Waiting — not for Godot — but for up-and-comers of art

Blinged-up grills. Bumper artistic thrills. But not before a long and chilly wait.

This was Wednesday evening when I found myself with a crowd of the coolest kids, waiting in a corridor in the inner-city surrounds of Braamfontein, Joburg, as the temperature hovered in the lower teens.

I greet pretty environmentalist Margo Fargo, who introduces me to her fashionable friend (a cowboy-hat-sporting stylist named Keenan du Plessis) as we try to keep warm in the shadow of a building on Juta Street with its distinctive Eduardo Villa-designed exterior.

In hindsight, the wait shouldn’t have been a surprise because this is a stunt Jay Kayembe and his Fresh AF crew pulled last time I went to an African Spaces mixer.

Back then it was a delay of two whole hours before taking in one of dopest fashion shows I’ve gone to.

This time around, when the doors for The Playground roll up, we find ourselves in a white cube space peppered with art from a bunch of mostly up-and-comers, which doesn’t fit the usual oils-on-canvas mold.

In the case of Kim van Vuuren, the painter and illustrator added her playful pop brush strokes to everything but the bumper and windows of a Jeep, while Cee The Kreator graffiti-sprayed the ceiling joists above us.

Taking it all in was Bongani Fassie, the son of late African pop legend Brenda, who himself has carved a name in the music biz, most notably as part of the trio, Jozi, which helped trailblaze the way for local hip-hop music. “I am here to play my part in supporting the local talents which the world is still yet to see,” says the head of Fassie Studios.

Asked what he has been up to of late, Bongani says he doesn’t “kiss and tell”, but there was something in the offing to remember the legacy of MaBrrr, who passed away 20 years ago. “This year is 40 years of Weekend Special, and my mom would also have turned 60,” he says.

On to Siyabonga Ngwekazi (better known as Scoop Makhathini) who, besides hosting duties at the event, had his likeness boldly rendered in an artwork by Nolan Chichi Kalwandu titled Everything is Everything with a companion piece of dental jewellery featuring hand-carved snakes and the letters “KO” on one side and “OK” on the other.

With the TV presenter-turned-cultural soothsayer having had his fair share of headlines, the grill is a telling piece of art created by Fusi Rakauoane.

The dental technologist just might be Mzansi’s answer to Johnny Dang, the Houston- based jeweller who has crafted diamond and gold custom teeth fronts for musical royalty such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj, and is said to be the inspiration for Nelly’s 2006 hit, Grillz.

In Fusi’s case, gold forms the basis of a more colourful grill for TV and radio personality Loot Love (Luthando Shosha), while white gold and diamonds are the materials used to craft two sets of grills for captivating rapper Maglera Doe Boy, who causes a mini-stampede when he arrives, nattily dressed in a mulberry colour suit with matching wide brimmed hat and finished off with a cane.

We are treated to tunes from a host of DJs led by Wendy Ntinezo before heading upstairs where I catch sight of Shaun Oakley, aka Damn Vandal, putting the finishing touches to a giant wall mural.

And the audience is riveted when Maglera Doe Boy takes to the stage, opening with his anthemic track Memoirs.

From the cool kids and on to the rent-a-crowd (or paid-for influencers) who largely made up the guests for the movie premiere which took place the night before. “This is a paying gig,” said one popular PR-slash-influencer when I point out he dutifully followed the “Dress Team Red/Team Yellow” with his red pants at the special event screening of Deadpool & Wolverine.

“I am working,” explained a radio identity who also made the trek out to Eastgate Shopping Centre in Ekurhuleni to watch the Marvel flick starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

This was a far cry from the glam opener the day before in New York City, where Blake Lively showed off superhero chic when she turned up in a red lace-trimmed Versace catsuit to support husband Ryan for his return as the wisecracking Deadpool, while her supermodel buddy Gigi Hadid obliged in a yellow ensemble, as a nod to Hugh’s Wolverine character.

Instead, we had to make do with blokes who are more funny than stylish: comedians Mpho Popps and Tsitsi Chiumya were the night’s hosts.

Grub-wise, this was a carbo-loaders dream with waiters serving Jalapeño bombs, mini spicy hot dogs (some with extra hot sauce), individual four-slice pizzas and deep-fried mince burritos.