The Gold of Africa Collection | 2019

‘African Gold! The ring of this echoes across the continent with stories, characters and myths, which defines the mystique of this magical and precious metal. Legends of King Solomon’s mines, the Queen of Sheba, Prester John, Mansa Musa, and the civilizations of Great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe find resonance with these narratives merging fact with fiction. Carried through the Sahara, down the Nile via the Mediterranean sea and across the vast East Coast Indian Ocean trade network, African gold became the currency of kings and the symbol of power and wealth the world over.’

Parts&Labour worked with the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria to develop and install an exhibition from the Gold of Africa Collection

Curator Christopher Till
Exhibition Design Craig McClenaghan Architecture
Project Management Parts&Labour
Exhibition Lighting Paul Pamboukian Lighting Design
Cabinetry Estee Automation
Glass Universal Crystal Glass

‘The the Anglo Gold Barbier-Mueller collection of West African gold is a spectacular juxtaposition and fusion of the Gold of Africa. The design and craftsmanship evident in these unique and fascinating collections demonstrates a powerful example of an African aesthetic which forms part of a collective African signature. It is this signature to which the Javett Art Centre-UP is dedicated to following, and by presenting exhibitions, performances and interdisciplinary events, will, through its education and public programs seek to identify what the art of Africa is, and what this represents.’

-Chris Till

The exhibition was designed by Craig McClenaghan Architecture.
The below images are courtesy of CMA.