Beauty in Broken Places
“Nineteen years ago, when everyone was leaving the city, artists started moving into August House and making it their own. With a fascinating history in both the art world and real estate, August House is a sought after artist community in the city, with its gritty, stimulating surrounds that keep artists and visitors alike engaged with the urban vibes of Johannesburg’s inner world. August House is proud to be the home to a mixture of well-known and emerging artists.”
Contra Joburg was a revelation to me.
If you missed it this year, make an appointment to visit August House. In many ways, it is one of the beating hearts of the South African art scene.
It is not easy to do business in South Africa at the moment. It is certainly not easy to make a living as an artist. Yet, in the epicentre of where our country’s brokenness is often most visible, artists continue to arrive at their studios and make astonishing work.
They create in the middle of complexity. They give form to what is difficult to name. They choose imagination where despair would be easier.
I was particularly moved by:
https://augusthouse.co.za/fiverl/ - Fiver Locker (I bought two gorgeous collages from her and a journal, obviously… see below)
https://augusthouse.co.za/wisanim/ - Wisani Manyisi
https://augusthouse.co.za/petrosm/ - Petros Mwenga (Petro’s work brought me to tears - so moved by his art)
https://augusthouse.co.za/thamsangam/ - Thamsanga Mfuphi (His work is stunning)
Thulani Prince Mlangeni, also known as DaSoul Prince - visual artist and DJ.
I came away deeply inspired and certain that Contra is something I want Do The Heart Work to be part of every year. It’s very bones have heart work written all over them.
Heart work, to me, is the willingness to tend to the inner workings of our lives—the gardens of our hearts and still choose to show up. It is living creatively in service to others while also honouring our own creative expression.
It is refusing to let what is broken have the final word.
