We may be stuck inside this month, but that doesn’t mean First Thursdays can’t go on. We’ve compiled a list of ways you can still engage with and support the arts from home.

1 Hour for Art

One of the most powerful aspects of First Thursdays is the ritual of it – same time, same place, every month. With that in mind, consider making 1 Hour for Art this Thursday.

– Set aside any hour (or more) between 5pm and 9pm, and commit to one activity. Do this on your own, or coordinate with friends and family to do it with you.

– The world is your oyster, but to help you along we’ve included some suggestions below, from online resources, to local exhibitions, to films, to ways to support local initiatives through the arts.

Local galleries + online exhibitions

Galleries might be closed, but most still have exhibitions on at the moment, with teams working remotely. Browse exhibitions online, or request exhibition catalogues directly. Below are a few ways to engage with some of these galleries online.

– We’ve updated the First Thursdays website to include the local galleries with exhibitions that are viewable online. Click through to see what there is to see.

– Watch Norval Foundation’s #60SecondArt videos on Instagram – featuring short audio clips about particular works in their current exhibitions.

– Share your own work with Eclectica Contemporary using the hashtag #ETCSharing and they’ll reshare on Instagram.

Online + offline activities

– Explore some of the world’s greatest art collections on Google Arts & Culture. Zoom into Van Gogh’s ‘Terrace of a café at night’, explore the ‘Picture Gallery in Tranformation’ exhibition at Sao Paulo’s MASP museum featuring Lino Bo Bardi’s original glass easles designed for the museum, or walk around Berlin’s Pergamon Museum.

– Listen to Sean O’Toole’s ‘Music to Social Distance To’ playlist on Spotify (via Artthrob)

– Watch some of the short films from SXSW 2020, which was cancelled due to the global lockdown.

– Aloe Aloe has set up a programme of nightly performances you can livestream from the comfort of your home, giving local musicians a chance to make some dough during lockdown.

– Watch the much-anticipated South African film ‘Moffie’, the release of which coincided with the lockdown. Support the film by purchasing a ticket and streaming it at home.

– Make something – whether drawing, painting, or writing – choose your medium. Consider joining local artist Alice Toich’s #21DaysOfArtSA challenge.

– Watch one of Gary Hustwit’s design films for free – one film is released each week.

– Watch a high definition performance from the MetOpera or the Berlin Philharmoniker (or others you find online).

– Explore Johannesburg’s Standard Bank Gallery in 3D, featuring the exhibition ‘A Resilient Visionary: Poetic expressions of David Koloane’.

Support where it matters

It’s a difficult time for everyone – but there are some great initiatives that make it easy to support people on the ground. Consider supporting local initiatives and businesses in the following ways.

– Goodman Gallery has released a range of limited edition blankets designed by some of their artists, with proceeds going towards Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic.

– Food growers that usually supply local restaurants have been left without anyone to sell their produce to. With your R128 contribution towards Food Flow – produce is bought from these growers and distributed to those in need around Cape Town.

– You can also commission an illustration from Rudi de Wet, with a bag of produce distributed through Food Flow for each work.

– Commission a portrait from Koos Groenewald, with proceeds going to CoronaCare.

– Consider supporting your favourite local businesses by purchasing online or buying a voucher to redeem later. While products might only ship after the lockdown, these businesses still have to make sales and pay staff. Some of our favourites include Ogūn, Mungo, Margot Molyneux, Skinny laMinx, Dear Rae, OSCS, Mungo & Jemima and Arthur’s Mini Super.

– Studio H has also compiled a list of independent food businesses that are operating during lockdown.

– For more on-the-ground initiatives in your area, see the Cape Town Together group and find your local Community Action Network.

Stay safe.

Our headline act for the November edition of the First Thursdays Sessions is all-star trumpeter Darren English. Born in Cape Town in 1990, Darren’s musical journey began at Muizenberg High School, which led to studies at UCT, as well as Norway and eventually Georgia State University, where he graduated with a Masters in Jazz Studies.
 
