I’ve visited Lilian Road Studios, a collection of artists’ studios in a historic, dilapidated building in Fordsburg, many times. Several great Joburg artists have had studios at Lilian Road, including Hannelie Coetzee and Hermann Niebuhr. Now there is a group of artists working there, several of whom are my friends, and I can’t believe I’ve never blogged about it before. There are so many things I love about these studios.
First: Lilian Road is in Fordsburg, one of Joburg’s most interesting neighborhoods – home to the Oriental Plaza and Syrian Rose, among countless other gems. The iconic Lilian Road building was built in 1913.
Second: The studios feel like a secret and I love feeling like I’m in on a secret. There is a Pakistani restaurant on the ground floor of the Lilian Road building. On most days, when the main studio door is locked, you have to walk through the restaurant and its kitchen to get to the staircase up to the studios.
Third, the building is always surrounded by pigeons. Pigeons are like hadedas: Most people in Joburg either love them or hate them, and I happen to love them. Many Muslims consider caring for their neighborhood’s pigeons to be a moral responsibility, hence the pigeons on this block are happy and well fed. There is always a flock of them roosting on the Lilian Road roof.
Fourth: The Lilian Road studios are full of quirky artists, many of whom I am very fond of, and their art. I visited a few days ago to take pictures of them before the big Open Studio event they’re hosting on December 10th and 11th.
Here are the Lilian Road artists I met this week:
I highly recommend checking out the Lilian Road Open Studio to meet these artists (and several others who I didn’t manage to catch when I was there) and see their work. I went to the previous Open Studio in June and it was fantastic, with tons of beautiful art for sale at a range of affordable price points. The Open Studio is also a great excuse to visit Fordsburg and have lunch at Syrian Rose, the Oriental Plaza, or one of countless other delicious (and cheap) South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants in the area.
Keep an eye on the artists’ Instagram feeds (all linked in the captions above) and @LilianRoadStudios for updates about the Open Studio.
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.
In 2020, I published a blog post with tips for Americans living in South Africa who wanted to vote in the U.S. presidential election. I thought about simply resharing that post this year. But then I realized: 1) I want to write a U.S. election post that will be fun and informative for everyone, not just other Americans; and 2) Believe it or not, the U.S. presidential election stakes are even higher in 2024 than they were in 2020. So I’m introducing you to some really cool Americans in Joburg – one who I’ve known forever and two who I just met – and tell you a bit about who they are, why they live here, and why they vote.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.