Justin Naylor and Carel Nolte: Beyond Collecting and Investing in Artists
On this episode of the Latitudes Podcast, Refiloe Mpakanyane is joined by Justin Naylor and Carel Nolte. Justin is the CEO of iTOO ArtInsure (sponsors of the Latitudes Podcast) and Carel is the Chief Enablement Officer of Easy Equities. Both are ardent wine and art collectors whose interests have blended with their work as well. This conversation gives an insurer’s perspective on the enduring appeal of art and most importantly how to protect one’s portfolio. Underpinned by a decades-long friendship that started in the workplace, Justin and Carel’s observations on investing & collectibles are filled with friendly banter as well as much talk of wine, friendship and family. The abiding theme is appreciating how much the creative industries contribute to society. Highlights Include: Friendship and the importance of familyThe power of art and artists: why artists move society forwardThe iTOO ArtInsure stolen art directoryThe power of marketing internally to grow and support the African art value chainCollecting as a long term investment Referenced exhibitions & institutions:Art Basel UBS Report 2025Vladimir Tretchikoff William KentridgeEasy Equities Chapter 4 (Insights from the Collectors) spans episodes 9-11 of Season 2 of the Latitudes Podcast. It takes a closer look at art collecting as both a cultural and financial practice. Featuring collectors, gallerists, and market experts, this chapter explores the nuances of taste, market influence, and the evolving role of collectors. Powered by iTOO ArtinsureSupported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)Co-curated by Art School AfricaHosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane
--------
49:14
--------
49:14
Buoyancy & Belief: Inside a South African gallerists world with Emma van der Merwe
Buoyancy & Belief: Inside a South African gallerists world with Emma van der MerweIn this episode Refiloe Mpakanyane talks to Everard Read Cape Town Gallery Director, Emma van der Merwe from the dealer’s perspective, talking about the quiet contracts that hold the art world together — trust, instinct, and love for the work itself. In this conversation, she lifts the curtain on the energy and potential driving South Africa’s art scene, reflecting on the delicate balance between representing artists and believing in their long game — with buoyancy at the heart of it all.Emma’s interests in the arts were given the go ahead by her parents with only one condition: that she not walk in their footsteps. And differentiate herself she did! Emma grew up in Switzerland and France, and studied her Bachelors and Masters in Fine Art - at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, before completing a Master’s in Art Management at City University, also in London.In this conversation she talks about how Slade gave her access to mentors, teachers and institutions that gave her nothing short of a ‘privileged start’. Even while this same start in the London Arts scene involved no hand holding or indeed involved no blueprint to growth or success. In 2011 Emma joined the SMAC Art Gallery as its curator when its Cape Town doors were opened. Her next notable move was in July 2014 when Emma joined Everard Read Gallery Cape Town, as their Head Curator. In July 2018 she became a Director of the Gallery.Emma talks at length about the energy, potential and allure of South Africa’s art industry which continue to enthral newcomers to our shores.The conversation runs the gamut of nurturing artistic talent; best practice for representing artists; as well as Emma’s insights on forging and maintaining relationships with buyers. Emma also weighs in on collector trends and gives her take on their importance.In sharing what she knows for sure - Emma comes up with a few slogans to live and work by: The vibes have got to be right!Highlights Include:Studying at Slade and being mentored by DamePhyllida BarlowStarting out in the London art scenes and working at blue chip GalleriesGetting to work with the likes of Damien Hirst, Sam Taylor Wood and Jenny Saville (among so many others)Deciding to come to South Africa and why the Cape Town ecosystem is compellingThe key to artist and collector relationships Referenced exhibitions & institutions: Slade School of Fine ArtGoldsmithsSt MartinsWhite CubeGagosianRuth ProustEverard Read Brett SeilerChapter 4 (Insights from Collectors) spans episodes 9-11 of Season 2 of the Latitudes Podcast. It takes a closer look at art collecting as both a cultural and financial practice. Featuring collectors, gallerists, and market experts, this chapter explores the nuances of taste, market influence, and the evolving role of collectors. Powered by iTOO ArtinsureSupported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)Co-curated by Art School AfricaHosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane
--------
48:40
--------
48:40
Who Are the Art Critics of Today? Antwaun Sargent on Criticism and Cultural Change
What does it mean to be an art critic today, in a world where attention is shrinking and art is increasingly filtered through the scroll?Writer and curator Antwaun Sargent has spent the past 15 years championing and critically engaging Black artists, producing vital writing that has reshaped how contemporary art is understood and valued. In this episode, Sargent reflects on the shifting role of the art critic in a world shaped by algorithms, attention economies, and new global audiences. In conversation with Refiloe Mpakanyane, Sargent speaks candidly about the expansion of the critic’s role, the rise of new cultural voices outside institutions, the power and problem of visibility, and why the work of sustaining artistic ecosystems goes far beyond the market.In this episode, we discuss:How the role of the art critic has expanded beyond traditional mediaThe impact of social platforms on the way we experience and talk about artThe rise of new, trusted cultural voices outside institutional networksWhy visibility matters for artistic recognition and critical engagementThe evolution of Black representation in galleries and museums globallyThe difference between selling art and sustaining artistic practiceWhat it means to build ecosystems, not just audiencesHow collectors, curators and writers shape cultural legacyChapter 3 of the Latitudes Podcast explores Art Criticism in the Age of the Algorithm.This chapter brings together writers, critics, and art professionals to examine the evolving landscape of contemporary art criticism and its new means of communication. Art writers have long played a pivotal role in steering conversations within the art world, but as their platforms and methods of communication shift, so too does the depth and scope of their influence.Powered by iTOO ArtinsureSupported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)Co-curated by Art School AfricaHosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane
