The land shapes design in Digging Traces at Objects with Narratives, Belgium

The Objects with Narratives gallery presents Digging Traces, a South African group show exploring the deep relationship between land, material and making. On view from January 15, 2026, the show brings together a selection of product designs shaped by designers whose practices exist at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design, including Andile Dyalvane, Atang Tshikare, Christine Jacobs, Dylan Lewis, Jan Ernst and Stanislaw Trzebinski.

“Over the last 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,” notes Objects with Narratives. In Europe, Belgium stands out; in Asia, South Korea has long been a point of reference. On the African continent, South Africa has emerged as a leading force—an environment where artists and designers are redefining craft through a powerful combination of cultural depth, access to resources and an extraordinary connection to place.

Digging Traces represents a personal journey through this vibrant country—an encounter shaped by learning from its artisans. Through conversations and studio visits, a shared thread emerged among these diverse practices. “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 literal ground—that they share between each other. Artists use their unique bond and co-existence with nature as a true driving force in their designs, something unfamiliar for most other cultures,” the Brussels-based gallery notes.

Reflecting on the experience, curator Robbe Vandewyngaerde, and one of the gallery founders, notes: “Visiting South Africa has been an eye-opening experience. Learning from the history, culture and especially the land, has taught me a lot—even in a very brief moment of time.”

Conceived as an ode to these encounters, the design exhibition marks the gallery’s largest dedicated presentation to date. “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,” concludes Objects with Narratives.