Darren’s career thus far has included a two-year touring stint with Jimmy Dludlu, also having played with the likes of Mark Fransman, Feya Faku and the late Robbie Jansen and Zim Ngqawana. In 2014 he featured with Grammy nominee Russell Gunn’s Krunk Orchestra at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Darren now lives in Atlanta where he regularly performs across jazz venues and festivals.
 
Check out Darren’s answers to our questions below.

Let’s start at the beginning. Where did your love for music begin and what lead you to pursue the trumpet? I always enjoyed listening to different genres of music growing up, but was only introduced to playing music toward the end of Grade 8. I didn’t choose the trumpet at all, my music teacher/mentor at the time, Fred Kuit, gave me a cornet to take home over the Christmas holiday along with albums by Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Doc Cheatham, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis. After listening to those albums and trying to imitate those players, I fell in love with the trumpet.

You’ve lived in the States for a while now. How would you compare playing abroad to playing locally? I moved to Atlanta in 2012. It’s been the best move of my career to be Stateside. I wish I enjoyed playing in South Africa as much as I do the US, but the sad reality is that we don’t have a great infrastructure supporting live music nor do we receive much support in attendance in SA (regarding straight-ahead jazz). You have to wait for the international jazz festival to happen to be able to see out-of-town acts, or to experience various jazz outfits. Where in the US, you get to have that same “festival” excitement weekly. When I was a teenager, there were at least 5 dedicated jazz venues in Cape Town, where as today— it’s tough to find out where exactly jazz music is happening. However, I do still very much enjoy performing with my brothers and sisters in SA, and always look forward to making music back home!

At the age of 22, you released your debut album under Atlanta’s top jazz label, Hot Shoe Records, which features trumpeters Russell Gunn and Joe Gransden. How did that all come together? I was at a jam session one night at Twain’s in Decatur (that I frequented every Tuesday) when the CEO of the label, Tony Wasilewski, approached me saying that he’s been hearing me for about a year at sessions around Atlanta, and he’d like to sign me to his label to capture where I was at then, on record. A few weeks after our first meeting, I saw him again at Twain’s, and this time he drew up a contract and we discussed exactly what and who would be perfect for the album. My initial quartet was on the recording and I was fortunate enough to feature four of my favourite artists, vocalist Carmen Bradford, saxophonist Greg Tardy, and trumpeters Russell Gunn and Joe Gransden. I’m proud of the record as my first, and I’m still extremely grateful for everything Hot Shoe Records has done and is still doing for my career.

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? There are some amazing younger musicians in SA currently, I really don’t feel like I can give anyone any advice. What has definitely worked for me is to practice… practice playing! Work at your craft to a level that you can literally go anywhere in the world and fit right in.

What would you say is the highlight of your career that you’re most proud of? I have a few as of recent. Some of the awards we received recently with our album Imagine Nation. We received the Global Peace Song Award for “Pledge for Peace” which I composed as part of a suite for freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. Being a recipient of the Georgia State USA 40-Under-40 Most Influential and Innovative Award. As of this past year, my highlight has definitely been spending days together with Jimmy Heath (who just celebrated his 93rd birthday) and playing with him with the pianoless quartet. He’s been more than a mentor to me – a true giant and legend of this music we love.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? There are a ton of great players on the scene locally, doing amazing work. I don’t get out too much to stay current, but one of my favourite musicians doing amazing things who I’d recommend checking out is Mandla Mlangeni. I’d also check out Cape Town MC Niko10Long! He’s the truth at what he does! I’ve been working with him on a project that we’ll showcase next year with film director Kurt Orderson.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
1. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
2. Beauty of Sunrise – Bheki Mseleku
3. Five Leaves Left – Nick Drake
4. The Melody at Night With You – Keith Jarrett
5. Jazz in Film – Terence Blanchard

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music?
My website: darrenenglishmusic.com
Facebook: Darren English (personal and artist page)
Instagram: @darrenenglishmusic

Darren English will be taking the stage at the sixth edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 7 November 2019. The performance starts at 9pm, followed by a DJ set by Johannesburg-based DJ cake_kidd from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar (Melting Pot Cafeteria), 64a Wale Street. The Spring season of the First Thursdays Sessions is presented by Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects. Event staging is provided by LEVO Staging & Audio.

