Meet SAADA members João Ferreira and Heleen Bossi and find out what inspires them
João Ferreira Gallery
João Ferreira grew up in Cape Town and studied marine engineering at and then worked as a marine engineer for 10 years before he left it all and entered the world of art.
As a child, he was always fascinated with paintings and works of art. He found himself immersed in different types of art and abstract art from the 70s deepened this fascination. Although João had no desire to paint, his travels abroad openes his eyes to the world of galleries and art, and in the early 90s, he started representing portfolios of multiples by Moore, Miro, Hockney, Portway, and then moved into contemporary South African art. He opened his gallery in 1998 in the bustling CBD of Cape Town.
His entry point for choosing a particular piece is based on aesthetics. He looks for quality, timelessness, universal appeal and uniqueness.
His favourite artist is Barthélémy Toguo from Cameroon and his current favourite piece is a Kentridge print “The General”. He specializes in contemporary South African art and the gallery has gained a reputation for being one of the country’s leading galleries for contemporary artists and art collectors.
João is inspired by connoisseurship and collector motivation. He loves seeing collections grow and evolve in the art world.
His advice to aspiring design students who are trying to cut their teeth in the art world is to develop and nurture authentic relationships, read a lot, visit many current exhibitions and museum shows, and realize that there are no shortcuts.
On blending the old with the new, he suggests allowing a space to evolve as your knowledge grows. He enjoys contemporary artworks with modern furniture and the infusion of tribal artifacts.
His next project is to put together a collection for the SAADA antiques, art, and design expo at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg in October.
João Ferriera Gallery
70 Loop Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Tel: +27.21.423.5403
Fax: +27.088.021.423.2136
Email: i…@joaoferreiragallery.com
Website: http://www.artjoao.co.za/
“Don’t force eclecticism. Take risks and if they don’t pay off you will soon notice. Having learnt move on. There are no rules.”
~ João Ferriera
Heleen Bossi – Paisley’s Antique Jewellery
Heleen Bossi was born in Stellenbosch and lived there until she was 13 years old when her family moved to Pretoria. Her father was a nuclear scientist and her mother was a homemaker who loved antiques and had a business mind. Heleen completed a BA at the University of Pretoria and then her Higher Teaching Diploma at the University of Cape Town.
The travel bug bit Heleen at the tender age of 3 when her parents moved to the United States for a year and then travelled through Europe. Heleen was always fascinated by exotic destinations and interesting cultures. She started working for South African Airways and did so full time for almost five years, and then part time for another eight years. This enabled her to travel to many different countries where she would frequent antique and flea markets. She became intrigued by antiques and fell in love with the thrill of the hunt.
In 1985, Heleen started a small business in Arcadia in Pretoria specializing in vintage clothing and jewellery. The business grew and with the growth, Heleen started researching her chosen pieces, which strengthened her passion of antiques and vintage jewellery.
Heleen’s favourite piece is an enameled silver Mexican choker made by Margot von Voorhies Carr (Margot de Taxco) in the 1950’s. She once regrettably made the mistake of selling the piece and spent years to find another, which she finally did in London. She absolutely adores it and can’t imagine selling this one. Heleen is fascinated by the history behind each piece and has found pieces with interesting personal inscriptions and found a vintage collection of costume jewellery made by top designers from all around the world owned by a well-known Pretorian socialite.
Travelling inspires Heleen. She travels on a regular basis on her search for unique pieces and stays in old and interesting places meeting people with passion who inspire her. She has met many enthusiastic and colourful collectors and finds a thrill in finding a special piece that someone is looking for. Her favourite place to stay is il Convento di Santa Maria in Puglia in the south of Italy. She also loves Mexico, India, Argentina, Greece, France and the UK.
Vintage Mexican jewellery is some of Heleen’s favourite. She feels that the pieces are set apart by their boldness and strength of the designs, the beautiful gemstones, the silver enamels, the use of mixed metals, and the quality of workmanship. She believes that they are very unique pieces and are beautiful accessories and strong fashion statements.
Paisley’s Antique Jewellery
Stellenbosch, Cape Town
Tel: +27 (0)83 4534 360
Email: paisleys@mweb.co.za
Website: www.paisleys.mahoonas.co.za
“Wherever I travel, I am always on the lookout for beautiful and unusual pieces of antique and vintage jewellery.”
~Heleen Bossi
Meet Heleen and Joao at the SAADA Expo
Place: The Wanderers Club
When: 2-4 October 2015
Time: 10AM – 6PM
Price: R100 at the door or online