Transformation

Southern Guild presents Transformation, a group show which investigates the role that collectible design galleries occupy in the frictional space between art and design, openly exploring the give and take between visionary expression and forthright functionality. Showcasing newly commissioned work from fifteen South African designers and artists, Transformation presents an experimental dialogue between intention and purpose, in the language of materiality and scale to challenge the traditional understanding of where artwork ends and functional design begins.

“Does a sculpture become design if it offers a useful surface? Is a chair cast in bronze or carved in marble a sculpture?” asks Southern Guild co-founder Julian McGowan. As curator of the exhibition, Julian has challenged this select group to produce pieces that invite the audience to ask similar questions. “We are working in a sphere where function becomes dysfunction, where location and dislocation exist side by side, and intention and disturbance converge,” he explains.