Inspiration

"OF REGRET" is a meticulously crafted paper-woven moth by Flip, currently on display at our Ghorbany Benmore antique retail gallery. The piece draws profound inspiration from the iconic movie poster for The Silence of the Lambs, which famously features a death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos). In a nod to the original imagery—where the skull pattern on the moth's back is actually composed of seven naked human bodies—this artwork explores themes of vulnerability and remorse. The intricate sculpture is masterfully constructed using Milano Craft paper, a material traditionally used for pattern-making in the fashion industry, interwoven with fragile, stained packaging tissue.

He started drawing from a young age at school. Bought a pack of 6 pastels in the year 2000 which propelled him on a long journey of discovering and pushing the boudaries of the medium. Works by the likes of Degas, Maduna and Siopis assisted him in understanding the value of this often overlooked medium of pastels.

While residing in Johannesburg, Tyokolo joined the Artists Under The Sun group and exhibited with them at Zoo Lake, Parkhurst, and other pop-up events from 2018.

He is currently based in Bloemfontein and continue to capture mundane actions of township human interaction and conversations through art. His work is mainly abstract figurative.

Inspired by everyday experiences, relationships, family and community, his work reflects the emotional connections that shape people's lives.

Kumba studied professional printmaking at Artist Proof Studio in Johannesburg. His work has been presented through platforms including Keyes Art Mile, RMB, Aspire Art, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank and Absa. In 2024 he participated in Pieces of a Dream at Keyes Art Mile and received a highly commended Webber Wentzel award.

A full-time artist, Kumba also volunteers as an art teacher at Little Artists School in Braamfontein. Drawing on his South African upbringing and Congolese heritage, his work portrays connection, care and everyday life, inviting viewers to find familiarity, emotional resonance and hope.

Drawing on nearly three decades of experience as a design educator, she brings a strong understanding of composition, pattern, colour and visual storytelling to her work.

Her richly layered and often surreal pieces reimagine familiar animals, figures and found objects through an unmistakebly maximalist lens. Playful, theatrical and occasionally strange, Wilkens' work invites viewers into imaginative worlds where everyday imagery is transformed into something unexpected.

Her practice reflects a fascination with nostalgia, visual culture and the expressive possibilities of combining diverse materials and techniques.

His mixed-media practice explores township life, spirituality, communal identity and resilience through movement, song and ritual. He studied Fine Art at Central Johannesburg College (2010 - 2011) and printmaking and mixed media at Artist Proof Studio (2013 - 2014).

Kgosana's work portrays township communities and spiritual gatherings, often depicting people walking, singing and dancing to moropa (drums). Through sketches and layered collage portraits, he explores identity, struggle, resilience and human connection, creating narratives rooted in everyday life.

His work has been exhibited at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Grahams Fine Art Gallery, Victoria Years, Artist Proof Studio, Keyes Art Mile, Rust-en-Vrede Gallery and Clay Museum and Cherie De Villiers Fine Art Gallery. From 2016 - 2026, he volunteered with Little Artists' School and Africa Ojiji, teaching disadvantaged and rehabilitated street children through creative education.

Her practice explores healing, lineage, restoration and bodily autonomy through textured figurative and abstract works created with charcoal, pastel and industrial materials.

Her work has been exhibited at Investec Cape Town Art Fair, FNB Art Joburg, Miami Prizm Art Fair and Austria Art Fair. She was a top 15 finalist for the Thami Mnyele National Fine Arts Awards and completed the Lion Sands x SAFFCA Artist Residency in 2026.

De Vos has curated over 15 exhibitions at institutions including the Pretoria Art Museum and Everard Read Gallery. She is co-founder and Art Director of the BNAP Foundation, where she leads its curatorial department and mentors emerging South African artists.

Working across linocut, watercolour monotype, mixed media, charcoal, stop-motion animation and bookbinding, Masemula explores identity, personal growth, childhood experiences, imperfection and self-discovery. Her handmade books and repurposed prints tranform personal struggles into reflections on resilience and rebirth.

