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It's been a busy few weeks following the changes in Joburg's art landscape, the most dramatic of which was the move by Standard Bank of its key exhibition space from its iconic gallery in Marshalltown to a lounge in Joburg's business district of Sandton. The Standard Bank Gallery has hosted standout exhibitions over the years, including the historic showcase of the French master in Matisse: Rhythm and Meaning. One writer on our team remembers a formative visit to the Standard Bank Gallery in her high school years; it was not only a first encounter with the arresting, large-scale works of Johannes Phokela that stood out, but the gallery's location in the heart of the city. Illuminating for a student coming from the West Rand, and we're sure she's not alone in this experience.
The migration to Sandton comes with a rebrand as The Standard Bank Art Lab. In some ways, the move chimes with the post-Covid exodus of other art spaces from the city, among them Kalashnikovv and Stevenson galleries that left Braamfontein for the suburbs of Parkhurst and Parktown North, respectively. The movement of key art and culture spaces away from the inner city and into popular business districts and, indeed, the 'burbs, isn't a shift we were particularly enthralled with. However, we have come to accept it, and as time has moved on, we've enjoyed watching Rosebank and its immediate surrounds, being enriched by this trend. Today, this vibrant neighbourhood boasts the largest concentration of galleries and art spaces in Joburg.
It is in Rosebank, along Keyes Avenue, that Lizamore & Associates recently opened up a new permanent gallery space: Lizamore on Keyes. This after having left their Parkwood space nearby, post-Covid. The new gallery is a fun and welcoming multi-level space.
This stretch along Keyes Avenue was always destined for art greatness. It's home to one of Rosebank's premier attractions, Keyes Art Mile which incorporates the Trumpet building with gallery spaces and David Higgs' Marble restaurant, along with the 24-hour Pantry that broke ground when it comes to Joburg's garage shops, and Everard Read and Circa galleries. Now plans are forging ahead for Keyes 2.0., an ambitious residential, art and lifestyle-centred precinct that will finally realise the original vision of property developer Anton Taljaard. The first signal of change is the newly renovated Gallery 1 space within Keyes' iconic Trumpet building. This once unassuming gallery has been transformed into a standout space, destined for hosting museum-quality art drawn from private collections. The opening exhibit of South African modernist art masters sets the tone.
Nearby, 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub continues to contribute to Rosebank's reputation as an art destination with a lively exhibition circuit and First Thursdays events, as does the long-standing Goodman Gallery. From relatively new kids on the block to seminal galleries, it's enlivening to witness the emergence of different kinds of art spaces – including Under the Aegis, a satellite gallery to the Cape Town branch that is part of a new 'third space' and coffee shop on Tyrwhitt Avenue, here.joburg.
Here's the round-up of Joburg's newest art spaces:
1. Gallery 1 at Keyes Art Mile
An art space in the Trumpet building at Keyes Art Mile has undergone major renovations, and with these, Gallery 1 goes museum-grade. The gorgeous new gallery debuted this upgrade with a fitting exhibition of South African modernist masters in Looking Back, Seeing Now. Entering Gallery 1 now really feels like stepping into a space that has been set apart. It is purpose-built, from the curved walls to the warm wood panelling, acoustic detailing, and bespoke lighting systems. It's also climate-controlled and secured to museum specifications to enable the showcasing of important works borrowed from private collections that include pieces by Gerard Sekoto, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, and Maggie Laubser (among other local art stars) that grace its walls for the opening exhibit. A space like this is a rare offering in Joburg, mirrored only perhaps by the pre-auction exhibitions held at Houghton auction house, Strauss & Co.
"This gallery represents our commitment to making world-class culture accessible and integral to everyday city life," says Anton Taljaard of Tomorrow Co, the development company behind Keyes Art Mile. "Gallery 1 is both a destination in itself and a preview of the cultural infrastructure we're building across the expanded precinct." The plan was always for Keyes Art Mile to be just that – a mile of art, stretching along Rosebank's Keyes Avenue. And while the Trumpet building has stood its ground as a formidable art space and cultural destination since it opened in 2016, the expansion plans for Keyes 2.0. set to be realised by 2027 will actualise the original vision for this project. This will include a Botanic Sanctuary sculpture park, new exhibition spaces and hospitality venues, and even residential components, all circling around the development's overarching aim of weaving accessible and engaging culture into the very fabric of urban life.
