Cinga Samson: Staying grounded amid a meteoric rise

09/13/23 • 45 min

Refiloe is in conversation with visual artist Cinga Samson about his meteoric rise to global, artistic success. Known for his figurative oil paintings of large-scale group scenes and self-portraits; along with his depictions of figures with pupil-less eyes arranged in ceremonious poses. Cinga unpacks just what his works seek to portray and perhaps why they might never fully do. Sceptical about the trappings of success: Cinga is more focused on appreciating the emotional and spiritual nourishment that family and nature can provide.

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Standing on quicksand with gallerist Mark Read

Refiloe interviews Mark Read, the chairman of Africa's oldest commercial gallery, the Everard Read Group. They talk about Mark’s unique experience of being raised in the art business; then going on to helm and grow the family enterprise and ultimately becoming an influential figure in the art community. They also focus on his parallel life as a dedicated naturalist and preservationist who uses his influence to support several philanthropic causes. The wide ranging discussion explores ideas around visual art as a primordial tool of human expression and connection; and Mark gives his views on the innumerable possibilities that art can create for anyone, and for South Africans in particular.

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Simchowitz and Altman: The Lightning Rod and The Anchor

Our guests on this episode of the Latitudes Podcast are South African-born, U.S-based friends of more than 30 years: Stefan Simchowitz and David Altman. Their wide-ranging conversation with Refiloe explores everything from walking the line between collector and dealer, what success means in the art world and the promotion of cultural production from Africa.

Touching on the political, spiritual and everything in between, we hope this discussion gives you greater insight into Altman and Simchowitz - the man The New York Times has dubbed the Patron Satan of the Art World.

Simchowitz is well known - some may say notorious - as an art collector, curator and advisor who owns gallery spaces in the Los Angeles area; and runs a number of art residencies in the U.S and South Africa.

Altman is a producer and businessman who has been involved in development and charitable work for decades. His work has taken him to the US, Italy, Kuwait and Kenya and, having travelled widely in over 75 countries, he maintains an extensive global network in both the private and public sector.

As a platform for critical thinking, the Latitudes Podcast seeks to spark debate and provide our audience with a wide range of viewpoints from across the art ecosystem, even those that may ruffle feathers.