By Flavia Davids
It can be argued that between artists, there are two types of friendships. There is the friendship between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, of the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, whose decades-long estrangement endures to this day, despite knowing one another for many years and garnering massive success for songs like ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water.’ And then there is the friendship between Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu, of famed South African duo Juluka, who, despite parting ways creatively (Mchunu wanted to return to the life of farming), managed to remain close friends until Clegg’s death in July 2019. The friendship between Hanrié Viljoen (Hannes) and Salmay Hindle (Salm), of the photography and poetry duo Soekfontein, is of the Clegg-and-Mchunu variety. The duo met in Stellenbosch in 2015, and over the course of their eight-year friendship, they have navigated the trials and tribulations of their lives as high school learners, students and artists. “I accidentally sneezed on Salmay when we were 14 years old in Geography class. I think that genetically fused us and now we are almost post-birth conjoined twins,” quipped Viljoen.
A desire to put more art out into the world led to Hindle and Viljoen forming Soekfontein, a kopplek (Afrikaans for ‘a headspace’) where you can be more curious about the world and explore your endless creativity without being bound to any limitations. This kopplek has manifested into two successful collaborative exhibitions. Their inaugural event was hosted in Strand in September 2022. Their first exhibition combined the hustle-bustle of a live concert with the tranquility of perusing fine art. It also gave musicians, artists, poets, animators and photographers the platform to showcase their work while its attendees enjoyed coffee, wine and slap tjips. Their second event, ‘Seevier,’ took place recently at the Natural Energy Surf Store, also based in Strand. The theme of ‘Seevier’ was ocean photography and was aimed at celebrating the ocean. Photographers, such as Tiandi van Niekerk, CJ Marais and Angus Mackenzie, were able to showcase their photos of the ocean in a venue overlooking the beach. The event also had a lecture about climate justice, which was given by climate activist and fellow The Stellenbosch News journalist, Skyla Thornton. A more local Soekfontein exhibition was hosted in October 2022 when they participated in Garden Town, an annual event festival hosted in Stellenbosch where activities range from fine dining to trips to the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden.
Collaboration and friendship are essential tenets of Soekfontein. “We specialise in creating platforms where artists can present themselves in a meaningful way, and connect with others. We are avid supporters of collaboration and having this space where you can just showcase what you are doing,” said Hindle. Viljoen is in complete agreement with her collaborator. “That is what it is supposed to come down to – artists supporting each other instead of competing for the few spots available in the harsh economic world for artists. At the end of the day, young artists who are starting out just have something to say and just want to put it out into the world. We want to help people to express themselves. We can reach so much more potential in people if we actually give them the opportunity and space to express themselves,” Viljoen explained. As its founders rest (and perhaps recover) from the hosting and organising of their most recent event, one can only wonder what will come next for Soekfontein, and how much more art will be put out into the world because of it.
