Southern Guild platforms artists whose work is ambitious, emotionally resonant, and deeply rooted in personal and collective experience. The gallery is vested in artmaking as a way to claim agency, materialise cultural memory, and envision a more progressive future. Founded in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan, and based in Cape Town and Los Angeles, Southern Guild empowers practices that expand contemporary art’s formal and conceptual possibilities.

In the true spirit of a guild, the gallery operates as a collaborative environment, facilitating creative evolution, technical mastery, and rigorous engagement with material and process. Comprehensive programming creates space for critical dialogue with the ideas that shape the work, supports artists’ examination of their socio-political landscapes, and nurtures new talent through educational initiatives and the GUILD Residency.

Recognised for its bold curatorial vision and commitment to material integrity, Southern Guild has established itself as a vital voice in the global art ecosystem. The gallery participates in leading international fairs and collaborates with curators, institutions, and museums to expand the presence and impact of its artists.

Works have been acquired by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Brooklyn Museum, Hammer Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). Gallery artists have also exhibited at Tate Modern, Pompidou Centre, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Saint-Étienne Métropole (MAMC), Seoul Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, among others.