Inside SA design’s striking new design exhibition

LATE last week, to a guest list of leading local designers, architects and artists, House Garden magazine launched its inaugural CUSP exhibition at Aspire Art in Cape Town in partnership with Ruinart champagne, Belvedere vodka and Land Rover.

Six months in the making, the exhibition, which was conceived by House & Garden editor in chief Piet Smedy and ceramic designer and curator Jan Ernst, casts a spotlight on South Africa’s leading designers, each of whom created one-off pieces for the showcase.

“The House & Garden brand has always been at the forefront of South African design, and it has been an incredible adventure and privilege to work with this year’s collective to actively create change within the industry and celebrate the craftsmanship and creativity found right here at home,” says Smedy, who worked with Ernst to bring a vision for a celebrated design industry to life.

“CUSP is important to the designers who are under-represented in this country, with the aim of the show being to cultivate and create a collectable design culture in South Africa, something that’s gained momentum in America and Europe,” says Ernst.

“It’s important because these pieces of furniture and design tell stories. They are meant to celebrate people, places and cultures.”

So what exactly does CUSP mean? “To be on the CUSP is to be at the moment of transformation, the movement from one state to another,” explains Smedy.

“For these 13 designers, reaching the CUSP represents the process of changing raw material to finished piece through their work, and in

doing so shifting the focus from form and function to art and expression.”

Traditionally, galleries in South Africa only show fine art, but here, functional design comes to the fore as investment pieces for informed, ahead-of-the-curve buyers looking to grow their collections into a more avant-garde direction.

The designers showcased at the first edition of CUSP are: Design Afrika, Meeco Studio, Wiid Studio, Matthew Dasneves, Oliver Whyte, Bofred, Bupa Studios, Inland Collective, Katlego Tshuma, The Urbanative, Kevin Frankental, Frances VH Moahir, Jan Ernst.