Crafting conversations, tradition and innovation in Cape Town: Southern Guild
Despite the geographical distance, Southern Guild aims to promote African art around the world. The next step for Trevyn and Julian McGowan is opening a gallery in Los Angeles
Trevyn McGowan of Southern Guild
Everything started when Trevyn McGowan left her hometown Johannesburg in the eighties. She moved to London and pursued a career in acting. «When I moved back to South Africa in 2003 I had an interior design and architectural practice in London. I had been working with producers here for projects over there. That’s when I realized that there was a conduit needed to facilitate artwork from South Africa reaching an international audience».
Following this revelation, McGowan decided to create a company that facilitated supply of artisanal craft and homeware to the top retailers around the world. In 2008 Trevyn and Julian McGowan realized there was a category of people in South Africa that were not fitting the commercial model of work. «We wanted to create a platform where we could encourage people to go beyond what they have produced previously. We wanted to encourage experimentation and start conversations between artists who hadn’t even met and thought something dynamic would come out of that exchange», she adds.
Southern Guild premiered at the Joburg Art Fair in 2009. They gathered a team of thirty three artists to showcase at the event. A large number of them still work with McGowan’s gallery today. «We formed a close and supportive relationship with our artists. We want to work as collaborators, facilitators and motivators in order to bring artwork to the world», McGowan explains.
A conversation about heritage and tradition at Southern Guild
As the Southern Guild community evolved, they realized that they wanted to represent voices that responded to impulses that had become relevant to them. «Why should you hold space in the world? Why should an object be allowed to exist when there are so many objects in the world?» are some of the main topics that are discussed by the team. This narrative was meant to speak to the makers but also to bring societal commentary. An object being able to be handed down to future generations is a key point for Southern Guild.
The Southern Guild is pushing boundaries of creation
The space has become more of an exhibit of ideas and conversations rather than just a classic art gallery. The gallery presents pieces that are functional and nonfunctional. According to Trevyn McGowan all of these pieces are art pieces and collectible.
As stated by Trevyn McGowan, the commercial aspect of an artist’s work is not what matters the most. Southern Guild aims for people whose stories deserve to be heard by the audience. «We are just attracted to people that we want to spend time with. We believe that this artist has something to say. Maybe it’s an artist that we watched from afar for a long time. Maybe it’s someone whose path crossed ours in a way or another. Most and foremost, it’s all about the person. What they’re saying and how they’re saying it».
The African artistic background: related to anthropology
Trevyn McGowan believes that South African art is related to anthropology. She claims that art from the continent was born from a place of functionality. Every object created by the first humans was meant for providing for the primary needs of our ancestors. Food gathering, hunting, heating and protection are only a few examples.
McGowan believes that when our ancestors started making more than just functional objects, it enabled their creativity. What is perceived as art from the continent stands from a function and evolves into something that revolves around communication. It’s an articulation of sociological, political and emotional narratives that the maker wants to engage the world in.
«There is motivation in South Africa to connect or communicate something about political history or political future. South Africa and the African continent in general is connected with the past», McGowan explains.
The influence of Southern Guild in the African art world
The appearance of Southern Guild in the artistic landscape is considered «unusual» according to Trevyn McGowan. At the time the gallery made its debut on the African continent, there were few other places where one could acquire collectible art works. Every work shown in the gallery comes with a story about its position in space and its maker.
Promoting young talents across the African continent
Trevyn McGowan wishes to create a conversation between countries of the African continent. The Southern Guild gathers artists from countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Kenya among others. «The youngest artist we started working with was nineteen. I started following him ever since he was in school».
Diversity in materiality and crafting skills take relevance in the gallery. The Guild’s artists use all the means of expression to create art. Ancient techniques are modernized by the creator’s expression. «It’s this mashup of skill sets, processes, materials, ages and experiences that creates a dynamic change and interaction», Trevyn McGowan explains.
Promoting African art: The Southern Guild
The Southern Guild has participated in art fairs since 2011. Since then, the gallery has exhibited in art fairs such as Salon Art + Design in New York, PAD London and Expo Chicago to name a few. The gallery has become a regular exhibitor at Art Miami and Art Basel. Despite the geographical distance, the Guild still tries to promote African art around the world. The next step for Trevyn and Julian McGowan is the opening of a gallery in Los Angeles in January. «We wish to have a permanent presence internationally and this new space in Los Angeles can allow it».
Trevyn McGowan: A different artistic approach
Since the opening of Southern Guild in 2008, Trevyn McGowan feels that artists have changed their way of creating art. The artists working with the gallery were encouraged to create and to think outside their comfort zones. As explained by McGowan, this process led to creative work. With time, a climate of encouragement appeared between each other. «We galvanized a movement that might not have happened if the gallery did not start at that time. I see our role as supporters and as inspiring the artists».
The collectors: The MET, Philadelphia Museum, LACMA, Vitra and MGV Museum
According to the owner of the gallery, museums are their main art collectors. The Southern Guild sold work to The MET, Philadelphia Museum, LACMA, Vitra and MGV Museum among others. Having art pieces sold to these institutions is considered an acknowledgement according to Trevyn McGowan.
«What they’re really saying is that they wish to preserve these art works for future generations», she explains.
Southern Guild also sells to private collectors from all over the world. «We haven’t exhibited in Asia yet, but we would love to. It would open up an intercontinental dialogue».
Creating a responsible future: Southern Guild and NVG Museum
The intergenerational discourse led by Southern Guild passes by the nature and the symbolism of the materials used in the works of the artists. Every element required for an artwork has been repurposed and is used in order to pass messages about society, heritage, injustices and environmental issues.
One of the gallery’s environmental projects was done in collaboration with the NVG Museum. «The artist looked at sea creatures that were morphing through ingesting sea-waste. The installation was made out of cigarette buds, the biggest pollutant in the world. This artwork was meant to educate children and adults on sea pollution», McGowan explains.
Hand crafting is a fundamental part in durability according to the owner of Southern Guild. Continuing to use ancestral gestures and putting value into small craftsmen brings status and continuity to African expertise. «The steps of production of a work of art that is respectful of the environment passes by social and economic criteria and not only by the use of recycled materials».
When asked about the role of environmental preservation and transmission in the art world, Trevyn McGowan replies: «The retail world is more aware of these issues because this field creates more destruction to the environment. I’m not sure the art world is talking about it as much as they could be».
Creating a social impact: African vs. European art
McGowan believes in making a social impact through giving value to people who have something to say and who can inspire future generations. According to her, being an artist in Africa has repercussions on the community and society.
«Often, a career that seems to be respected in society is a career that is financially rewarding. Most of the time it depends on what you studied at university, what your social background is – there’s all these societal expectations around being a lawyer, or a doctor for example. In the world of art there’s opportunity and possibility for someone who never had these opportunities. And yet, in Africa, artists are recognized as heroes, as leaders. They are an encouraging and inspiring point for future generations. In my opinion, the impact that an artist has on African society is larger than that of an artist in the United States or in Europe for example».
Southern Guild
Silo 5 Silo District, Silo District, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001. An art gallery based in Cape Town since 2008. Owned by Trevyn and Julian McGowan, it promotes artists from all over the African continent.
