Momentum Aardklop - What’s in the Bag
For 35 years Bag Factory has fostered collaboration, co-learning and experimentation. From its humble building in Newtown its reach extends across the globe several times over. As a meeting point of artists, curators and art writers across generations, disciplines, styles, thematic concerns, Bag Factory incubates and accelerates artists’ careers that leave indelible marks on the cultural landscape of the city and country. On the occasion of Momentum Aardklop 2026, current studio and recent residency artists offer a broad spectrum of techniques and ideas that reflect the dynamism of their practices.
What’s in the Bag? is a pouring out of works that are on hand and ready to show thus reflecting recent activity in the studios. On any given day, you might hear the knocking of a hammer as a work gets framed, the splash of brushes being rinsed of a luminous colour, the hushed chatter of ideas being exchanged, and the reliable musical selection that soundtracks the creative process. This persistent attendance to the labour of artmaking is seen in the distinct gestures of each artist across paper based drawings and prints, oil/acrylic on canvas, and even rust on steel. This exhibition is but a small sample of these often multidisciplinary artists’ practices.
Featured artists include Gail Behrmann, Erla Haraldsdóttir, LL Editions, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Richard Specs Ndimande, Levy Pooe, and Joe Turpin. They are accompanied by recipients of Bag Factory’s signature awards programs that are designed to support the development of emerging artists: Swaline Mkhonto and Zovuyo Pendu, Young Womxn Studio Bursary 2025/2026; Mosa Anita Kaiser and Leonardo Sitoe, Young/Unframed 2026; Smiso Cele, Cassirer Welz Award 2025. The thread of peer learning and intergenerational exchange binds these artists together in the weave of Bag Factory’s enduring legacy across decades.