Rare art to prick the imagination
Sowetan (South Africa)
February 2019
” The Investec Cape Town Art Fair is back again this year showcasing a diverse range of contemporary art works. Among the galleries showing off collections will be Guns & Rain Gallery. Known for an eye of spotting fresh and exciting talent, the Johannesburg based gallery will display art works by Bevan de Wet, Nelly Guambe, Asanda Kupa, Letso Leipego and Chris Soal.”
Gallery Focus: The Mother City is abuzz this month…
Business Day: Art supplement (South Africa)
February 2019
“Founded in 2014 as an online gallery, Guns & Rain has quickly become one of South Africa’s most reputable emerging galleries. It represents a diverse stable of artists from the southern African region through a comprehensive exhibition and art fair programme…”
Ahead of the ICTAF, we look at work to watch out for…
Sunday Times (South Africa)
February 2019
“A previous winner of the PPC Imaginarium award, Soal’s practice is concerned with the materiality of everyday objects. His work began with the exploration of the form of a discarded beer-bottle top, which led to a conceptual investigation around the histories embedded with these objects…”
Rituals of life
City Press (South Africa)
February 2019
“Botswan’s Letso Leipego’s photo from last year is called A Sacrifice. It will be on sale at the seventh annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair…”
From accountant to artist
City Press (South Africa)
February 2019
“Bev Butkow’s story is one of transformation. Committed to continual learning, she has surrounded herself with the best teachers and mentors she could find to guide her. This year, Butkow has embarked on a new project involving weaving and textiles.”
AKAA, La Voie des Suds
Diptyk
October 2018
“Plus jeune que la 1-54 et limitée par la taille du Carreau du Temple, AKAA dispose néanmoins d’arguments pour s’affirmer comme un évènement important pour le marché européen. La cartographie d’AKAA s’intéresse aux échanges entre le continent et d’autres régions du monde : Amériques, Asie, Moyen-Orient. Avec 49 galeries d’une quinzaine de pays différents, ce parti-pris de la foire depuis ses débuts fait la part belle à la diaspora et consacre le Sud Global. “
Dube’s art talks quietly while it speaks of trauma
Business Day (South Africa)
September 2018
“The recent opening of visual artist Thina Dube’s new solo exhibition Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow at the Guns and Rain Gallery in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, caused quite a stir. His works on the walls of the beautiful and intimate gallery, which opened its doors in 2018, were an eye-opener for many. Dube has a rare ability to portray and interrogate complex contemporary issues afflicting SA in a manner that is unusually easy on the eye and the mind.”
Heart and Soal
Skyways (southern Africa)
October 2018
“in a world where anything can be art, the role of artist as creator and disseminator is something that needs to be carefully studied, so that it can be carried out responsibly, and with sensitivity and understanding.”
An intimate portrait of life in modern Botswana
Huck Online (United States)
June 2018
“Leipego works slowly, investigating his surroundings and building strong connections to the people he takes their portrait, searching for the moments that will capture…”
“Artist Finds Vocation and Voice: Asanda Kupa”
Daily Dispatch (South Africa)
February 2018
“Asked what inspires his work which captures the feelings and frustrations of those forced to live on the periphery of “the new South Africa”, Kupa says his subject rails against “the constant trials of many people living a daily struggle of dealing with societal ills.”
“Starting your art collection on a budget”
Investec
February 2018
“If you’re thinking about starting an art collection, it can be quite an intimidating prospect. Where do you start? Where should you go? What should you consider?”
“An unsettling visual trip through Namibia’s past”
Huck Magazine (USA)
March 2018
“There was an absence of markers or memorials where atrocities occurred,” Brandt reveals. “The landscape was like a veil that obscured painful struggles and lives that existed in them.” Brandt began to think about how she could use her work to bear witness to that which has been erased from consciousness as a form of resistance and respect.”
“A Future Framed: Letso Leipego”
Skyways Magazine
“The impetus for making photographs is capturing and distilling a moment of revelation. I seek out ‘hidden qualities’ in my subjects’ characters, and attempt to reveal them through stylised manipulation of camera techniques, lighting, shadows, composition, and then in post-production.”
“What the Landscape Recalls”
Art Africa
February 2018
“Nicola Brandt (b. 1983) considers points of articulation between and among scales of violence in landscapes of trauma in her home country, Namibia. Her work examines the legacy of German colonial occupation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Overlaying the stories of Herero, Nama, and German Namibians, Nicola’s images are iconotexts. Her images emphasise the need for intertextual and cross-cultural conversations about the legacies of colonialism and potential futures.”