She received and Ubuntu Award in 2022 and particiapted in Waste Reclaimers at documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany. Her work has been featured in Art Times and exhibited at Investec Cape Town Art Fair, RMB Latitudes Art Fair and Cape Town Art Fair.

Guided by Swazi artist Lucky Mlotsa and later mentored by Mbongeni Fakudze, he pursued art after briefly studying civil engineering. He now runs his own studio at August House in Johannesburg.

Matsebula's practice is rooted in philosophy, spirituality and metaphysics, exploring consciousness, identity and the human experience through a distinctive visual language. 

His achievements include the Outstanding Fine Artist Regional Award in Eswatini, a major commission for Eswatini Royal Insurance and teaching over 150 children through the Nhlakanipho Foundation. His work has been exhibited at Contra Art Fair, the Oxford and Glenhove Group Exhibition and multiple Meta Foundation exhibitions.

Inspired by God, nature and the interconnectedness of all things, Xolani explores the subconscious and the relationship between inner and external realities. His influences include Carl Jung, Eckhart Tolle, Van Gogh, Zdzislaw Beksinksi, Goya, David Lynch and Andrei Tarkovsky, alongside fashion visionaries, Alexander McQueen and Junya Watanabe.

Egyptian mythology, experimental film and diverse musical genres further shape his creative world, informing a distinctive visual language centred on transformation, spirituality, consciousness and human experience.

With a passion for transforming spaces through art, she creates bespoke pieces that combine creativity, craftsmanship and a strong sense of individuality. Alongside her team, Elaine creates and installs custom finishes and artworks for a diverse range of clients, including luxury hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, lodges and high-end residential spaces.

Elaine works closely with each client to understand their vision and bring it to life through personalised artistic solutions. Whether creating a statement mural, sculptural piece or bespoke decorative finish, her work is focused on making each space distinctive, expressive and visually memorable.

His work has been recognised at local venues including Ann Bryant Gallery and the Mkhanda Arts Festival and he has participated in workshops and exhibitions such as Echo of Affirmation. Currently completing his third year at Walter Sisulu University, Andile is also part of Phr(i)ends with Psychedelics (PWP), creating live paintings and drawings influenced by music and performance.

His practice explores art as a powerful form of communication, using mixed media to express perspectives, narratives and everday experiences, often drawing inspiration from fashion, music and pop culture.

Growing up surrounded by diverse traditions and visual culture, he developed and early connection to art through drawing, clay and everyday materials. He later studied Art and Design as part of his teaching course (2018-2022).

Moyo works across charcoal, painting, pottery and textiles combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary expression. His practice explores identity, belonging, vulnerability and the emotional "veiles" people wear in everyday life, inviting viewers to reflect on their own strengths and struggles.

His work has gained recognition through two PRACA Art Awards and a feature in Chronicles for his evocative charcoal works. He has exhibited at Salon Vanguard and Contra Joburg and continues to develop a practice that connects heritage, contemporary storytelling and the shared human experience.

Her practice explores the female experience through acrylic paintings on cardboard paper, reflecting on how women are perceived and represented in today's society. Ndamase intentionally chooses not to paint the faces of her subjects, reflecting the idea that women are often "seen and not heard".

Through her work, she gives visual expression to the complexities of womanhood while celebrating the women who have surrounded, raised and shaped her into the woman she is today.

Born in Karoi, Zimbabwe, he began his artistic journey at the Chitungwiza Arts Culture Centre in 1997, creating wire animals before traveliling through Botswana and Namibia.

After moving to South Africa, he joined the Little Artists community where mentor Edward Selematsela helped him refine his skills and transition to paper mache. His work has been featured in major exhibitions - including Black Like Us, Deutsche Bank and ITWEB Brainstorm - and earned him a certificate of achievement from the ECO AWARE Art Gallery in India in 2021.

HIs work is shaped by his upbringing in Limpopo and his background in landscape design, fostering a strong connection to landscape and the natural environment.

