Passionate gallery owners, Molly and Glen du Preez from the Platform Gallery, have made it their mission to accelerate the careers of artists around the country.
The Midlands-based couple has a lot to show for their efforts, with many of the artists they’ve taken under their wing moving from struggling to emerging status.
While they have no formal outreach programme the Du Preez’s have identified artists who are talented but have no financial means to flourish in the art world.
Thus far, they have assisted over 40 artists whose works have been showcased at their three galleries in Lionsgate, Midlands Meander, Drakensberg and Cape Town. Artists attached to their galleries had the opportunity to showcase their works at a recent showing at the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town and the Hilton Art Festival in KwaZulu-Natal.
Platform Gallery’s success stories
While they run a business and also make a profit out of supporting the artists, their model is such, that they lean towards helping artists who may find it a struggle to enter the marketplace.
“If we believe in an artist’s talent and we find they are struggling due to financial reasons we assist them. We like to put artists in a position where they excel,” said Molly.
According to the couple, sculpturing techniques such as bronzing and casting are expensive procedures. They helped, James Cook, for example, whose work was on display at the Hilton Arts Festival. When they first met the artist, he was unable to complete his work of art due to the high costs.
With the couple’s assistance, Cook was able to craft many sculptures and is no longer a struggling but an emerging artist.
Another “awesome success story” is Rory Cox, also a sculptor who was able to create the requisite ten pieces he needed to enter the market place. Cox is now proving to be a resounding success in the art world.
They have also helped artist Lucky Pumelani enter the marketplace. Known for his unique ceramic sculptures, Pumelani learnt his craft from an artist in the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the couple, Pumelani is a passionate artist who is known for his Nguni cow sculptures.
Glen indicated that Pumelani would travel via taxi from Durban to deliver his creations to the couple’s gallery in the Midlands. Presently, his Nguni cow sculptures sell at R3000 a piece, and the couple displayed 40 of these at their gallery.
He said: “ There’s a need to build artists so they’re able to enter the art space. So many times, we’ve realised that artists are not financially savvy, they enjoy the arts instead. We are an established business and it makes sense to assist [struggling] artists build their career.
“In the Midlands, there’s a community of artists willing to share their skills and assist each other. There’s a connected strong [sense] of community that exists in the Midlands. We are an integral part of this community and we invest in the work of our artists to make a difference,” added Glen.
The couple plans to continue their trend to “create a platform of growth for artists”. Important to the couple is adding more value to the lives of artists by exposing them to the art market they (artists) would otherwise not access.
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