“Up to Scratch: Themba Khumalo”
Skyways (southern Africa)
February 2017
“My visuals are stimulated by events that I witness daily in the city of Johannesburg and the feelings and desires they inspire in me. In particular, I explore feelings of connectivity and isolation within the city.”
“Casting net of African art over a global space”
Business Day (South Africa)
November 2017
“Global interest in African art has increased exponentially in the past few years as the tide turns against people who viewed it through the traditional western frame and often dismissed it as ethnographic work that does not contribute to contemporary narratives on politics, economics and society.”
“Africa’s Art Crusade in Paris”
The South African (UK)
November 2017
“The mind-sets of European collectors are starting to shift: no longer do collectors assume that African art equates to ethnographic art or antiquities. African contemporary artists are increasingly being viewed and consumed alongside their peers from the rest of the world.”
“An Artistic Endeavour”
Sunday Times (South Africa)
May 2017
“A new institution in Cape Town could be a cultural catalyst, helping local artists on the global scene”…”It is important that art is made accessible to the public, in a way that develops and audience and a market for art in the future, continues Taylor.”
“Etching a Legacy: Bevan de Wet”
Skyways Magazine
July 2017
“Etching is another world. There is a certain magic and alchemy to it. Even international printmakers are discovering new etching techniques constantly…Certain processes need to happen over and over again, and there is a constant push and pull to reach the final outcome.”
“Depicting Society in Nail Varnish: Bev Butkow”
SLOW Magazine
June 2017
“Everything is not always black or white as society would have us believe – sometimes, there can be the shade of grey in between the two extremes. Chartered accountant by training and artist by profession, Bev Butkow, personifies this. Butkow uses her art to break down the boundaries that have come to define who we are as individuals.”
“Beelde wat in lae spreek”
Rapport
6 November 2016
“Brandt se aangrypende landskappe is ’n teenvoeter vir koloniale vergeetagtigheid. Dit gee mens ’n alternatiewe manier om te kyk na die mensdom se aanstootlike geskiedenis. Dit laat die kyker toe om ’n houvas te kry op ’n pynlike verlede in die konteks van ’n moeilike hede.”
“Contemporary African Art Goes Digital”
Skyways
August 2016
“Across all sectors, whether hailing a taxi with Uber or finding a place to stay for your next business trip with AirBnB, new technologies have disrupted traditional models. The contemporary art world is no exception…Art:i:curate is a site that allows anyone to donate funds for a particular art project and share in the profit of its sales. In an age where the authenticity of valuable artworks is a growing concern, Verisart offers new ways to digitally certify and verify artworks.”
“Marketing Africa’s Art to the World”
Strategic Marketing Africa
Issue 3 2016
“Artists, gallerists, dealers, auctioneers and academics in the African art field all have a role to pay in challenging misconceptions [and getting] African contemporary artists on a deservedly equal playing field, alongside their peers from other parts of the world”, says Taylor.
“Zim artists seek market in SA”
African Independent
27 May 2016
“Economic hardships in Zimbabwe have not stopped artists from creating work of global competitive quality. Admire Kamudzengerere and Wallen Mapondera are two such artists, who with the help of art dealer Julie Taylor, are looking towards South Africa as a market for their artworks.”
“Technology Expands the World for African Artists”
International New York Times
25 March 2016
“A growing number of sub-Saharan African artists are realizing the importance and potency of technology — social media, apps, websites and online platforms focused on the promotion and archiving of African contemporary art. Smartphones, tablets and even satellite television have also played a role, showing artists that despite the crushing lack of artistic infrastructure across the region…there are still ways to reach out and get the attention of art managers, critics, collectors and gallerists across the region and the world.”
‘The Double Layer of Mediation:’ Online Exhibitions and Technology in Curation
Art Africa (South Africa)
3 February 2016
“The rise and application of new technologies in exhibition and curatorial practice…adds a complex dynamic to the curator’s role, arguably creating a ‘double layer’ of mediation as the relationship between the virtual/digital and physical assumes an increasingly important role.”
“The Appeal of Online Exhibitions”
Business Day (South Africa)
29 January 2016
Excerpt: “The web can prolong the life of an exhibition, and in turn,public engagement and memory of that exhibition and its art. The economic and intellectual effort behind an exhibition may also be extended.”