Working across watercolour, acrylic, charcoal and mixed media, Managa captures landscapes and personal experiences through varied techniques. He completed a printmaking programme at Artist Proof Studio and continues to develop his practice through independent and collaborative exhibitions.

Managa has exhibited across South Africa, including at North-West University Gallery, RMB Latitudes Arts Fair and Artist Proof Studio. Alongside his studio practice, he is actively involved in arts education through the Little Artists School Project.

With a background in communication and religious tudies, she transitioned to full-time art in 2014 folloring a corporate career and an MBA from the University of Cape Town.

Primarily self-taught, Farah refined her practice at the Lorenzo de' Medici Institute in Florence, focusing on Renaissance and fresco techniques. Her work has been exhibited across South Africa and internationally, including France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the USA, Lebanon and the UAE. In 2024 she completed a three-month residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.

Based in Johannesburg, her abstract practice explores identity, sprituality, mortality and the human condition through layering, destruction, rebuilding and abstraction. Her Fragments of Self series examines the complexities of identity, divinity and mortality, inviting reflection on the relationship between the self and the sacred.

Now based at August House Studios in Johannesburg, his practice has developed through extensive artistic training and workshops across Zimbabwe, South Africa and the USA.

Mwenga has exhibited internationally at Washington Printmakers Gallery, Art Santa Fe and Affordable Art Fair New York, alongside numberous solo and group exhibitions in South Africa. His work has received multiple awards including the 2011 Black Like Us Best in Show and Viewer's Choice Awards; and the 2017 Wild Geese Art Festival Best Painting Award.

His work is held in the Deutsche Bank and ANC collections, as well as private collections.Mwenga continues to contribute to the visual arts through exhibitions, workshops and collaborations, with his practice receiving recognition across galleries, art fairs, publications and media platforms.

After losing his mother in 2002, he spent 13 years in Zimbabwe before returning to South Africa. He later studied Business Management at the University of Johannesburg and Printmaking at Artist Proof Studio. 

His work transforms recycled and found materials - including prison clothing, blankets, hessian sacks, cow dung, acrylic, and charcoal - into works reflecting survival and personal histories. His experience leading creative workshops at Mpumalanga Correctional Services further informs his practice. 

Cow dung connects his work to his heritage and childhood, while clothing pegs symbolise perseverance and hope. Through his art, he explores how creativity can transform hardship, open dialogue and inspire a more hopeful future.

Based in Durban South Africa, Artesense is made up of Yvette and a small team of women who make everything by hand, from custom event decor, rope wall art, woven lighting & decor installations. Their speciality and passion is custom wall art, often using dip dyed techniques. Their work has made it to countries such as California-USA, Australia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Rwanda and Tanzania!

“I love textures, fringing, and pops of colour! I am inspired by nature and I love making functional art and statement pieces that stand out in a room!"

Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Mahvash Ghorbany studied Chemistry and Biology before building a career in science and business. In 1994, she moved to South Africa with her family, becoming an important part of the Ghorbany story and its showrooms.

Following the passing of her husband, Reza Ghorbany, in 2020, Mahvash returned to her passion for painting. Art became a new form of expression, transforming emotion, memory and freedom into vibrant abstract works.

Today, her instinctive and expressive paintings have found homes in South Africa and internationally. The Ghorbany collection holds 300+ original works, capturing a remarkable chapter of an artist’s life — one that began after science, business, migration, love and loss.

Each collection serves as an educational wearable archive, meticulously designed to connect global audiences with the continent's profound natural heritage and architectural wonders; one garment at a time.

Our current archive; Inferno Collection stands as a design tribute to the volcanic majesty of Fogo Island in Cape Verde.

Every creation is an entirely unique, “one-of-one masterpiece” and no two pieces are ever identical.

Miss Sweet Savannah created a beautiful art piece using the cut offs from her incredible works of wearable art! It is currently available for purchase at Ghorbany Benmore 🎨

Gabriella Noki Denim uses the denim off cuts from their fashion range to create unique artworks on bags that can be framed or used.