Tefo “Talking Drum” Mahola is a young up and coming multi-talented drummer, pianist, arranger, composer and poet in the world of music hailing from Gugulethu, Cape Town.

His ear for music, love for playing new ideas and constant hunger for pushing to newer levels brings about a truly fresh and cooking sound. His music career has barely started, having already done tours and festivals like Rocking the Daisies, Cape Town Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival and Muizenberg Jazz Festival to name a few, playing with many musical greats.

Tefo was recently chosen in a program by the EU called MAISHA, where 6 Africans and 6 Europeans were chosen in an intense 2 week collaboration between cultures and indigenous instruments with the end goal of putting together an album and performing live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2019. He has recently toured in Hungary with Fatime and her Kolibri in July, visiting all the cities in and around the country.

Although he plays in many styles and genres, his most enjoyed genre to play is jazz. His compositional work depicts that of jazz with all influences of music incorporated within. Tefo Mahola performs original music accompanied by poetry and stories.

We asked Tefo a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Where did your love for playing music begin? And how did you end up on the drums? It all started in primary school when I started acting and doing dance, I later changed schools to one that focussed on music, where I discovered a piano. In high school, I auditioned for the piano and was asked if there was another instrument I’d love to try out, and little 13 year old me saw the drum set and it was love at first sight.

You’ve played at the First Thursdays Sessions before, with Keegan Steenkamp back in June. It’s always great to see jazz musicians popping up in different bands and projects. Who else do you play with regularly or what other groups or projects are you a part of? I play with bands such as MSMF, a fresh upcoming jazz quartet with my good friends, also with Thembelihle Dunjana, Malek and the THUNDERTONES to name a few.

The Talking Drum Clan is something a bit different – mixing jazz and poetry. How did the project come about? It was actually a sound I was looking for, and through life I’ve been grateful to come across and play with musicians who’ve helped me get to this point. I’ve also had a strong influence in my family with many poets, visual artists and musicians of all styles.

We hear you have some new music coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Yes, I have an album that I am currently busy writing before hitting the studio with my 7 piece band. It’s all really compositions of mine that I’ve written this year, and it’s been a long time coming I guess since I’ve been writing and have tons of songs. I feel that the tunes I’ve already written will rather be released in forthcoming albums and rather have a beacon of where my life is this year, which is why I’ll be featuring new compositions.

What is your general experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? It’s quite a lot. It’s a bumpy and happy sad journey filled with beautiful faces and experiences, and I’m grateful for the fact that I’m in this industry. This year has and is still promising a lot for Jazz and I’m excited to be a musician at this time.

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Believe. Be grateful. Be positive.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Unity band is doing great, and lumanyano himself being a drummer and friend of mine is really inspiring me to get out and record, as he’s recently released his new album. Check him out!

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Kind of blue – miles Davis
Brian Blade – body and shadow
Mama’s gun – Erykah Badu
John Coltrane – my favorite things
Christian Scott – yesterday you said tomorrow

The Talking Drum Clan will be taking the stage at the fourth edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 5 September 2019. The performance starts at 9pm followed with a DJ set by ROASTIN’ RECORDS from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The First Thursdays Sessions are presented by Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects.


Shane Cooper is hands down one of the most progressive jazz artists in South Africa. His willingness to explore multiple musical landscapes within his recordings as Card On Spokes has become his very identity, drawing from his experiences as a double bassist and pulling them into music made for the dancefloor. The album Oscillations was awarded the 2014 SAMA for Best Jazz Album. In 2018 his new project, MABUTA, was launched with the album Welcome To This World.

