The second iteration of the highly-anticipated RMB Latitudes Art Fair returned to the whimsical Shepstone Gardens in Johannesburg between 24 and 26 May 2024 with a diverse programme of exhibitions, talks and displays showcasing more than 40 galleries and 250 artists from across the continent and the diaspora.
‘At RMB Latitudes we challenge the standard white cube gallery model, reimagining the relationship between art and the viewer,’ says co-founder and Latitudes Director, Lucy MacGarry. ‘By creating spaces with an interplay between inside and out, the design of the fair dissolves the typical art-viewing environment, creating a space for art to be engaged with and questioned in a uniquely African context.’
Two exhibitors were chosen as the Lexus Best Stand Winner and Lexus Best Stand Audience Award Winner. Winning the former for 2024 was RESERVOIR Projects with its showcase of work from Bulumko Mbete, Michele Mathison, Cathy Abraham and Mikhailia Petersen – a previous Design Indaba Emerging Creative who displayed two new photographic pieces.
‘Working in the medium of analogue film photography, Petersen focuses on portraiture,’ described RESERVOIR. ‘Through each project, the artist aims to capture her subjects in a truthful and celebratory manner, portraying those individuals she shoots through narrative-based story-telling, as opposed to isolated and essentialising single images.’
As chosen by the audience of the 2024 show, Under the Aegis was announced as the Lexus Best Stand Audience Award Winner. Curated by Anelisa Mangcu, Under the Aegis featured the work of Buqaqawuli Thamani Nobakada, Haneem Christian and Mbulelo Lokoto.
Digital art gallery USURPA, a nominee for Lexus Best Stand, showcased the digital artworks of Nandipha Mntambo, Justice Mukheli, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Mark Modimola, Samurai Farai, Katlego Tlabela, and Sphephelo Mnguni in ‘Don’t Look Back’ – a captivating display of contemporary African art.
Designer collaborations were also on show: SMTNG GOOD design studio unveiled a series of collectable textile art pieces created together with Ditiro Mashigo, Maja Maljević, Renée Rossouw, and Lulama Wolf, while Crispy Skateboards debuted 25 designer skateboards after inviting South African artists to use a skateboard as a canvas for a work of art. These included prominent local talents like Roger Ballen, Mary Sibande and Michael MacGarry.
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