Victory Park alumnae take art and philanthropy to new heights

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Pokroy is an artist and photographer best known for her exhibit I Collect Gingers, a photographic exploration of red heads. She is also the co-founder and trustee of the non-profit organisation, Assemblage, which provides support, resources, opportunities, and education for emerging Johannesburg-based visual artists.

Through her work, Anthea met Benon Lutaaya, who was a struggling artist from Uganda at the time. Unable to afford art supplies, Lutaaya improvised with recycled paper gathered from the streets. He still creates his masterpieces using this medium, mixed with paint to explore colour tones.

Stoler, together with her business partner, another ex-Davidian, established DK Fine Art, based on a shared passion for art. They buy, sell, and promote contemporary African art, while helping clients to build their own collections.

In light of purchasing art as an investment, Stoler shared some insights into the changing South African art space, including how emerging artists are moving away from being represented by galleries to gain greater autonomy over pricing and promotion.

Lutaaya spoke about his latest passion, The Project Space, which he founded to increase opportunities and access to networks for female African artists. Asked why he wanted to assist female artists, Benon replied without hesitation “All the people who have helped me get to where I am have been women”, specifically mentioning Pokroy and her work at Assemblage.