Taking influence from hip hop, house and of course, his jazz roots, Shane has crafted a unique style that is constantly evolving. Card on Spokes has seen rapid success in the last few years, reaching #1 on YFM, getting airplay on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 6, as well as support from Gilles Peterson and Boiler Room debuts.

As a live electronic act, Cards on Spokes incorporates keys, electric bass, and controllers, often flexing out into psychedelic bass solo frontiers, atop a bed of heaving dancefloor-centric beats.

We asked Shane a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Image by Alexis Dominguez

You’re involved in a range of great musical projects. What’s keeping you busy at the moment? And any other upcoming performances we can look out for? I’ve started writing for the next MABUTA album as well as a new Card On Spokes EP. I’m very excited for MABUTA to play at Endless Daze in November, and a bunch of other cool shows over the next few months. All my upcoming gigs are listed on www.shanecoopermusic.com

Image by Jono Jebus

Where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the bass guitar of all instruments? I think my love for playing really started when I first picked up an acoustic guitar at age 12. I got into bass guitar through an opening in my high school jazz band when I was 14, which lead me to discover a passion for the 4 string bass and for jazz music.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? It’s a very creatively driven period for jazz music in South Africa, but at the same time it’s a very difficult country to tour within because of infrastructure challenges. It means we spend a lot of energy trying to get projects to tour abroad, and this is a mountain of a task due to flight costs, visas etc.

Image by Barry Christianson

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? It’s a cliché, but always be true to yourself. Study the work of your idols. Find mentors. Listen to as much music as you can. Build lasting friendships in music.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Bokani Dyer, Thandi Ntuli, Benjamin Jephta, Vuma Levin, Reza Khota, Siya Makuzeni, Nduduzo Makhathini, Marcus Wyatt, and many more.

Image by Jono Jebus

We hear you have some new music coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit more about that? I’m in the final stages of a new 5 track Card On Spokes EP, which is my follow up to As We Surface from 2016. It’s got several vocal feature tracks and some instrumentals as well. I’m very excited to finish it, and I’m hoping to release it this summer.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Radiohead – OK Computer
Oumou Sangaré – Mogoya
Thundercat – Apocalypse
D’Angelo – Voodoo
Any album by Fela Kuti

Image by Aidan Tobias

Where can people follow your projects online?
On instagram @cardonspokes
on my website www.shanecoopermusic.com

Card on Spokes performs at the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 1 August 2019. The event series is presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky, produced by Thursdays Projects, and hosted at The Gin Bar. The performance starts at 9pm sharp, with a DJ set by BÜJIN from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

The RMB Turbine Art Fair kicks off this week (12 – 14 July) at a new location – 10 Fricker Road in Illovo. Now in its 7th year, the Johannesburg-based fair continues to play an important role in opening up the visual arts to a wider audience. With artworks generally priced between R1 000 and R50 000, the RMB Turbine Art Fair caters to a wide range of new buyers and established collectors (A little tip: No matter what the price, many galleries will be open to buyers paying off a work over a number of months. Keep that in mind for when you find that one work that grabs you). With plenty to see, along with good food and good vibes, we highly recommend checking out the fair this weekend. For tickets, click here.

We’ve highlighted 5 exhibitors and exhibitions that we’d recommend keeping an eye out for.

1. A Meeting of Minds: Louis Khehla Maqhubela and Douglas Portway

Strauss & Co presents this museum-quality exhibition as the third in a series of exhibitions at the RMB Turbine Art Fair. Maqhubela and Portway met for the first time in St Ives, Cornwall, in 1967, after the former won the prestigious Artist of Fame and Promise award at Johannesburg’s Adler Fielding Gallery, which included the prize of a trip to Europe. The meeting impacted both artists’ thinking and the manner in which they painted subsequently. The aim of the exhibition is to examine the intersection of the work of these two artists, looking at their art training and early influences, and how their styles developed after they met.

