Studio Voop, a new art gallery, has opened at The Creative Hub in Salt River.
Petra Vonk, who started it, says artists can hire space to exhibit work, which will also be up for sale on the gallery’s website.
“We also focus on skills development by offering various workshops and or a space for teachers to hire. We aim to discover talent and help them grow,” she said.
The opening exhibition, Many Makes One, at the end of last month, featured art by Tega Tafadzwa, Ms Vonk, Katharien de Villiers, Tafadzwa Masudi, Marc Vonk, Micha Serraf, Nelia Lombard, Mukudzei Muzondo, Kaylah Maposa and Tanaka Maposa Nelia Lombard created a sculpture, Faceless, for the show, to echo common emotions felt this year.
“Being able to reinvent and create something from ‘scrap’ and finding the beauty in a discarded, unwanted or expired object is the ultimate gratification,” Ms Vonk said.
At the launch was 9-year-old digital illustrator Kayla Maposa, who self-published a book, Royal Guardians and The Lost Treasure.
She said she discovered her passion for art when she got her first iPad at 2 and it had now become a “permanent part of my life”.
Harare-born artist and storyteller Tega Tafadzwa started painting at the age of 10. He was inspired by his uncle and brother, who are also artists.
Tega studied art at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. He moved to South Africa in 2008 and joined Good Hope Art Studios.
Mr Tafadzwa’s work can be found in several institutional and private collections, including Spier and UCT. He was recently chosen for Nando’s Creative Exchange 2020.
Tafadzwa Masudi, from Harare, is a self-taught artist. He was 16 when a friend introduced him to art in Mbare in 2004.
In 2010 he immigrated to South Africa, where he uses his paintings to tell of his experiences as a foreigner and explore memories of his homeland.
Ms Vonk said she was passionate about discovering new talent, developing creative minds and helping people launch careers.
Her son, Marc Vonk, is a co-founder of the gallery, and has a studio there where he hosts ceramics workshops and classes.
Interested artists can submit their works for free for the studio’s monthly exhibition to petra@petravonkdesig.co.za.
Artists looking for studio space to hire call Ms Vonk at 082 340 8724.
