Johannesburg Is an Art and Design Lover’s Delight

09.12.2024 - 18:21 / cntraveler.com / Jane Alexander

Urban Africa is a love letter to the bustling African metropolises south of the great desert—Dakar, Kigali, Lagos, Addis Ababa, and Johannesburg, to name a few—that are dynamic, diverse, and more traveler-ready than ever. Find more inspiration here.

Walking through the grounds of Nirox Sculpture Park, it’s hard to imagine you’re a 45-minute drive from Johannesburg. South Africa’s sprawling metropolis is synonymous with towering buildings and giant highways that wrap around the city–not peaceful, plant-lined lawns. Set on 30 hectares of landscaped gardens, this art-filled park is filled with waterways, wetlands, and towering trees. But people don’t just come here for nature. The sculpture park has a collection of stunning permanent and long-term installations from major artists such as Nandipha Mntambo, Jane Alexander, and Mary Sidebe. It also hosts workshops and residencies, which draws local and international artists, and has become a beacon in Johannesburg's thriving art scene—one which extends way beyond this impressive park.

It might sound surprising that a city, which has struggled with a reputation for crime and crumbling infrastructure, is booming in the arts, but Joburg—as it's affectionately known—has plenty of major cultural draws. Aside from Nirox, it’s also the base for some of the country's most influential independent brands, such as furniture makers Tonic, craft-driven design atelier Mash T. Design Studio, heritage fashion designer MaXhosa, and custom clothing showroom, Viviers Studio. It’s a scene that’s constantly evolving: New to the city’s creative world is No End Gallery, which just opened in a glass-fronted premises in hip Parkhurst, and The Manor, a concept and exhibition space at mixed-use hub 44 Stanley Avenue, from tastemaker and photographer Trevor Sturman. Adding even more clout to the city’s impressive creative roster is Thebe Magugu. The fashion designer, who garnered fame with his slinky printed dresses and heirloom shirts, opened Magugu House this year, his first brick and mortar in a heritage house in the city’s leafy Dunkeld neighborhood. Having one of the leading designers in the country—who was awarded the LVMH prize and has collaborated with Dior—invest in Johannesburg shows fresh confidence in a city that’s often deeply misunderstood.

Zanele Kumalo, the curator of Design Week South Africa

Fashion designer Thebe Magugu's studio, Magugu House, shot by visual artist Trevor Stuurman

There’s no sugar-coating the fact that the city is one filled with challenges, but like many places that have faced hardship, it’s also a place where creativity thrives. Once a booming mining town, Johannesburg established itself as a business and finance hub over the course of the 20th