A buzz has been palpable in the local property market as art collector, rollerblade enthusiast and Johannesburg’s funniest mute raconteur, Teut Saxon, is scouring the inner city of Johannesburg, searching for a space to house his personal collection and his ego. Saxon, whose guiding curatorial principle has been “(Lots of) Objects from Africa”, has amassed a veritable storehouse of things, from sculptures and paintings to photographs. A lot of photographs. Like, plenty of. Tons. Sommer fokken baie. And now he is seeking out that special venue, that magical flux of interior and exterior that can accommodate both the collection and his sense of self.
An insider, Vestibule Cantata, told ArtThrob on Tuesday, “He’s got art objects packed in his house. Floor to ceiling. He makes his morning Nespresso with an Anatsui in front of him, and goes to sleep each night on a bed of Roses. Tracey Roses. The Lifestyle Channel contacted him to make a documentary about his hoarding. But, of course, they’re philistines: collecting more art than you could ever gander at in one human lifetime, concentrating a continent’s cultural capital in one place with one owner, stopping the flow of objects and creating around you an economy that primarily benefits you; that’s not hoarding. It’s COLLECTING. Totally different to what the Europeans did in Africa in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Like, totes.” Read more