--------
45:10
--------
45:10
Heba El Kayal: Speaking Across Mountains
On this episode of the Latitudes Podcast, Refiloe Mpakanyane is joined by Heba El Kayal. Heba is a curator, consultant, writer and researcher, originally from Cairo with networks in the Middle East, North Africa, The UK and the USA.With a Master's degree in Art History from Columbia University in New York, Heba is the former Chief Curatorial Consultant at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town and recently joined Strauss & Co's Advisory Board in 2024. She has held advisory roles to collectors, auction houses and art institutions in Beirut, Dubai, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA.In our conversation, we focus on how technological connectivity informs art writing and criticism; how identity can inform process and meaning-making. The conversation is underpinned by Heba's thoughtful account of her own journey into and through a dynamic African art landscape.Highlights Include:Her journey into art writing and the challenges of lack of documentationCurating the 2019 exhibition “Speaking Across Mountains”Identity, art and making meaning: how they intertwine and inform each otherReferenced exhibitions & institutions:The New Art Exchange: “The Work of Ibrahim Ahmed” by Heba El KayalHavana Biennal “Interview with Kurdish Art Exhibition Curator, Hebel Kayal.” An episode of the Kurdistan In America podcast“Speaking Across Mountains: Kurdish Artists in Dialogue” exhibition curated by Heba El Kayal at The Middle East InstituteThe Painted Protest: How politics destroyed contemporary art by Dean Kissick on Harper’s Bazaar“A round up of the 12th Investec Cape Town Art Fair”, A review by Nkgopoleng Moloi on ArtthrobChapter 3 (Art Criticism in the Age of the Algorithm) spans episodes 7-9 of Season 2 of the Latitudes Podcast. It brings together writers, critics, and art professionals to examine the evolving landscape of contemporary art criticism and its new means of communication. Art writers have long played a pivotal role in steering conversations within the art world, but as their platforms and methods of communication shift, so too does the depth and scope of their influence.Powered by iTOO ArtinsureSupported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)Co-curated by Art School AfricaHosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane
--------
50:10
--------
50:10
Touria El Glaoui | On An Equitable Art World
In this episode of the Latitudes Podcast, Refiloe Mpakanyane talks to Moroccan born and raised Touria El Glaoui about the impact of her cultural work. As the founder of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Touria is widely celebrated as a global cultural taste maker whose work has been important in championing African art on the global art scene. Beyond her work with 1-54, Touria has curated and co-organised exhibitions spotlighting the likes of the work of her father, celebrated Moroccan painter, Hassan El Glaoui. She serves on the Advisory Board of Christie's Education; she holds a seat at the Scholarly Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, and in 2023 she was awarded the Gold Medal in the Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Touria’s persistence has taken her around the world and helped her build an art fair that straddles three continents. That dogged attitude is apparent in this conversation; along with an intellectually curious but passionate approach to her work - which is truly inspiring.Highlights Include:How to challenge the disparity in the valuation of African art.Same 1-54 but different locations: challenges and opportunities of programming for 3 different locations and continents.African artists responding to the structural needs of their local art scenes.Referenced exhibitions & institutions:Tate Modern’s Africa Acquisitions Committee Catalyst FundMACAAL (Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden) in Marrakesh, MoroccoArtXLagosSão Paulo Biennale 2025 Chapter 2 (Connecting the Stories from the Continent) spans episodes 4-6 of Season 2 of the Latitudes Podcast, and is a regionally focused exploration of the intersections between local art scenes across the continent. Featuring insights from curators, art advisors, museum directors, and gallerists; this chapter examines curatorial themes, market positioning, and unique regional dynamics. Powered by iTOO ArtinsureSupported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)Co-curated by Art School AfricaHosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane
Latitudes Podcast is the voice of art from Africa. Hosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane, the podcast explores new ways of accessing and thinking about the contemporary visual arts from Africa, while also seeking to build strong community and a robust archive of thought leadership. The podcast serves as both a resource and a platform for critical discourse, bridging regional perspectives and shaping the conversation about art from Africa and the diaspora. The Latitudes Podcast is sponsored by iTOO Artinsure and is brought to you by Latitudes Online, a digital marketplace for Art from Africa - curated by experts.
South Africa