Whatiftheworld and Southern Guild join forces in Joburg

View of two black, white and orange patterned cabinets and framed portraits on the wall of men wearing different hats shot from the back. The space features white walls and grey floors

Whatiftheworld and Southern Guild have joined forces for a new platform in Johannesburg – a 300 sq m space in the StudioMAS-designed building in the Keyes Art Mile precinct. Pictured: portraits by Lakin Ogunbanwo, and cabinets by Dokter and Misses. Photography: Anthea Pokroy

(Image credit: Anthea Pokroy)

By Yoko Choy

last updated 25 August 2022

in Features

Two of Africa’s most influential galleries – Whatiftheworld and Southern Guild – joined forces recently to open a new platform in Johannesburg, a 300 sq m space in the StudioMAS-designed building in the Keyes Art Mile precinct. The two are renowned for shaping the continent’s contemporary art and design scene and bringing its spectrum of talents to the international arena.

The list of names that they are representing will be familiar to globetrotters visiting the world’s art fairs, and hail from as far afield as Senegal, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as South Africa. The inaugural show opened last week with artworks by, among others, Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo, Zimbabwean sculptor Moffat Takadiwa and South African visual artist Athi-Patra Ruga. In addition were furniture and objects by leading designers such as Cheick Diallo and Hamed Ouattara as well as editions market darlings Gregor Jenkin, Porky Hefer and Dokter and Misses. The synergetic collection of work leads to a strong, united narrative. ‘We’re prepared to be non-conformist,’ says Justin Rhodes, founder of the contemporary art gallery Whatiftheworld. ‘What we’re representing is a continental perspective.’

Both galleries were founded in 2008 and are headquartered in Cape Town’s hipster district of Woodstock. Rhodes works with curator Ashleigh McLean on a roster of showcases featuring emerging artists, while Southern Guild’s design gallerists Trevyn and Julian McGowan devote their energy to developing the region’s first collectible designs platform. In the new space, the two retain their own names, but together they venture into interdisciplinary experimentation. ‘We each have strong, unique viewpoints, a desire to change the status quo, and as our galleries and our artists have matured we have found we share an approach and audience. This opportunity to combine our voices, to explore the intersection of art and design, promises results greater than the sum of our parts,’ says Trevyn McGowan.

Now, Southern Guild has teamed up with Porky Hefer to represent South Africa at the inaugural London Design Biennale, where the artist’s fantasised handcrafted animal cocoon is on show. One can also see Whatiftheworld at UNTITLED, ART in Miami this December – if your travels are taking you west rather than south.

View of framed text art on the wall and a distressed white and brown cabinet beneath it in a space with black painted brick walls and brown patterned flooring — The two galleries are renowned for shaping the continent’s contemporary art and design scene, and bringing its spectrum of talents to the international arena. Pictured above: *Lounge Suite*, by Cameron Platter, 2016. Below: *Wat Wat* cabinet, by Hamed Ouattara. *Photography: Adriaan Louw*

View of framed art on the wall, a black table with triangular legs and two bronze rabbit-like characters sitting on the edge of the table in a space with white walls and brown patterned flooring — The inaugural show opened last week with artworks by, among others, Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo, Zimbabwean sculptor Moffat Takadiwa and South African visual artist Athi-Patra Ruga. Pictured back: *Graphite 2*, by Maja Marx, 2016. Front: *Pietà*, by Sanell Aggenbach and *Vos Altar* table, by Xandre Kriel, 2014. *Photography: Adriaan Louw*

View of colourful canvas art featuring two people hanging on the wall along with a curved purple chair and a round table with a rock-like base in a space with white walls and brown patterned flooring — Pictured back: *The Glamoring of a Versatile Queen*, by Athi-Patra Ruga, 2015. Front, left to right: *Dibi* chair and *Jesse Ede* table, by Cheick Diallo. *Photography: Adriaan Louw*

View of a space with white walls, grey floors, white bar spotlights, wall art, three side tables and a long dark coloured table with chairs in different styles — The synergetic collection of work leads to a strong, united narrative. *Photography: Anthea Pokroy*

View of wall art, sculptures, a round animal cocoon suspended from the ceiling, a table and a patterned counter in a space with white walls and grey flooring — Southern Guild has also teamed up with Porky Hefer to represent South Africa at the inaugural London Design Biennale, where the artist’s handcrafted animal cocoon is on show. *Photography: Anthea Pokroy*

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Whatiftheworld website, or the Southern Guild website

ADDRESS

19 Keyes Avenue
Trumpet
Keyes Art Mile
Rosebank
Johannesburg

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Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.