Experience township life and local art with the Langa Township Arts Gallery Tour. On Rubusana Street, in the Langa Quarter, there is a row of brightly painted houses. But these homes aren’t decked in vibrant colours purely for aesthetics – they form part of a walking art gallery tour.
More specifically, the bold abodes lend themselves to a community development scheme known as the Langa TAG (Township Art Gallery), the Cape Town offshoot of the Maboneng Townships Arts Experience (In Johannesburg). The venture gives local and international visitors alike the chance to appreciate the work of Mzansi artists in a unique way.
Since its inception, the Maboneng Township Arts Experience has served as a national public arts enterprise, transforming township homes around South Africa into galleries and performance areas. The aim behind the project has been multi-directed; to lift the stereotypes associated with township life by encouraging people to see the beauty and creativity therein, and to celebrate the role of arts in society.
For those visiting the Langa TAG, the idea is for guests to meet a local guide outside one of the participating homes, who then takes you along the tour, explaining the project, the homes and the art along the way.By opening up their homes as gallery spaces, the participating homeowners of the Langa TAG have taken on the onus of running a small business. They are equally responsible for the tour guides who take visitors through the homes and ultimately receive a lump sum from the ticket sales. With assistance from the African Arts Institute, members have received training in production management, guiding and painting hanging, as well as help in areas of tourism and administration.
For these women, who have opened their doors since late 2013 when the Langa stint of the project kicked off, there is no feeling of ill will toward the strangers that pass their thresholds. For some, receiving foreigners in their intimate spaces would be daunting, but Mabel harks back to the age-old African spirit of Ubuntu. “We are born this way. We greet each other…so it’s easy to welcome and accept someone you’ve never seen. It’s in us,” she says.
The exhibitions and featured creatives vary throughout the year, but visitors can expect to see a variety of styles and artists, including drawings, paintings and linocuts from the likes of Velile Soha, Patrick Holo and Zolani Siphungela. The Maboneng Township Arts Experience continues to expand, and Cape Town visitors can look forward to new routes in Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay in addition to the annual Gugulethu festival and the Langa TAG.
The galleries are open every day, except Sundays from 11am to 4pm. Call us to book!
Experience township life and local art with the Langa Township Arts Gallery Tour. On Rubusana Street, in the Langa Quarter, there is a row of brightly painted houses. But these homes aren’t decked in vibrant colours purely for aesthetics – they form part of a walking art gallery tour.
More specifically, the bold abodes lend themselves to a community development scheme known as the Langa TAG (Township Art Gallery), the Cape Town offshoot of the Maboneng Townships Arts Experience (In Johannesburg). The venture gives local and international visitors alike the chance to appreciate the work of Mzansi artists in a unique way.
Since its inception, the Maboneng Township Arts Experience has served as a national public arts enterprise, transforming township homes around South Africa into galleries and performance areas. The aim behind the project has been multi-directed; to lift the stereotypes associated with township life by encouraging people to see the beauty and creativity therein, and to celebrate the role of arts in society.
For those visiting the Langa TAG, the idea is for guests to meet a local guide outside one of the participating homes, who then takes you along the tour, explaining the project, the homes and the art along the way.By opening up their homes as gallery spaces, the participating homeowners of the Langa TAG have taken on the onus of running a small business. They are equally responsible for the tour guides who take visitors through the homes and ultimately receive a lump sum from the ticket sales. With assistance from the African Arts Institute, members have received training in production management, guiding and painting hanging, as well as help in areas of tourism and administration.
For these women, who have opened their doors since late 2013 when the Langa stint of the project kicked off, there is no feeling of ill will toward the strangers that pass their thresholds. For some, receiving foreigners in their intimate spaces would be daunting, but Mabel harks back to the age-old African spirit of Ubuntu. “We are born this way. We greet each other…so it’s easy to welcome and accept someone you’ve never seen. It’s in us,” she says.
The exhibitions and featured creatives vary throughout the year, but visitors can expect to see a variety of styles and artists, including drawings, paintings and linocuts from the likes of Velile Soha, Patrick Holo and Zolani Siphungela. The Maboneng Township Arts Experience continues to expand, and Cape Town visitors can look forward to new routes in Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay in addition to the annual Gugulethu festival and the Langa TAG.
The galleries are open every day, except Sundays from 11am to 4pm. Call us to book!
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