Eyethu Gallery is a subsidiary company of Eyethu Lifestyle Centre (Pty)Ltd. Eyethu Lifestyle Centre was launched in 2013. Eyethu Lifestyle Centre was created with a clear vision to start and develop an arts and cultural movement. The venue invites and hosts the arts community to perform and exhibit their art, thereby developing a culture of following and supporting the arts as a whole.

Located in the heart of Soweto, Eyethu Lifestyle Centre boasts great facilities for different types of events. The venue is in Mofolo Central, near the iconic old Eyethu Cinema. The venue’s management and staff make it a point to cater for all your entertainment and catering needs during your visits.

Eyethu Gallery is a (Pty)Ltd. company which trades as a commercial gallery space, specialising, in African contemporary art. The gallery is located in the Eyethu Lifestyle Centre premises. “This is where we aim to make the most impact by supporting the development of the township creative economy by contributing to a self – sustainable arts ecosystem”, the Centre says. “We operate as a consultancy in the contemporary visual art & creative cultural development sector, offering our clients with agency services, curating, project development and management services. Our clients range from artists, individuals, projects, art buyers/collectors including corporate”, it adds.

The mission of Eyethu is to contribute to a self-sustainable township arts ecosystem through activities, products and services, which deliver that professional development.

On its vision the Centre says, “We aim to develop Eyethu Lifestyle Centre as an arts cultural hub for cultural production, digital and creative businesses of all kinds. This includes the restoration of the old cinema house known as Eyethu Cinema in Mofolo Central, Soweto”.

We also aim to foster projects that will provide a digital and physical mapping of the township’s creative enterprises, which will also help to provide further skills help and support for independent retail. This way we will be able to contribute to an already expanding creative ecosystem by identifying opportunities that may arise for investment in the revitalisation of the township’s economic growth via art platforms.”

Products & Services of Eyethu gallery include (I)Fine Art Exhibitions i.e. painting, drawing, printmaking, mosaic and murals, photography, multimedia installations including performance art. (ii)Artists sourcing & Workshops, (iii)Consulting & Art valuation, (iv)Corporate Social Investment.

August 19, 2014 was the opening of the flagship project with an exhibition of honouring local masters; a project initiated Eyethu Lifestyle Centre and coordinated by the visionary arts group Mashumi Arts Project.
The idea is centred on the idea of recognition for artists born and bred locally. The exhibition is driven by the aspect that such artists should be recognised for their notable contribution to the field of fine arts by locale. By so doing raise awareness and also establish an audience for visual arts in local areas. Eyethu Lifestyle Centre in association with Mashumi Arts Project was tasked with the mounting of an exhibition recognising a widely renowned artist know to his peers as Bra Pat in celebration of his prosperous career.
The exhibition ran concurrently with the VANSA Joburg Art week, which opened, Tuesday, the 19th August 2014 and during the Arts Alive festivities, ending on Sunday, 7th September 2014.
For more info please follow the link provided:
http://arts-alive.co.za/event/patrick-kagiso-mautloa-midcareer-restropective/
http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-08-18-art-week-the-art-of-appealing-to-every-taste/#.VKuJsOhBvMI
13 November 2014 was the opening of ‘Marang a Letsatsi ‘ a photographic exhibition by Jerry Obakeng Gaegane
Marang a Letsatsi was exhibited as part of the Joburg Photo Umbrella 2014 at the Eyethu Gallery, situated at the Eyethu Lifestyle Centre. Joburg Photo Umbrella 2014 is commissioned by the British Council Connect ZA as part of SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015, which is partnership between the Department of Arts & Culture, South Africa and the British Council. This exhibition was hosted by Eyethu Gallery in partnership with Market Photo Workshop, Joburg Photo Umbrella, and British Council-Connect/ZA & Anglo Gold Ashanti.
For more info please follow the link provided:
http://joburgphotoumbrella.tumblr.com/Exhibitions
29 November 2014, the launch of the Podium Zone
The Podium festival took place on the 29th of November 2014, 12pm daytime festival with free entry for to the community at large. The festival gave the community the opportunity of Orlando East the chance to celebrate and reinvade previously neglected open field in the name of Art. It has now become an annual event at the same area. For more info please follow the link provided:
http://codeanddesigners.com/podium/festival/