The Art Edit

Yeah, tell me more about why is it important to you guys to champion South African art specifically, and how do you see South African art contributing to the global art conversation? Anyone can start.

Andy?

Well, I think it's crucial to support our artists and I feel that they are beginning to get more of the recognition that they deserve.

I think it's also important for us as South Africans to be in the African context.

I think sometimes we forget that we are part of this extraordinary continent and And I'm delighted to see that South African art and African art is being seen locally rather than people having to go to Paris or New York or London to see it.

And we have incredible platforms like Cape Town Art Fair.

And also the art ecosystem like Zeitz Makar and Norval Foundation, Ezeko Museum, and up north we have other extraordinary museums.

And for me personally, we started the Stellenbosch Triennale For that reason, I think that was one of the objectives was to place South African art very firmly within the context of African art and then once again celebrating that in the context of the world.

So I think it's crucial to support our artists and to place them on a platform that competes globally because we've got a lot to share and we're as good as anyone else in the world.

I gained my perspective on South African art when I left South Africa, actually.

I did my master's in Poland for two years, and it made me miss South Africa so much, miss the South African creativity.

And that's why I feel so grateful to have this role in this gallery today.

in the most beautiful place of South Africa.

And I see the role as a curator here very important because we do get guests, many travelers, but also South Africans who come to the farm who don't necessarily know anything about art and they get to stumble upon the gallery and to find local artists.

And I'm also grateful that we We changed the museum into a gallery so that we do get to support living artists.

Much to most of the guests' disappointment because they want to see Pirnieff, but I feel like it's a place for every artist and I'm very grateful to contribute to living artists and to have their living voices heard.

I think that there's definitely so much room for living artists to be the most that they can be while they're still alive.

And also just around the South African side of things, what I have found so interesting is that South Africa or Africa is such a creative space.

And the types of the forms of art that we can produce is massive.

So I think we really are actually very fortunate in that side of things.

Yeah, I think we're so culturally rich as a country, you know, and diverse.

And there's something in that which obviously speaks, you know, art is a global language.

You know, it's something that everybody understands.

Everybody takes from it what they need to take from it.

And I think in South Africa, we come from, you know, so much diversity.