Southern Guild will launch a number of bold new works evoking an “African-pop” sensibility at this year’s Design Miami (4-9 December 2019). A new collection of hanging pods by artist Porky Hefer will form the centrepiece of the gallery’s booth in addition to exuberant new works by Justine Mahoney, Dokter and Misses, Zizipho Poswa, Rich Mnisi, Madoda Fani and Bronze Age Studio. The gallery’s boldest offering at any international fair to date, the booth will be an exploration of vibrant colour, futuristic forms and strong shapes.

A pair of sculptural sensual chairs by Rich Mnisi and carved ceramic side-tables by Madoda Fani will be exhibited alongside a large-scale bronze figure by Justine Mahoney and an imposing ceramic sculpture by Zizipho Poswa. Charles Haupt and Gerrit Giebel of Bronze Age Studio will launch their first limited-edition aluminium bench under their new Node label.

Bringing additional verve and dynamism to Southern Guild’s booth at Design Miami will be five pieces from Dokter and Misses’ first solo exhibition, Practically Everywhere, which experiment with jagged shapes, odd proportions and stacked forms overlaid with textural surface treatments. The works were inspired by the entropy and oversaturation the designers experience on a daily basis in downtown Johannesburg and in urban ecosystems in general. Inspired in part by Tramp Art and the notion of needing to be busy, the cabinets and desk make use of irregular forms and dysfunctional clutter.

“Rather than commenting on what it means to be a designer in South Africa today, these works remain open-ended and serve as observations and poetic glyphs that ask us to reflect on our relationships with each other and the world around us,” noted Julian McGowan, co-founder of Southern Guild.