Empowering Artists to Work Together
Even before I visited an art gallery for the first time, I used to devour the art books in our school library. The idea of capturing an idea, an emotion or situation through art has always captivated me, and is probably the reason I became a chef and photographer. I’ve always admired the support of Sanlam Private Wealth – a partner of JAN the Journal since 2019 – for South African artists, so I’m thrilled to share their most recent initiative, Excellence through Collaboration, with you.
What guides, equips and inspires artists to create cultural wealth is the same resolve that drives Sanlam Private Wealth. This shared instinct to create something of meaning and value to last for generations to come is what drives them to do the same for their clients by crafting custom solutions that grow and preserve their wealth.
In a similar fashion to how artists combine different materials and skills to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces, the cross-disciplinary teams at Sanlam Private Wealth combine their expertise and skill sets to custom-craft wealth solutions tailored to their clients’ ambitions and goals.
It is this Excellence through Collaboration that inspired an innovative and inspiring masterpiece, crafted by ceramicist Zizipho Poswa, furniture designer Mpho Vackier and innovator Candice Lawrence.
By fusing a combination of materials, skill sets and sustainable design, the artists created a light-filled, multi-sensory space that showcases the power of collaboration, connectedness and craftsmanship – and pays homage to the journey Sanlam Private Wealth undertakes when crafting dynamic and lasting wealth.
A universal symbol of perpetual movement, the circle takes centre stage in the work of all three artists. Gravitating towards the perfection of the circular shape, they integrated and overlaid their signature materials of metal, wood, ceramics and textured woven elements in repetitive circular patterns to create a communal space for people to connect with each other and themselves.
More about the artists
Zizipho Poswa, ceramicist and co-founder of Imiso Ceramics
Zizipho believes it’s in our nature as Africans to work in a communal approach. Her large-scale, hand-coiled sculptures are bold declarations of African womanhood, inspired by the daily Xhosa rituals she witnessed growing up. She has exhibited in New York, Paris, Miami and London and her ceramics can be found in private and corporate collections around the world.
Mpho Vackier, engineer turned furniture designer and founder of TheUrbanative
Mpho is guided by the philosophies of craft, collaboration and design evolution and prides herself on always designing with function in mind. Her work has won numerous awards and has been exhibited at Milan Design Week.
Candice Lawrence, designer, maker, innovator and founder of Modern Gesture
Candice believes that a story is embedded into the materials of each piece, capturing the time and care invested in the creation process. Her work with mixed mediums such as wood, wax cord and various metals was featured in VOGUE Germany in 2021. She was also selected to join Forbes’ 54kibo project aimed at introducing top African designers to the US market.