THE HUNTER-GATHERER
We unpack what constitutes the design identity of Joburg’s one-of-a-kind, itinerant African artifacts dealer
Everyone knows, if it’s African or Asian artifacts you’re after, then Mark Valentine’s Amatuli is where you head. Sought after by lodges, homeowners and celebrities for their inimitability and provenance, Mark’s collection of furniture, homeware and textiles are in a league of their own. Just like the pieces he sources, Mark’s own style is casual, original and relaxed. We chatted to the man to find out more about what he covets and who he has his eye on.
Amatuli is all about the hunt and discovery for found objects with rich patina and history, along with fine craft from around the world.
Authentic design means inspiration drawn from a wild place, an original thought, maybe a better description which translates into a new design. Some of the things that make my home unique are a beautiful wooden Senufo bed in my bathroom, a collection of simple African neck rests and a ’70s pinball machine.
The last interior that Amatuli’s furniture graced was a project in Victoria Falls we did called Zambezi House, situated on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, where the object was to try and melt containers into the tree-lined river bank. The last place I travelled to was Ethiopia with my daughter Emily. We spent a month photographing the rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela and the wonderful people of the Omo Valley. What I love about African craft is the way it still excites me after 35 years of being in its presence; the simplicity of a nomad’s objects and the intricacies of West African traditions. I’m reading, sorry to say, a Wilbur Smith from the ’80s called Eagle in the Sky. People who I think have incredible style are Fox Brown, the iconic Stephen Falcke and Caline, my Cape Town friend. The best coffee-table book I own is Peter Beard’s The End of the Game — it’s on the top of a big pile. My top holiday destination is Peponi Hotel on Lamu’s Shela Beach. My best hotel anywhere is Emily Moon River Lodge, not only because we built it. The last great building I experienced was the Victoria Falls Hotel, for its grandness and history and its views of the “Smoke That Thunders“, the gorges and railway bridge over the falls. On my travels, I could never do without my tatty green canvas man-bag.
My current most-coveted item at Amatuli is a collection of Dutch-inspired, field-collected, crafted furniture from Cameroon. My best local destinations for unique homeware are Weylandts and The Storer at 44 Stanley.
The creatives I’d most love to have a drink with are Emily and Katy, my entrepreneurial daughters. Kate, designing jewellery for her collection and Emily, with her uncanny ability to capture amazing images.
The local designer I have my eye on right now is Donald Nxumalo, for his youth, energy and eye for detail.
My most-coveted wardrobe item is a butchered pair of manytimes-repaired Palladium boots.
The last exhibition I enjoyed was David Ballam’s Leaving Lubango.
My favourite artist right now is a Zimbabwean sculptor by the name of Reason Chiwara, who brings life to raw stones.
What I most love about my job is waking up in the morning on the rooftop of my shop and wondering what the day will bring.
I can’t stop collecting … almost everything I see, from old cars and pinball
machines to simple, tribal utilitarian objects.