21 Keyes Ave, Rosebank
2. Lizamore on Keyes
Operating since 2000, contemporary fine art consultancy Lizamore & Associates launched its new permanent home with a stand-alone gallery space, Lizamore on Keyes, in June. While not officially part of the Keyes 2.0. development, it aligns in spirit. Founder Teresa Lizamore wanted to do something different with this space, partially in response to the effect of the pandemic on Joburg's cultural landscape and the way people engage with art. Lizamore on Keyes is primarily a space for carefully curated group exhibitions and collections, but also promises to host the occasional solo of significance. Whatever form these offerings take, there will be no more than five exhibitions a year, each with longer runs than traditional gallery spaces.
"The impact that Covid has had on society is to bring back the appreciation of slowing down and changing the way people engage in the world. We are seeing a strong shift to mindfulness, slow living movements, and making conscious and careful choices in where people choose to spend both their leisure time and money," says Lizamore. The brand's ethos comes through in the other spaces they choose to exhibit, such as the lobby of the 11-storey building that hosts co-working space, Workshop17 Firestation, in Rosebank – a departure from the often intimidating "white cube". The new gallery exists in kind, with a focus on inclusion, hospitality, and enthusiasm. Words we don't always hear in the context of a gallery, but which we welcome. Lizamore on Keyes' opening exhibition, Here and Now, features work by Thabang Lehobye, Johan Stegmann, Judy Woodborne, and other artists whose work offers a reflection on this current moment.
29 Keyes Ave, Rosebank.
3. The Standard Bank Art Lab
A legendary art space that played host to international greats like Henri Matisse and local art icons such as Lady Skollie alike, as far as we can tell, it's the end of the era for big exhibitions at the Standard Bank Gallery in Marshalltown. Going ahead, this energy will be concentrated on The Standard Bank Art Lab, which has opened at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton City. The location alone changes the flavour of the offering. The gallery once occupied a historic building in the old financial district, and now makes its home in a far more commercialised and modern setting. The official positioning of The Art Lab is as a space for "collaboration, experimentation, and creativity." Visiting for the opening, however, the space felt more like an art lounge, a comfortable and elegant place to mingle and view art in a highly traditional set-up.
The inaugural exhibition, Follow the Blue Thread: It’s Woven Into Who We Are, concentrates on the medium of tapestry – playing on the connections between textiles, visual arts, commerce, craft, and culture in South Africa. Drawn from the Standard Bank collection, this show includes work by some heavyweights, including Penny Siopis, Sam Nhlengethwa, and William Kentridge.
We are great admirers of Standard Bank's contribution to the arts in myriad forms; to name just one, the long-standing Standard Bank Young Artist Awards that have ushered important practitioners through its ranks. We can see how The Art Lab could work as an excellent location for corporate hospitality events, with its bridge to the Sandton Convention Centre, but we don't quite follow the logic of this as a space to bring art to the people, as the bank's legacy space in the City Centre once did.
Shop 33-34, Nelson Mandela Square, 2 Maude Street, Sandton
4. Under the Aegis at here.joburg
A recent Rosebank opening that has taken us pleasantly by surprise is here.joburg, a coffee shop, co-working and events space, design showroom, and gallery in one. You can pop in for coffee and pastries by Father Coffee, admire gorgeous furniture from the Daily Store, and browse what's on show at this Joburg satellite of Cape Town gallery, Under the Aegis. This spot is also part of the city's official First Thursdays programming. It's large and light-filled, with a terrace that overlooks Tyrwhitt Avenue.
A relative newcomer to the Mother City's art scene, Under the Aegis launched in 2020, founded by curator Anelisa Mangcu. The mission is dual: providing artists with support and resources to thrive in a competitive industry, and creating opportunities for them to showcase their work on a global stage. Bringing this vision to Joburg in a multi-use, community space rather than a dedicated gallery only amplifies it, and we love the notion of bringing art into unexpected places.
8 Tyrwhitt Ave, Rosebank
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