Between North & South
Lucy MacGarry, executive director of Latitudes, shares highlights from the art fair that brought together galleries, artists and independent creatives.
Over three days, the Latitudes
Art Fair welcomed a diverse crowd of curious explorers and loyal art lovers to Nelson Mandela Square in Joburg.
It was launched as an annual edition with one of the standouts being a collaboration between printers Jillian Ross and Roxy Kaczmarek and various artists with the David Krut Workshop. The 2019 edition resulted in five original silkscreens by artists Adejoke Tugbiyele, Sthenjwa Luthuli, Pebofatso Mokoena, Clint Strydom and Mbali Tshabalala.
The curated section, “Essay”, gave fair visitors access to the work of struggle veteran, artist, poet and academic Pitika Ntuli and Durban-based artist Sthenjwa Luthuli; while “Independent”, presented by the South African Mint, provided a platform for artists who work independently, without traditional gallery representation.
There was also a daily kids’ programme packed with aspiring young artists. “It is certainly something we will be expanding on,” said Lucy, recognising the crisis in arts education in South Africa, where only five percent of schools provide art as a schoolleaving subject. “We plan to harness the combined experience of our team to create tools and opportunities to complement the school curriculum.” Latitudes also announced a long-term partnership with PJ Simelane Secondary School in Dobsonville, Soweto.
“I’m excited about the many relationships we initiated,” said Lucy, “which have already led to projects for our next edition.”