2. The Graduate Exhibition

Curated by Kefiloe Siwisa in collaboration with Maja Marx, this feature returns for its 5th year at the fair. The exhibition features graduate work that has been selected from across the country, amongst which there might well be some names that you’ll see a lot more of over the coming years. Graduate exhibitions are often a good opportunity to buy a high standard of work at affordable prices. 

3. 50ty/50ty

Launched by Black River Studio in 2016, 50ty/50ty is an initiative that makes work by high calibre artists more accessible. Through the close collaboration between artist and printmaker, each work is produced in an edition of 50 prints. Not only a great stand to find nice work at affordable prices, it’s a great opportunity to ask them about the fine art printmaking process (these guys are some of the best printmakers on the continent).

4. Market Photo Workshop alumni exhibition

Founded by the late David Goldblatt in 1989, the Market Photo Workshop continues to play an invaluable role in nurturing young talent in photography and visual literacy. We can’t tell you what will be on exhibition at the fair, but knowing some of the alumni that have come out of the MPW, we can only imagine that it’s worth paying a visit.

5. Guns & Rain

What we like about Guns & Rain is their mission to give greater representation to African artists both online and on the international scene. They work with emerging visual artists from the likes of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Nigeria. Their programme presents a refreshing diversity of work from beyond just South Africa. 

That’s five, but there’s no doubt there will be a lot more worth seeing at this year’s RMB Turbine Art Fair. 

For tickets: click here
For more info: click here

To win 1 of 10 sets of double tickets to the RMB Turbine Art Fair 2019, simply sign up to the Thursdays Projects (First Thursdays / Museum Night) mailing list by 5pm on Wednesday 9 July: click here

Keegan Steenkamp is a Cape Town based trumpeter, composer and trumpet teacher from Muizenberg, Cape Town. At 17 he made his first appearances on the Cape Town music scene in the band ‘Khoitrans’ and at the famed Swingers Monday Night Jazz Jams.

Keegan has since gone on to perform at some of South Africa’s biggest stages including Rocking The Daisies and Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and has also performed in Istanbul, Beijing and Shanghai. Over the past 3 years Keegan has performed extensively with MSMF jazz quartet, and features as a sideman for many artists from all over the country.

We asked Keegan a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Let’s start at the beginning, where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the trumpet of all instruments? If we’re talking right at the beginning, probably through hearing a lot of good music from a young age, and fortunately having instruments at home to make noise on. Further down the line, my high school needed wind players, I had a choice between the trumpet and saxophone, and chose the trumpet ’cause the trumpet teacher there had a nice looking red trumpet.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? I can only speak myself here. So far so good. Lots of young musicians around my age are sounding great and keeping each other motivated. It also feels like somehow we’re creating more places and opportunities to play (not just jazz but music in general). Something Mandla Mlangeni was encouraging musicians to do a few years back. Speaking of which, there’s this star-studded generation slightly older than us doing amazing work and showing a way forward.

What advice would you give to young musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Practice! I think that if you sound good enough, the right people will notice. It helps if you’re in an appropriate place though. So go to as many jam sessions as you can, and then go overseas and go to as many jam sessions as you can. It’s something I’m still figuring out for myself but as I said, so far so good.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Sean Sanby is getting some nice music together for an album recording soon. There’s a really nice weekly gig at Hanks on a Tuesday night, people in the audience just talk too much sometimes. Darren English also started a weekly jam on Thursdays. He’s someone I’d recommend having a listen to, and also someone I’d recommend young jazz musicians have a chat to.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums (of any genre)?
Only five!? For now, it’s:
Sonny Rollins – The Bridge
Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil
Bob Marley – Kaya
MF DOOM – Mm.. Food
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music?
Call me! Also Instagram, YouTube, and music streaming platforms in a couple of months.

