Exhibition Details

Over the last few years, we discovered that there are only a handful of places in the world where traditional and contemporary craftsmanship meet through extraordinary artisans, resulting in some of the most wonderful objects one can find today. For example, on the European continent, we see this happening in Belgium; in Asia, these treasures can usually be found in South Korea and for the African continent, there is one country currently leading by example: South Africa. It has been the gateway for African artists to break through on the international scene. Its location, availability to resources and rich culture created a melting pot for art, design and craft where artists can fully express themselves.
Digging Traces represents our personal journey and encounter through this vibrant country and especially learning from its magnificent master-artisans. While meeting these diverse makers, we realised there is an overarching theme: it is neither the culture, nor the history that brings them together, but the territory—and the literal ground—that they share. Artists use their unique bond and co-existence with nature as a true driving force in their designs, something unfamiliar to most other cultures.
As an ode, our goal is to bring our experience to the other side of the world with our largest dedicated exhibition to date in the gallery. It fuels our ongoing goal to cultivate deeper connections between countries known for their craft. Through this cross-country dialogue, we hope to inspire the fusion of ideas, techniques and cultural influences that continue to shape the future of art and design.
"Visiting South Africa has been an eye-opening experience," says curator Robbe Vandewyngaerde, and one of the gallery's founders. "Learning from the history, culture and especially the land, has taught me a lot even in a very brief moment of time."