Gabriella is the artist and designer of this unique brand, her sister Jemimah, is the creative director who leads the creative vision and shapes the identity and experience of Gabriella Noki Denim across every touch point.

Together they are building a lagacy that no man can take away from them. Whilst showing you that you can also take what was considered ashes and turn them into beauty. Encouraging you to live a life of NO BAGGAGE!

Her work centres around large-scale cloudscapes and seascapes, inspired by the ocean, clouds, light and moments of stillness, created to bring beauty, depth and presence to interior spaces.

When she paints, Sarita enters a space of stillness, allowing emotion and energy to flow onto the canvas. Each brushstroke carries intention, creating artworks that are not only seen, but felt.

For Sarita, art is about peace, connection and upliftment. She hopes each painting becomes more than something beautiful on a wall—a presence that inspires, reconnects and invites the viewer to pause and simply feel.

It is therefore with great excitement that we announce the beginning of a collaboration with acclaimed contemporary artist Thandazani Ndlovu and his wife, an extraordinary jazz vocalist whose powerful stage presence has earned her the reputation of being a true diva.

Born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Thandazani Ndlovu has become one of Southern Africa’s most distinctive contemporary figurative and impressionist artists. Celebrated for his remarkable reverse-painting technique—building luminous white forms from deep black surfaces—his works reveal emotion, movement, and humanity emerging from darkness into light. His paintings are instantly recognizable and deeply moving.

Marlene is a sculptor based in Jefferys Bay working primarily in polyester resin. Her practice began in plasticine clay.
She shaped each piece by hand before moulding and casting into something that feels physical and lasting.
Her work often draws from memory. She aims to translate fleeting human moments into lasting forms.

The sculpture we have is called: “PROUD UNSHAKEN LOOKING FORWARD."

'Her chin remained lifted her gaze fixed on the horizon.
She refused to look down at the pieces that had fallen away.
She endured pressure without surrendering to it.
The missing fragments no longer define her, the strength that remained did.'

Melissa explores colour, memory and the sensory experience of the natural world through painting. Her work moves between florals, landscapes and abstraction — capturing the emotional experience of place, not just how it looks.

Working intuitively in oil, acrylic, ink and mixed media, she builds layered pieces through colour, erasure and expressive mark-making. Flowers, gardens, water, changing skies and everyday moments become the starting point.

Before painting, Melissa trained in Theatre and Performance at UCT and worked professionally as an actress in theatre, film and television. That performance background still shapes the physicality and emotional immediacy of her work.

Her recent practice explores beauty, memory, motherhood and place.

BACKGROUND & EDUCATION
Roots: Born and raised in the village of Ga-Modjadji in Limpopo. His work is deeply rooted in childhood memories and the resilient spirit of rural communities.

Training: Studied Art and Business at Eastside College, now Johannesburg College, in Troyeville. He later completed advanced Fine Arts studies at the University of South Africa, UNISA.

Mentorship: In the 1990s he met Johannesburg artist Dulcie Robinson. She became his mentor, collaborator, and guide into the professional world of art.

ARTISTIC STYLE & THEMES
What he paints: Rural South African landscapes, township scenes, and nostalgic moments of village life. Think donkey carts, farming, cattle at the dam, and portraits of people working the land.

How he paints: Oil, acrylic, ink, and intaglio relief printmaking.

Recognition: His work is collected internationally across the US, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
Notable honors include the Merit of Excellence Award from the French Culture Centre in Pessac, Bordeaux, 1997, and top prizes at the „Black Like Us“ art competition in 2007 and 2011.

COMMUNITY WORK & THE LITTLE ARTISTS SCHOOL
Co-Founder: In 1995, with his mentor Dulcie Robinson, Edward co-founded the Little Artists School in downtown Johannesburg.

Impact: What began in an orphanage as after-school art for disadvantaged youth has grown into a legacy project. With support from partners like Deutsche Bank, the school has mentored thousands of children and helped launch several prominent South African artists.
Edward still volunteers his time teaching the next generation.