The Keegan Steenkamp Trio performs at the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 6 June 2019. The event series is presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky, produced by Thursdays Projects, and hosted at The Gin Bar. The performance starts at 9pm sharp, with a DJ set by Holy Funk from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

We sat down with the multi-talented, ever-astounding, artist Olivié Keck to chat about her practice, recent movements, animated movements and of course, some of her favourite records. Catch a mini-exhibition of Olivié’s works along with a DJ set by Olivié at the May 2019 edition of the First Thursdays Cape Town Official Warm-Up at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

Let’s begin at the beginning. How did you get to where you are today?
I did a BFA at Michaelis. From there on out, I basically took it as it came. Most of what I’ve cultivated in my career has been quite organic and I’ve generally just pursued gut feelings about directions in my practise. I guess my recipe is part hard work, part experimentation.

You have an exhibition showing at CIRCA in Johannesburg at the moment. What has it been like putting a show together in the City of Gold? And what’s your general experience of the place in comparison to Cape Town?
Jozi is a pulsing city. My most recent exhibition Drop Dead Gorgeous was perfect for the deluxe energy of The City of Gold. Cape Town is slow and sleepy in comparison and Joburg audiences really know how to come to the party in a big way. I was so grateful for the positive response.

You’ve done some work with VR before. How did that come about? And do you see yourself experimenting with more alternative media in the future, or was it more of a one time thing? Working in VR just kind of happened organically. I loved the medium and wanted to translate my drawing style into an immersive 3D environment. I was fortunate to know the right tech-savy people that could help me bring my aesthetic vision to life. These projects are very much collaborations between myself, Evan Greenwood (programmer) and Jason Sutherland (Sound Artist). I hope to work more in the medium of VR in future. It’s such a unique space for visual exploration to conjure new worlds.

Long Distance Caller Preview from Olivié Keck on Vimeo.

You’ve shown work in the Gin Bar space before, back when it was still Commune.1. What was the last work that you showed there, and what will you be showing on 2 May? Yeah it’s a weird one because this was the first space I had ever had a major solo exhibition (‘False Priest’,2014). At this event I’ll be showing a reminiscent with a mixed bag of O.K. drawings & prints.

What advice would you give to a young artist that you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?
I think sharing ideas and generating discussion is very important for artists. Being an artist is not about being an island. Be generous with your ideas. This will only make your practice more enriched.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums?
Beach House Devotion
Youth Lagoon The Year Of Hibernation
The New Pornographers Mass Romantic
Frank Ocean Blonde
Mica Levi Under Her Skin Soundtrack

Where can people find your work and follow you?
Instagram: @oliviekeck
Website: www.oliviekeck.com

Catch a mini-show of Olivié’s work, as well as a DJ set by the artist at The First Thursdays Official Warm Up between 6 – 9 PM, upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The party goes on until late. The First Thursdays Official Warm Up is produced by Thursdays Projects in partnership with Roku Gin.

RSVP HERE

Rosie Mudge is an artist based in Cape Town. She’s our selected visual artist for January’s Official Warm Up at The Gin Bar. You’ll be able to see some of her work and catch her DJ set from 6pm to 8pm. We asked her a few questions. Read on for what she had to say.

 

You work as an artist but you also have a ‘day job’. How do you balance everything and manage your art-making practice?

RM: When I left art school I got a job working at my brothers furniture factory. At first I worked part-time and had a lot more time for art. I had a studio and went to it almost every afternoon for a few years. At this stage in my art-making process I was experimenting with new techniques – focusing on my enjoyment of materials like nail-polish, body glitters and make-up – there was no end result in mind. The work I made during that period was truly repulsive to most of the people I showed it to. Even my family couldn’t find anything to like about it. But it satisfied a part of myself, and I kept going. I was also balancing being a curator, with transitory exhibitions put on through Jnr (a project space I co-developed) and curated a number of group shows as well as Mitchell Messina’s first solo exhibition, Mitchy! As my role at the furniture factory grew and developed, I took on more responsibility and physical time for art-making became harder to get. I gave up my studio and started working from the factory after closing hours. As my work has transformed, the techniques I developed lent themselves to an industrial space, and so this ‘balance’ has become less of a dichotomy and more of an absorption – one into the other and visa versa. I am continually ruminating on ideas and have works in progress which I have been thinking about for well on 5 years now. There’s a lot of time and I try not to put too much pressure on myself to finish works in a restricted timeline. They get finished as and when that happens.

