South Africa’s thriving art scene needs private sector involvement to ensure up-and-coming young artists get the support they need to become established.
This was the word from Jared Leite, curator and coordinator at Lemkus Gallery in Cape Town.
Earlier this year, the newly established gallery launched its Residency28 program, which provides a five-to-six-week residency to promising young artists to allow them to develop a full body of work. The work is then exhibited at Lemkus Gallery on a three-month consignment, after which the artists can do what they like with the unsold artworks.
Leite says the idea stemmed from a conversation with Richard Lemkus to utilise an unused space on the fourth floor of his building in St George’s Square in Cape Town.
“The residency provides artists the support to develop an in-depth body of work that can form part of their first solo exhibition. The gallery provides all the materials needed, along with a stipend and further support in the form of canvas construction and photography of the final artworks. The work is then exhibited at the gallery and featured online on our website, from where art lovers can also purchase their favourite pieces.”
Four South African artists have featured as part of the Residency28 program:
- Kagiso Reuben, a 25-year-old whose work explores some of the more intricate aspects of his lived experience including the complex nature and shifting state of his mental health,
- 27-year-old Gabriele Jacobs whose solo exhibition A Hybrid Signal explores the intersection between queerness, ecology, and the body,
- Queezy Babas, a 32-year-old interdisciplinary artist whose Tapestry Pageant collection was exhibited at the gallery last month, and
- Mongezi Ncaphayi is a 41-year-old artist who specialises in printmaking and has won many awards and fellowships. His sole exhibition ‘Nostalgia for the Impossible’ is presently showing at the gallery.
Leite says private sector support was pivotal to the success of the first three exhibitions. “Thanks to the support of PayJustNow during our first year, we were able to give four hugely talented artists an opportunity to showcase their work and reach a wider audience. We are hopeful that more companies will show their support for South African artists, who play a vital role in preserving our cultural heritage.”
“We believe in the power of art to inspire, challenge, and connect communities. Lemkus Gallery’s Residency28 program is evolving the landscape for young, local artists, and PayJustNow loves to collaborate with brands that push boundaries to create access. We are proud to play our role in supporting these talented artists so they can share their stories and creativity,” said Dean Hyde, Chief Operating Officer at PayJustNow.
In a drive to make local art more accessible, PayJustNow has also integrated its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) payment service into Lemkus Gallery’s online platform. This will allow art lovers the flexibility of spreading the cost of a purchase across three months interest-and-fee free, while receiving the artwork immediately.
For those interested in personally viewing Mongezi’s collection, the artists’ work will feature in an exhibition on Thursday the 3rd of October from 18:00 – 21:00 at Lemkus Gallery.
For more information and to view or purchase the artworks, please visit https://lemkusgallery.com
About PayJustNow
PayJustNow is South Africa’s largest Buy Now Pay Later provider with over 1.8 million customers, 2500 directly integrated merchants and 8765 points of presence throughout the country. The company recorded more than 100% year-on-year growth in Gross Merchandise Volume for its retail base in 2023 and was awarded the Best Buy Now Pay Later Service Initiative at The Digital Banker’s Global Payments Innovation Awards.
About Lemkus Gallery
Lemkus Gallery, located at 28 St George’s Street, was established in 2024 with the primary intent to house and facilitate the Residency28 programme. The purpose of the programme is to assist the cultivation of sustainable artistic practices by providing artists with the necessary resources and support to further their respective careers. By consistently activating the space with cultural work, we intend to provide viewers with a wealth of content to engage and to form networks of creative individuals working within the local scene. Lemkus gallery is centred on the premise of serving the arts community in Cape Town and maintains this principle in all its endeavours.
Image: Kagiso Reuben