“Guns & Rain puts contemporary African art in the spotlight”
The South African (United Kingdom)
3 February 2015
Excerpt: “Contemporary art from South Africa and its surrounds often falls under the international radar. While art fairs around the world have recently begun showcasing ours, African art it has not gained all the exposure it deserves. Like many other industries, art has started to move online…”
“Les artistes africains méritent plus de visibilité”
Le Monde Afrique (France)
1 March 2015
Excerpt: “La galerie d’art en ligne Guns & Rain a emprunté son nom au titre du livre de l’anthropologue David Lan qui évoquait la guérilla et les médiums pendant la lutte pour l’indépendance du Zimbabwe. Une façon de dire que choisir et « curater » une œuvre d’art est à la lisière de la culture et de quelque chose de plus spirituel. Et que faire reconnaître les artistes au niveau international est un combat quotidien.”
“Internet & Afrika-kuns”
Beeld (South Africa)
24 March 2015
Excerpt: “Mense begin besef dat ook moderne beeldende kuns uit Afrika kom en nie net “stamkuns” nie. “Die kontemporêre kuns wat hier geskep word, vergelyk goed met die van die res van die wêreld.” Die internet is die toekoms. Die internet verander so te sê elke bedryf ingrypend. En die kunsbedryf is geen uitsondering nie.”
“A Heart for Art: While online art initiatives are mushrooming across the globe, Africa’s still lagging behind”
Destiny Magazine (South Africa)
April 2015
Excerpt: “Taylor believes there’s a need to change the misperception that good artworks are very expensive. “You don’t have to have R100,000 – you can buy something beautiful for R1500.”
“Online Exhibition: Joburg artist goes on Guns & Rain”
Times Live (South Africa)
October 2014
Excerpt: “Taylor said she chose to exhibit Khumalo’s prints on her site because they capture the beauty, energy, fear and grit of Johannesburg and the vast scale and density of the taxi networks. “His cityscapes really drew me in,” she says. “They show the relentlessness of urban life, and the famous landmarks of the city.”
“Guns & Rain: an art gallery that inhabits the contours of online space”
Ventureburn (South Africa)
December 2014
Excerpt: “At the core of Guns & Rain, consciously or subconsciously, is an agenda to disrupt the art industry. Traditional art galleries seldom engage with audiences online, and often don’t have a great record when it comes leveraging social media.Guns & Rain isn’t traditional, and it likes change.”
“Guns & Rain Brings African Art to the World”
CoolHunting (United States)
October 2014
Excerpt: “Global centers like Paris, London and New York have long served as geographic and cultural gatekeepers for the fine art world, but the internet is gaining momentum on democratizing the international scope of contemporary art. In Africa, the newly minted Johannesburg-based arts commerce and development platform Guns & Rain is shedding new light on contemporary artists in the region as well as working to foster an appreciation for the field.”
“Guns & Rain: a fine art marketplace looking to improve exposure for African artists”
TechZim (Zimbabwe)
September 2014.
Excerpt: “Fine art is not for everyone. It’s not frequent therefore that we encounter a startup looking to solve problems in that sector on the continent… A pleasantly strange thing happened when I open Guns & Rain for the first time. I got quite curious about one of the listed artists – Themba Khumalo. His kombi pieces really grabbed my attention. I almost wondered if I’d ever consider buying art seeing how easy it’s become to take a peek into a gallery.”
Internet growth transforming Africa’s art industry
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
August 2014
Guns & Rain founder Julie Taylor, who left global giant Google SA to start an online gallery, says growth in internet penetration in Africa is transforming all industries and driving online art sales and exposure of African artists. “There is increased interest, especially in the last 18 months, in African contemporary art. I think for a long time African artists, especially contemporary artists, have been under represented on the global stage and I really feel that there’s a role for the internet to change that,” says Taylor.
“The fine art of buying Art”
City Press (South Africa)
August 2014.
Excerpt: “Buying art is scary. Some of it hardly increases in value, while other art is bought “cheap” and is worth millions a few years later. For anyone who does not have an intimate knowledge of the artists or going rates, buying an art work can be really tricky. For investors in South African art, however, the experience has generally been good. This is because of the quality of local art and the fact that it has been hugely popular internationally. With the FNB Joburg Art Fair on the go this weekend, City Press asked some experts to help you through the minefield.”
“Young African artists connecting with buyers on the internet”
Business Day/BDLive (South Africa)
August 2014.
Excerpt: “There will always be a place for art galleries, but the internet is leveling the playing fields for young artists on the African continent, enabling them to connect with art collectors from around the world. In this video we talk to Julie Taylor, a social anthropologist with a difference, who is using technology to bring art into the lives of ordinary people. For many young contemporary African artists this may be the first step towards getting international exposure and recognition.”