controversial music duos saw their own articulation through the lens of an American-born photographer, which set in motion a sequence of successes internationally, amid scandal too. Yet, this is the transcendent power of Ballen’s style – and again, its incisive quality that speaks to the very grit of living, whether here or elsewhere in the world. On the term Ballenesque, Rogers says ‘’I had to develop the confidence to call a book “Ballensque” and cement my own position as being unique or its own viewpoint. I think that comes with time, and dedication to my own particularities in my practice of art and photography. I think that has been an important stepping stone in my career, and although you can define it in other terms like “absurd” or “uncanny” or “theatrical”, combined – Ballensque is the best thing so far even with the confines of language to describe what I’m doing.” So indelible is this style that it caught the eye of avant-garde’s mother, Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garçon, and in 2015 Roger’s work was featured in a AW15 showcase – signature ghoulish faces, drawn in charcoal, on the back of crisp white tailored jackets, “My only regret is not getting any samples, but it was great to have my work pulled into this world of clothing – which is not a realm I exist at all. I like how they interpreted it. It’s very rare that I would relinquish creative control – but they did a fantastic job with the collection and the subsequent installations in their stores, and Rei is exceptionally artistic herself.”

Among all the caveats to draw from our conversation, one of the most pressing had to be Roger’s black and white images of the infamous festival Woodstock ‘69 – the summer of love, as it where – a tear in the fabric of America’s tightly stitched together order and control; was he and his peers aware of just how momentous that moment was, when it was happening? Roger responds, ‘’That’s a good comment. It was the first large event of this kind, and it had an intense enthusiasm about it beforehand. The mood was changing in the states, and in the world – and I think this was a kind of pilgrimage to symbolise that, whether we really understood that at the time, I’m not sure. The fence fell down, and the entertainers that were there – mixed with the sense of being free – were powerful contributions to this overall push against society. Nobody expected it to become what it became, and its legendary status in our collective memory is in part due to our nostalgia, I think. It’s a landmark now of the 20th century, and as in everything in life – there’s the reality and the experience, and then how it’s interpreted by others.”

Right now, Roger is grounding himself – an unusual, but perhaps necessary step in his life. The grounding, or landing as it were, comes in the form of a physical space; Inside Out Centre for the Arts, in his chosen home of Johannesburg. Drawing on Brutalism, the building is a raw, materially-minimised archive for Ballen’s life’s work, set to also promote African photography and art, alongside educational programmes; “Our focus is Africa, and the work coming from the continent – as well as my work, all with a psychological component. I really like coming into my own place everyday, and to have a physical space to share more of the art and photography that needs to be shared.”

Written by: Holly Bell Beaton