Alpheus doesn’t just paint — he journals with colour.
Starting with photography and everyday moments, he layers expressive marks and vibrant strokes into abstract narratives about identity, pain, and resilience.

His work is a visual diary of what words can’t say. A dialogue about struggle, but also about transformation and hope.
Beyond the studio, he uses art to spark change with philanthropic orgs in disadvantaged communities.

Art that feels like home. Art that heals.

This exceptional table clock captures the absolute peak of 20th-century Swiss horological elegance. True high-connoisseur design transforms an interior by blending revolutionary mechanical utility with breathtaking structural transparency. Selected for its legendary atmospheric winding mechanism, pristine gold-gilt framework, and visible gears, it serves as a spectacular presentation station to anchor a masterfully styled executive desk, mantlepiece, or luxury showroom display.

The piece is masterfully built by Jaeger-LeCoultre in Le Sentier, Switzerland, showcasing the historic engineering marvel originally conceived by Jean-Léon Reutter. The movement functions entirely without batteries, manual winding, or electrical current. Instead, it derives operational energy from micro-fluctuations in ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. A hermetically sealed capsule filled with a temperature-sensitive ethyl chloride gas mixture contracts and expands to mechanically wind the mainspring, ensuring perpetual motion through environmental air changes.

The structural cabinet features pristine, hand-polished gilt-brass metal borders framing five bevel-set mineral glass plates that invite multi-angle observation of the internal train. The face displays an elegant circular white dial adorned with applied gilded dagger markers and traditional Arabic numerals at the primary quarters, tracking time via matching dauphine hands. Supported by a heavy plinth base housing levelling feet and a front lock switch to secure the slow-pulsing balance ring, this masterpiece pairs beautifully beside high-end office decor.

Period / Style: Mid-to-Late 20th Century / Mid-Century Modern Swiss Luxury

Materials: 24k Gold-Plated Brass Case, Premium Cast Mineral Glass Panels, Lacquered Dial Ring, Steel and Brass Gear Components.

Design Hallmarks: Five-glass display vitrine, calibrr 528 or 540 perpetual movement, 15-jewel unadjusted train, signature floating annular pendulum balance wheel, and stylized quadrant layout.

This exceptional table clock captures the absolute peak of late 19th-century French horological elegance. True high-connoisseur design transforms an interior by blending revolutionary mechanical utility with breathtaking structural transparency. Selected for its legendary compensating pendulum mechanism, pristine gold-gilt framework, and visible escapement gears, it serves as a spectacular presentation station to anchor a masterfully styled executive desk, mantlepiece, or luxury showroom display.

The piece is masterfully built in the style of the grand Parisian horological houses like Japy Frères or S. Marti & Cie, showcasing the historic engineering marvels of the late Victorian era. The movement functions with traditional mechanical twin-train winding, powering both the timekeeping and an hourly/half-hourly striking train. The focal centrepiece is the advanced, temperature-compensating pendulum suspended in the lower gallery, utilizing twin glass vials filled with liquid mercury that contract and expand to automatically neutralize variations in ambient temperature, ensuring highly accurate timekeeping.

The structural cabinet features pristine, hand-polished brass metal borders framing four heavy, bevel-set mineral glass plates that invite multi-angle observation of the internal train and striking hammers. The face displays an elegant open-centre dial adorned with an outer white enamel ring tracking time via traditional Roman numerals, revealing the jewelled pallets of the deadbeat Brocot escapement at the upper centre. Supported by a heavy plinth base housing the original double-ended winding key, this masterpiece pairs beautifully beside high-end office decor.

The Curated Assessment

Period / Style: Late 19th to Early 20th Century / French Belle Époque Neoclassical style (c. 1890–1910)

Materials: Polished Gilt-Brass Case, Premium Bevelled Mineral Glass Panels, Inlaid White Porcelain Enamel Dial, Steel and Brass Gear Components with Glass Mercury Jars.

Design Hallmarks: Four-glass display vitrine, exposed Brocot deadbeat escapement, twin winding arbours, and a signature two-jar mercury compensating pendulum.