The future of art history is shaped not only by the artists who make the work, but also by the people and institutions that choose to preserve it.
Bringing together works by artists including Esther Mahlangu, Zanele Muholi, Cecil Skotnes, Hank Willis Thomas, Gregory Olympio, Kudzanai Chiurai, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum and Walter Battiss, Held in Trust: Collective Gatherings of Treasures, Stories and Archives of South African Collectors at the Standard Bank Art Lab considers how collecting influences the cultural histories we preserve, the artistic practices we sustain and the stories available to future generations.
The fourth exhibition at the Standard Bank Art Lab brings together an intergenerational and multicontinental survey of contemporary art held in private collections, alongside selected works from the Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection. Rather than focusing solely on the artworks themselves, Held in Trust considers the relationships, histories and decisions that shape how art is acquired, cared for and carried forward.
The exhibition explores collecting as a personal and evolving practice, shaped by curiosity, lived experience, intellectual interests and individual encounters with art. Each collector was invited to select a work that resonates with them, opening up a conversation about the ways artworks enter our lives, inform our understanding of the world and contribute to the preservation of cultural histories.
In this sense, a collection becomes an evolving archive, reflecting not only the works it holds but also the ideas and experiences through which they acquire meaning.
Standard Bank Art Curator and Gallery Manager, Dr Same Mdluli, says: “The exhibition gives us an opportunity to look at collecting as one part of a wider ecosystem, while also broadening how we understand the purpose of art. Art can be a personal encounter, a way of thinking, a record of memory, a means of connecting people and, through collecting, something that is carried forward for future generations.”
Held in Trust also considers the networks that make collecting possible. Artists, galleries, dealers, art fairs and institutions all contribute to the journeys through which works are discovered, researched, acquired and preserved.
By foregrounding these relationships, the exhibition positions the collector as a steward and custodian of cultural material, while acknowledging that the life of an artwork extends beyond its creation or acquisition.
Alongside the privately held works, the Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection offers a longer perspective on collecting as a practice of care, preservation and legacy. Initiated in 1938 with the acquisition of a single painting, the collection has grown into a significant repository of cultural memory, reflecting changing artistic practices and the social and cultural histories of South Africa.
Together, the collections offer a broader understanding of what it means to support the visual arts. Collecting is presented not only as an activity associated with established patrons, but as a spectrum of engagement that can begin with a first acquisition and develop into a sustained commitment to artists and their practices.
As new generations encounter different ways of acquiring and living with art, the exhibition opens up questions around access, patronage and the future of South Africa’s visual arts ecosystem.
“Supporting contemporary African cultural expression means investing in the people, practices and relationships that allow culture to grow and endure,” says Dr Same Mdluli.
“By bringing private collections into dialogue with the Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection, the exhibition opens up these different ways of engaging with art and invites audiences to think beyond the artwork itself, towards the role it can play in enriching our cultural lives.
This is part of what it means to support contemporary African culture: creating spaces where art can be encountered, understood and carried forward.”
More than an exhibition of privately held works, Held in Trust invites audiences to consider the cultural responsibilities that accompany collecting.
What we choose to preserve influences the stories that remain accessible, the artistic practices that continue to receive attention and the histories that can be carried into the future.
The Standard Bank Art Lab is at shop 33-34, Nelson Mandela Square, 2 Maude St, Sandton. Undercover parking is available at Mandela Square, entrance on West St North Tower – (next to Michelangelo Hotel).
Art Lab hours:
Monday-Saturday: from 9am to 4.00pm
Sunday and public holidays: from 9am to 1pm.
Entrance is free.
