Art, identity and lineage: Southern Guild gallery at Aspen Art Fair's second edition

Southern Guild returns to the Aspen Art Fair for its second edition, taking place from July 29 – August 2, 2025, at the historic Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado, the United States. The art gallery's multidisciplinary presentation will feature paintings, photography, sculpture and collectible designs by contemporary artists including Kamyar Bineshtarigh, Ange Dakouo, Cheick Diallo, Jozua Gerrard, Chuma Maweni, Mmangaliso Nzuza, Zanele Muholi and Zizipho Poswa.

As the only African gallery at the art fair (which takes place each summer during Aspen Art Week), Southern Guild brings a distinct perspective to this intimate, high-altitude platform for contemporary art. Aspen Art Week's immersive format includes visits to private collections, panel discussions, performances, artist residencies and outdoor experiences.

The gallery's booth, situated in Hotel Jerome's ballroom, will showcase new figurative paintings by Nzuza and Gerrard; a striking ceramic and bronze sculptural art piece by Poswa; sculptural handcrafted seating by Diallo; an abstract mixed-media work by Bineshtarigh; a large-scale installation of paper and thread by Dakouo; and photographs and a lightbox by Muholi, who returns to the fair following a residency at last year's edition. The presentation explores themes of agency, kinship and cultural lineage, with the body—both literal and symbolic—emerging as a central motif across the works.

Several of the exhibiting artists have seen their international profiles grow since the gallery's debut at Aspen. Muholi, the renowned South African visual activist, has held major solo exhibitions at Tate Modern (London) and Instituto Moreira Salles (São Paulo). Their latest solo show, Faces and Phases 19, recently opened at Southern Guild Los Angeles. Poswa, one of Africa's foremost ceramic artists, has participated in significant institutional exhibitions, including Imagining Black Diasporas at LACMA and the Homo Faber biennial in Venice. Malian design pioneer Cheick Diallo presented his first US solo show, Taama, at Southern Guild Los Angeles. His work has since been acquired by major institutions including SFMOMA and the Denver Art Museum.

Bineshtarigh, born in Iran and based in South Africa, will open his second solo show with the gallery in Cape Town this fall. His work was recently acquired by the Jorge M. Pérez Collection and featured in Vitamin Txt: Words in Contemporary Art by Phaidon. Dakouo, recognised for his textile designs and wall sculptures referencing traditional Malian amulets, was a finalist for the 2024 LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize. Emerging painters Mmangaliso Nzuza and Jozua Gerrard each presented solo exhibitions at Southern Guild Cape Town in 2024. Gerrard's enamel-on-glass works were recently acquired by the Jorge M. Pérez Collection and featured in a two-person show at Southern Guild Los Angeles earlier this year.