For a sculptor, a sketch might be a fleeting idea – a quick way to commit thought to paper – but drawing and sculpture share a profound, symbiotic relationship. Each informs and deepens the other.
This year, RMB Latitudes’ Special Project, ESSAY, focuses on the drawings and sculptures of two prolific South African artists: Sydney Kumalo and Amalie von Maltitz.
Launched in 2019, ESSAY is a curatorial platform designed to spotlight rarely seen work – bringing both emerging artists and overlooked masters into sharper view. From pairing Sthenjwa Luthuliwith Pitika Ntuli in its first edition, to cross-generational dialogues in 2023 and a focus on under-recognised figures in 2024, ESSAY has evolved into a confident, deliberate voice in contemporary curating.
This year’s presentation, installed in the Chapel space, pairs Kumalo’s charcoal and pastel drawings with von Maltitz’s expressive clay forms. Though their careers never quite intersected, both artists share an enduring concern with figuration, abstraction and the human form.
Together, their work opens a dialogue about lineage, influence and legacy – and invites a reconsideration of what modernism means within a South African context.
For a sculptor, a sketch might be a fleeting idea – a quick way to commit thought to paper – but drawing and sculpture share a profound, symbiotic relationship. Each informs and deepens the other.
This year, RMB Latitudes’ Special Project, ESSAY, focuses on the drawings and sculptures of two prolific South African artists: Sydney Kumalo and Amalie von Maltitz.
Launched in 2019, ESSAY is a curatorial platform designed to spotlight rarely seen work – bringing both emerging artists and overlooked masters into sharper view. From pairing Sthenjwa Luthuliwith Pitika Ntuli in its first edition, to cross-generational dialogues in 2023 and a focus on under-recognised figures in 2024, ESSAY has evolved into a confident, deliberate voice in contemporary curating.
This year’s presentation, installed in the Chapel space, pairs Kumalo’s charcoal and pastel drawings with von Maltitz’s expressive clay forms. Though their careers never quite intersected, both artists share an enduring concern with figuration, abstraction and the human form.
Together, their work opens a dialogue about lineage, influence and legacy – and invites a reconsideration of what modernism means within a South African context.
