atelier 55 – The Curator of Contemporary African Designatelier 55 – The Curator of Contemporary African Design
African art is commanding increased attention on the international stage. We highlight 6 new generation African artists to know, who through their thought-provoking work are helping to shape contemporary art across the African continent, whilst making their mark internationally.
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Nelsa Guambe is a self-taught artist who lives and works in Maputo, Mozambique. Primarily a painter Nelsa’s work moves beyond the canvas to incorporate product design, where working in collaboration with a local design studio, Piratas Do Pau her colourful and surreal images help to transform discarded water heaters collected from the city’s streets into distinctive functional products such as wine racks and lighting. As one of the designer-makers I had the pleasure of selecting for the IFA Pure Gold exhibition, which explores rubbish and its use in sustainable design to creating objects of value in design, I thought this would be a […]
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Greetings from the city of Hamburg in Germany where I am attending the press conference and opening of Pure Gold – Upcycled! Upgraded! a forward-thinking exhibition that explores rubbish, more specifically how found and waste materials are being used the world over to create objects of value, hence the title, Pure Gold. As one of the curators, I had the honour of selecting designers-makers to represent sub-Saharan Africa. [Image credit: H++, Chair and table set, 2011; Water hyacinth, metal, yarn, wood chair – Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman]
Read MoreTaibo Bacar Autumn/Winter 2013-14 [Mozambique] [Image credit: Fit for a Princess Autumn/Winter 2013-14 Collection – Taibo Bacar] Taibo Bacar is an award-winning Mozambican designer, whose stunning creations have been setting African fashion boards alight for a while now. His latest collection for Autumn/Winter 2013-14, entitled ‘Fit for A Princess’ has captivated imaginations with its innovative use of Capulana fabric combined with sumptuous lace trimmings and embellishment. Capulana is a traditional cloth worn in Mozambique and is similar to other popular ‘African’ fabrics worn across the continent such as wax cloth and kitenge. Taking the urban princess as his muse, the […]
Read MoreSwahili African Modern [Mozambique] Reflecting the grace and beauty of the animals that inspired them, these hand-carved wooden jars are absolutely stunning! Protruding upwards from the round belly storage area, the long slender handle of the lid is unmistakable as that of the horns of the Eland, Gemsbok, Sable, and other large antelope of the Genus Oryx species, hence the name given ‘Oryx Horn Mpingo Jars’. The beauty of the jars lies in their simplicity; each handcrafted by artisans in Mozambique who work with sustainably sourced Mpingo wood, a dark hardwood also known as; African Blackwood, Mozambican Ebony and Zebrawood […]
Read MoreDorah Sithole [South Africa] [Image source: Tafelberg] Whether it’s a steaming plate of sadza ne nyama, a beautifully fragranced lamb tagine, spicy jollof rice or a Sunday roast; our favourite foods done just the way we like it provide a source of comfort, reminding us of Mum’s good home cooking and with Mother’s Day in the UK a week away, on Sunday 3rd April what a good day as any to get together, cook up a feast and honour our Mothers as we make them feel extra, extra special. As the flurry of gift buying gets underway if your Mum […]
Read MoreGonçalo Mabunda [Mozambique] [Image credit: ‘The Elegance Throne’ – Goncalo Mabunda] I mentioned a little while back about the increasing trend for furniture as art amongst collectors and Gonçalo Mabunda’s often startling, furniture sculptures fit into that category. When I first saw the images of his ‘Chair’ series which has been a recurring theme of his for a while now, I was quite taken with how striking the forms where and equally intrigued with some of the titles such as ‘The Elegance Throne’, ‘Harmony Armchair’, Dream of the Children Armchair’ and ‘The Woman Throne’; titles which appear to contradict the hard scrap metal […]
Read MoreIndigo Bay Island Resort and Spa[Mozambique] Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa has been a daydream for a while, albeit an intermittent one – but we are talking over a good number of years, so it’s only right it should be honoured as the first posting. I first came to know Indigo Bay when the design studio I was working with at the time acquired them as a client.
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