Much of your work is produced with automative paint and glitter glue. How did you end up working with these rather unconventional materials?

RM: I felt massively burned out when I graduated from art school. My previous academic inspirations were all bitter, and my previous techniques felt forced, disingenuous and part of a greater machine of art production, rather than anything to do with myself. So I decided to do a 180 turn and start from the beginning. As it happened, I placed my personal beginning around the age of 12, sitting in my bedroom alone, making things up, playing with polly pocket (yes, still at 12), writing diaries, listening to music, experimenting with make-up and nail polish – enjoying my own solitude, imagination and development of self expression. So, after art school, I spent a few years playing around with materials that inspired me back then, trying to get back into the magic of childhood. After a few years things started to clear up in my mind and I was driven to scale up the visuals I was making. I experimented with manufacturing larger quantities of nail-polish, but then I discovered that automotive paint and nail polish share very similar properties. I loved thinking about those two materials side by side – the tiny, precious nail polish bottles in the hands of girls (and other) vs the industrial automotive paint in the hands of men (and other). On top of this, the enormous tubs of glitter-glue are too good to be true! It’s the real “dip your whole arms in it’ experience.

 

 

In your recent solo show at SMITH, ‘In my room with Mazzy Star’, you refer to your room as a space of psychological safety and creativity. Obviously there’s a specifically domestic or psychological reference there, but the space in which art is made is an equally interesting factor and often one that is hidden from the public. Where do you produce your work and how does it affect what you make?

RM: I guess that in that name I was referring to the psychological space of the mind (your personal, private ‘room’). Although I don’t produce my works in a bedroom, or even a private space, I felt that this analogy speaks to the personal experience of creating things, a private relationship between artist and artwork. Because my current art-making practices are toxic I have to kit myself out with full protection: eye mask, respiratory mask, gloves, fully clothed, sports shoes. Added to that are my playlist and headphones – and I really am blocked off from everything around me. The production process is very physical and gruelling. I usually work for 8 hours at a time without stopping. The music I listen to draws out emotions which feed directly into the works. This goes on and on – it’s very special personal time for me.

How do you find working as an artist in Cape Town – down here at the bottom of the world?

RM: I have no idea what it’s like to be an artist in any other place, I’m not sure being elsewhere would help but I guess I find it difficult here. To feel on the one hand free and at liberty to make what you chose or whatever comes to you, without needing to define yourself, or your practice or outline your own mind. And to have that contrasted by the desire to belong to something, the desire to be understood or related to, to connect to people in conversation… it’s a constant internal battle. I suppose this does not directly relate to Cape Town, but this is how I feel about being an artist in general. If I were at the top of the world, I imagine that it would either be a lot harder, with the saturated markets and art frenzy, or maybe a lot easier as there is more art writing that happens there and two-sided conversations might occur more fluidly.

 

Do you have any advice for people trying to start out in the world of art-making?

RM: Firstly, get a job which gives you enough money to act freely financially with your art-making. It doesn’t have to be in the art world and it doesn’t have to be creative. I have found my ties to a world outside my own creation very energising and the income means that I do not pressurise my art into being successful – it can be a wonderful failure. Having a lot of responsibility outside of your own practice does mean a lot of work, but having less time encourages me to make better use of the time I do have. It also helps me to think quickly in the moment, and ruminate outside of the moment.
Secondly, get involved. Put the ideas you have into practice in any way you can, and try not to rely on the positive affirmation of other people for the valuation of yourself and your art.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums?

RM:
MGMT – Congratulations
Of Montreal – The Sunlandic Twins
Beach House – Depression Cherry
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Where can people find you online and find out more about your work?

