Andile Dyalvane, Madoda Fani and Chuma Maweni will be artists in residence at the Academy of Ceramics Gmunden (AoCG) in Gmunden, Austria from June to August 2023. The residency works in close collaboration with Gmundner Keramik, the largest ceramic manufactory in Central Europe.

This is the first time all three artists will participate in the programme, which will see the continuation of the idea of collaborative studio production – the driving narrative for ‘Studio Visit’, Southern Guild’s booth presentation at Design Miami 2021.

Dyalvane plans to expand on his ongoing series iNgqweji, exploring new ideas that involve Austrian glassmaking traditions. “I’ve worked in glass a little before – having experienced workshops at Ngwenya Glass in Eswatini and collaborating with South African architect Y. Tsai on a glass and ceramic project,” said Dyalvane. “I’m looking forward to exploring my anthropomorphic formal language more deeply and discovering Austrian glass traditions.” Fittingly, the artists will also get to experience a day trip to the Venetian island of Murano, famous for its glass making.

Fani’s residency work is said to be inspired by the concept of ‘lingomso’ (meaning tomorrow/the future). “I have recently been developing my work by exploring figurative forms and how they relate to their shared environment,” says Fani. “I am reflecting on the not-so-distant past and elevating my work to the future.”

Maweni proposes to work on a new body of work, the shapes of which will be in the likeness of his existing Indoni Series (Berry of the Waters) but will also explore the cultural dress and facial markings of African warriors. “I am interested in practices of adornment through body modification and face painting,” he explains. “I intend to explore, through historical fiction, how warriors from various countries of the continent may have looked. These references will then inform how I approach my surface design for these works.” Maweni also hopes to challenge himself further by scaling up his pieces.

Previous artists-in-residence include Rosi Steinbach (Germany), Julia Beliaeva (Ukraine), Dominika Bednarsky (Germany) and Ben Orkin (South Africa).

Dyalvane, Fani and Maweni will lead a smoke-firing event on 28 July at AoCG, during which they will give a demonstration of this ancient firing technique. Finally, to round out the last few months of residencies, an exhibition of newly created works by six of the most recent artists in residence will open on the 8th of August, preceded by an artist talk to be held before the opening. The show will run until April 2024.