Celebrations at the Bag Factory

This year’s anniversary of the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios marks a time to reflect on artists who have come and gone and the impact made by the creative space.

For 25 years the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios has been more than just a building and studio space. It has provided the foundation for many an artist’s career. Built out of the dream for artists from different backgrounds to be able to work together, the Bag Factory is a community that continuously supports and builds on its ethos of ‘the community studio space where [the] artist’s practice is held in the highest regard and experimentation is encouraged’.

These foundations have been strengthened by the artists and staff who have poured their passion and efforts into the community and ethos of the space. In recent years, the Bag Factory has worked hard to encourage a younger community of artists to engage in the studio’s programming, ensuring that the life-blood of the space – interaction and development – continues to pump.

The community has played host to artists such as Helen Sebidi, Deborah Bell, Sam Nhlengethwa, Penny Siopsis, Benon Lutaaya, Blessing Ngobeni, Neo Matloga, Dinkies Sithole, Kay Hassan and many more. The studio has created an international following through their visiting artists’ programme and a consistent space for art-loving members of the public to experience outstanding work.

The new exhibition titled Foundations and Futures will run at the Bag Factory from 31 October until 10 December. The venue begins the celebration of an incredible 25 years with this exhibition. Since the inception of the organisation, more than 300 artists have been through the space either as studio artists, visiting artists, participants in workshops and exhibitions and as winners of award programmes.

All of them have been influenced and have influenced the space in many rich and diverse ways. Foundations and Futures is an acknowledgment of these influences and the celebration of a space that not only supports the artistic community, but is driven by it.

The programme continues with artist performances, conversations and master classes through the months of October, November and December. Artists participating in the exhibition include Blake Daniels, Paul Emmanuel, and Jarrett Erasmus, among others.

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