CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:
OPEN CALL: STUDIOS AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL
Bag Factory Artists’ Studios invites Johannesburg-based artists and artist duos to apply for a self-funded, self-directed studio residency. This opportunity provides dedicated time and space to develop artistic work within a supportive professional environment.
Please be advised that Bag Factory does not provide support for accommodation or travel arrangements or costs. The residency takes place in our established studio facility, located at the intersection of Johannesburg’s dynamic Fordsburg and Newtown neighbourhoods. Over our 33 year legacy, Bag Factory fosters a thriving artistic community encompassing diverse backgrounds and practices.
Studio availability begins in January 2025.
The studio rental rates are as follows:
- Short-term Residency: R4,032.36 per month (incl. VAT)
- Long-term Residency:
- Tier 1 (emerging artists): R2,581.47 per month (incl. VAT)
- Tier 2 (mid-career artists): R3,389.63 per month (incl. VAT)
Application Deadline: 2 December 2024
Click here to apply
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS:
Bag Factory is pleased to present Rabbit hole runs deep, a solo exhibition by Tawanda Takura, comprising mixed-media, found object sculpture and painting. In his first solo presentation in South Africa, this year’s Cassirer Welz Award winner, explores the complex co-existence of dualities like freedom and dependence; novelty and recurrence; destiny and accountability; disillusionment and hope; the self and the collective; censorship and expression; memory and healing.
Central to Takura’s work is a critique on social hierarchy: he laments the unkept promise of freedom post-independence, which has instead given way to corruption and stagnation. Rabbit hole runs deep reveals the artist’s disenchanted thought spiral about the realities of contemporary Zimbabwe, reflecting on the ways in which socio-political dynamics continue to exert a profound influence on personal and collective identities, rendering both true liberty and full agency elusive.
This exhibition runs til 10 January 2025.
As a culmination of the 2024 RMB Talent Unlocked programme, this amazing group show is currently up at Art & About Gallery at the RMB campus.
RMB Talent Unlocked offers industry-specific training and one-on-one creative mentorship support, aimed at advancing artistic careers. In conjunction with Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, Artist Proof Studio and Umhlabathi Collective the artists benefited from access to a studio space and ongoing support throughout the duration of the program.
This exhibition will run until 15 November 2024.
Go see this amazing exhibition display new talent in the city!
CURRENT RESIDENCIES
2024 IASPIS PROGRAMME RESIDENT
A warm welcome to Maja Bakken!
The IASPIS artist residency programme is presented in partnership with Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg and International Artists Studio Program (IASPIS), in Stockholm.
Our organization’s visiting artists programme gives artists the opportunity to meet and connect with South African artists, promoting cultural and creative exchange and to strengthen intercontinental networks in the Visual Arts.
ARCHIVE PROJECT
BAG FACTORY LIVING ARCHIVE PROJECT
Bag Factory Artists‘ Studios has a pioneering 33 year history of providing a supportive infrastructure for artists. By combining art making with cultural debate and exhibitions, we create a fertile international environment for experimentation, innovation, and cultural dialogue between creatives in South Africa and the rest of the world.
The Bag Factory Archive Project, in collaboration with Preempt Group, aims to preserve a rich history of past and present artists, including our co-founder Dr David Koloane, Sam Nhlengethwa, Kagiso Patrick Mautloa, Mmakgabo Helen Sebidi, Bongi Dhlomo-Mautloa, as well as Penny Siopis, Tracey Rose, Kendell Geers, Gabi Ngcobo, Lady Skollie, Blessing Ngobeni, and Bronwyn Katz.
As the Bag Factory enters an important period of transition, it is more important than ever to conserve the historic records as a living archive, allowing art historians and researchers to access them for future generations.
The project lists, catalogues and preserves conserve the Bag Factory’s historic records as a living archive, allowing art historians and researchers to access them for future generations.
The project is supported by the National Heritage Council and National Arts Council, Republic of South Africa.
For more information read here
PAST EXHIBITIONS
