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SOUTHERN GUILD
TREVYN AND JULIAN MCGOWEN
Images courtesy of Ulrich Knoblauch & Southern Guild
Southern Guild’s rise to prominence in the South African art scene has been both quick and impactful. Founded in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowen, the gallery is South Africa’s first to open its doors to an outpost in the USA, with its Los Angeles branch opening in 2023.
Born out of a passion for African design, Southern Guild traces its roots back to Source (now Design Network Africa), an export business founded by the McGowens in 2003 that connects African design and handcrafted homeware products to some of the world’s leading retail stores, such as Target and The Conran Shop. It was through these operations that McGowens recognised the extent of creative potential lying dormant within the retail end of the market and saw the need for a new platform to promote this energy towards a collector base. As a result, the couple invited a selection of the country’s leading designers to stage their most impressive and conceptually ambitious work in an annual collection they titled Southern Guild. Founded in 2008, the project has evolved rapidly, from participation in local art fairs to opening a physical gallery in 2014, first in Woodstock and later relocating to the Silo District in 2017.
While collectable design remains central to the gallery’s curatorial programme, since 2020, it has carved out a distinct niche at the intersection of design and fine art. This evolution has seen a strong lineup of contemporary artists join the ranks, including Justine Mahoney, Terence Maluleke, and one of South Africa’s most acclaimed global artists, Zanele Muholi. In doing so, the gallery has redefined the boundaries of how design works can be considered. This shift has strongly supported the groundbreaking success of ceramic artists such as Zizipho Poswa and Andile Dyalvane, whose practices each uniquely sit at the intersection of artistic innovation, indigenous technique, and traditional design. Further notable names include design star Rich Mnisi, also known for his pioneering fashion collaborations and Porky Hefer, whose woven nest-like seats could be defined somewhere in the overlap of furniture, sculpture and design.
Founders: Trevyn and Julian McGowenManaging Director: Sarah Dawson
Gallery Director: Lindsey Raymond
Director: Jana Terblanche
ADDRESS
Silo 5,
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town8001
Space also in Los Angeles, California
RECENT ART FAIRS
Frieze Los Angeles 2025
Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025
FOG Design+Art Fair 2025
Untitled Art 2024, Miami
Design Miami 2024
Frieze SCulpture 2024
The Armory Show 2024
The Aspen Art Fair 2024
Design Miami Los Angeles, 2024
Expo Chicago 2024