Inner city artists bring Inner City Views to Sandton

Asisebenze Art Atelier has taken an important step toward its vision of creating a viable fine art ecosystem. Launched with sponsorship from Sanlam Private Wealth, 22 artists have collaborated to put on a three-month exhibition at the Sanlam art gallery in Sandton. 

The works on display will be rotated every month, giving art collectors the opportunity to meet the artists, view their creations and add to their collections.  

Sanlam owns one of South Africa’s most significant art collections, which it has been building up over more than six decades. Inviting Asisebenze artists to exhibit their works in the Sanlam gallery is therefore significant and humbling in equal measure. 

Titled Inner City Views, the exhibition has been co-curated by award-winning visual artist, curator and arts writer Nolan Stevens and long-standing art dealer Choni Gavin. The show was officially opened on 10 May 2023 to a private audience of invited guests. 

The exhibition theme is derived from the 1971 iconic Marvin Gaye soul classic ‘Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)’ that depicts the ghettos and America’s bleak inner-city conditions.  

The Asisebenze artists bring their own unique flavour to this theme by drawing on their experiences and interpretations of life in the inner city. 

Works on display include oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, charcoal and pastels on paper, print on paper and mixed media works as well as repurposed found objects. All the works touch on themes relating to the inner city of Johannesburg, including safety and security, identity, movement in the city, and cultural identifiers. 

The exhibition is open to the public, Monday to Friday 10:00 to 16:00, although private and group viewings can be arranged by contacting Choni Gavin (083 750 9083 / [email protected]) or Nolan Stevens (074 823 5550 / [email protected]). 

View photos from the launch event