This is a creative project about 10 young creatives from Gauteng collaborating through fashion and visual art, portrayed in a contemporary space - with cultural and traditional aesthetics which are South African in identity. All products will be showcased in a contemporary art gallery and all works will be for sale.

The creation of the products aims to explore how fashion creatives and artists with their products, can become an integral part of everyday life in what is an urban cultural approach to life, whilst the focus is made on historical African Cultural aesthetics; and how these influences can be interlinked within the modern scope of life. Herein art seizes to just be exclusive decadence which alienates African identities, but an extraordinary experience of regular day to day life, a lived experience. Fashion creatives will team up with visual artists to create clothing and art designs that will elevate the artistic elements but still maintain the apparel appeal to the public, also highlighting the mentioned aesthetics.

The #ArtAboutFashion 1.0 exhibition is curated by visual artist, activist and curator Lekau Matsena. 

The project aims and objectives:

·       Build bridges across local cultural geographies, drawing inspiration from the riches of indigenous rural cultures and exposing to urban cultural networks;

·       Develop the quality and standard of artistic products created;

·       Offer creatives and artists work presentation opportunities;

·       Create sustainable economic developmental structures for fashion creatives and artists;

·       Design and package creative products from collaborative exchange that will serve as creative capsules of African inspired cultures into the modern life and towards Afrocentric futures;

·       Increase the accessibility of art to the public through subsequent creative products.

The project process and development has taken three months to be realised, starting from 01 February till end of 26 April 2019.

Participating Fashion creatives and Visual artists:

Nina Sidumedi (Fashion Designer)

Neo Rangaka (Fashion Designer)

Sakhile Cebekhulu (Visual Artist)

Zolile Phetshane (Visual Artist)

Mpumelelo Dlamini (Fashion Designer)

Lebohang Motaung (Visual Artist)

Nompumelelo Tshabalala (Visual Artist)

Mandy Coppes (Visual Artist)

Carlo Gibson (Fashion Designer)

Thato Matabane (Fashion Designer)

Gina Waldman (Textile Fine Art Artist)

Lekau Matsena (Curator & Textile Fine Art Artist)