Welcome to Week 46 of my #Gauteng52 challenge, for which I visit and blog about a new place in Gauteng Province every week for 52 straight weeks. This week I visit August House, a collection of artists’ studios and residences in downtown Johannesburg.
August House is a building full of artists.
I went last Sunday during one of the Open Studio events the building holds a few times a year. I ran into an artist friend who has a studio there (it seems nearly every artist I know either lives in August House, has studio space in August House, and/or is affiliated with August House in some way) and he was shocked when I told him it was my first time visiting. I now realize why.
Although I had never heard of August House until a year or two ago, the building has been an icon of the Joburg art world since artists began living and working there in 2006. There’s been lots of intrigue surrounding the building since then, with rumors of it being sold to property developers for low-cost housing, artists moving out and back in again, etc. (Read some of the history in this Mail & Guardian article from 2015, and another one from 2013. Fourthwall Books also published a book about August House recently, which I must read.)
One of the most interesting things about August House – to me at least – is its location, in a rough section of the downtown neighborhood of Doornfontein. August House is surrounded by dilapidated buildings, some of which are highjacked (illegally run by criminal gangs who charge rent without providing any maintenance or services like electricity or running water).
Things are now looking up for August House. The current owner has had the building since 2014 and seems committed to preserving it as an “artists’ playground”, as the August House website says. The building is fully occupied and houses about 50 artists, and the whole area is transforming fast. I noticed a building across from August House, which used to be one of the worst highjacked buildings in the city, has now been neatly spruced up and has a large “apartments to let” sign on the front.
In addition to being an artists’ playground, August House is a photographer’s dream. The views are amazing, as shown above, with every window (there are so many windows) painting a different portrait of downtown Joburg. And then there are the studios themselves, each of which provides a figurative window into the mind of the artist who lives/works there.
One more shot of Bukhosi because he’s so damn photogenic.
Follow August House on Facebook for announcements about the next Open Studios event. I forgot to mention this earlier, but August House is undoubtedly the best place in the city – by far – to buy South African art. The artists working there range from very young and up-and-coming to very famous and well established. There are incredible deals to be had.
August House is at 76 End Street, Doornfontein. Email 76@augusthouse.co.za for more information.
Read all of my #Gauteng52 posts and check out the interactive #Gauteng52 map.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
Use the share button below if you liked it.
It makes me smile, when I see it.