RM:

https://www.instagram.com/rosiesmudge/
http://www.smithstudio.co.za/content/rosie-mudge
https://rosiemudge.tumblr.com/

 

Catch Rosie Mudge at the First Thursdays Official Warm Up at The Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. She’ll be doing a DJ set from 6pm to 8pm, with an exhibition of some of her work up as well. The party goes on until late. The First Thursdays Official Warm Up is produced by Thursdays Projects in partnership with Maker’s Mark Craft Bourbon Whisky. 

Jaco Haasbroek is an illustrator and designer based in Cape Town.
If you’ve ever seen The Good News headlines on lampposts around town you’ve seen some of his work. He’s our selected artist for this month’s Official Warm Up, taking place at the Gin Bar on First Thursdays.
We asked him a few questions.

You are a man that wears many hats – DJ, Illustrator, ‘Newsman’, amongst others – How would you describe yourself professionally?

JH: I guess professionally I’m an illustrator & art director. The majority of my ideas manifest themselves through illustration, so this has become the main source of income for me. I enjoy making things and the creative process. Most of my work is concept driven and I have a great love for simplicity. Side projects develop organically from the random ideas I have and can take on a variety of forms, but these tend to be love projects and don’t necessarily pay the bills.

What was your path to getting to where you are now? Did you always imagine doing the kind of work that you do?

JH: I’ve always wanted to be an artist. My idea of what that means and entails has changed, but the overarching goal or theme has remained. I took art as a subject at school, studied Fine Art at Stellenbosch University where I discovered a love of design and a more independent way of making art. Upon completing my degree I worked in advertising for two and a half years. This helped me view the creative process from a more concept driven side. It consisted of a lot of problem solving through creative thinking and I really enjoyed this approach. I went freelance for a couple of year after that and worked as a designer in two different jobs. I took on these jobs when financial stresses became a bit overbearing. Most recently I worked at Made by Radio as an illustrator and art director and this proved to be an invaluable experience that pushed me to improve my own craft and broaden my skill set. After almost two years at the studio I am now working freelance again.

Humour plays a big role in your work. Where does that sense of humour come from?

JH: I honestly don’t know. I think it’s the sixth sense that we are all born with.

Can you tell us a little bit more about “The Good News”. What is the story behind that story?

JH: The Good News is an ongoing series of fictional, light-hearted and generally positive newspaper headlines that I put up in and around the city. The concept came about when I was driving home and spotted a ‘STOLEN’ pet poster. It’s quite sad when someone loses a pet and the idea popped into my head that by simply adding ‘OUR HEARTS’ at the bottom of the poster it would completely change its meaning and give it a positive spin. This idea then evolved into the fake news posters, which rely on the use of wordplay to celebrate the little everyday victories. I’m allowing the project to develop organically but would also like to expand the concept to include more than just the headlines. Possibly a publication of sorts.

Any advice for people starting out in the creative industries?

JH: Trust your gut. When it feels right, go with it. Try not to compare yourself with others. The internet is a great resource, focus on the ways it helps you to showcase your work. Put yourself out there. Know that it takes hard work and patience to get to where you want to be. If you put in the work, and you keep at it, the rewards will come. Sometimes you need to take on work you might not want to, but short term sacrifices will help you reach those long term goals.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums?

JH: The Strokes – Is This It
Radiohead – Okay Computer
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Justice – †
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground

Where can people follow you and your projects?

https://www.instagram.com/haasbroek/
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodnewsza/
https://www.instagram.com/winehundredbucks/

Catch Jaco Haasbroek at the Official First Thursdays Warm Up. He’ll be doing a DJ set from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, with an exhibition of some of his work up as well. The Official First Thursdays Warm Up is produced by Thursdays Projects in partnership with Maker’s Mark Handmade Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky.

Studio 3 – 3 Wandel Street

The First Thursdays self-guided programmes are designed to give you a bit more structure to your First Thursdays experience. We’ve picked out a few exhibitions and attractions in Cape Town  and provided some information on each point.

Download the Self Guided Programme for Cape Town here.

Enjoy your evening!