SFA Advisory and Southern Guild present ENDANGERED with artist Porky Hefer at Design Miami/Basel 2018

Sale of Works to Benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

SFA Advisory and Southern Guild announced today that they will present a unique project by renowned South African artist Porky Hefer at Design Miami/Basel from 12-17 June 2018.

The exhibition, commissioned by SFA Advisory to benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF), will showcase a series of seating pods depicting endangered species. The sculptures, which depict an orangutan, a polar bear, a sloth, a blue whale, and a great white shark, are made of eco-friendly and recycled materials.

Titled ENDANGERED, the pods were produced using environmentally sustainable materials that have been extensively hand-worked by artisans in Cape Town. Hefer worked closely with textile artist Ronel Jordaan and craft collectives Heart Works and Mielie to translate his creatures into giant, tactile sculptures whose surfaces have been crocheted, felted, stitched and embroidered with unique embellishments.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Porky on this exciting project, and we appreciate his creativity and commitment to helping us find new ways to engage the public on issues impacting wildlife,” said Terry Tamminen, CEO of LDF. “This exhibition will raise awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species around the world. Understanding our impact on the environment is a pressing issue, and we hope this exhibition and others like it will encourage people everywhere to consider making small changes toward a sustainable environment.”

The works will be available for sale in a limited edition of three per animal through Southern Guild gallery, with 25% of the sales proceeds supporting LDF’s wildlife conservation programs.

“Visitors to Design Miami/Basel will be invited to sit in, on, and around these friendly sculptural creatures igniting a sense of empathy as the stories of the real animals’ hardships and the importance of their survival to our own lives is recounted through interaction, video, and text,” says Lisa Schiff, Founder and Principal of SFA Advisory.

“It’s the future of the next generation that I am concerned about and the state of the world they inherit. Looking after our animals and Earth is one thing but also the preservation of human skills, crafts and traditions,” says Hefer. “I think it’s important to show what beauty humans are capable of with their hands rather than the destructive mass production that technology is driving the modern consumerist society towards.”

 

Hefer focuses on conceptual precepts that manifest in three-dimensional forms, in a variety of executions, from public sculptures and installations to product and furniture design. Fascinated by the reactions and energy a piece can generate in a space, he embraces Africa and the skills and processes that are readily available indigenously, rather than trying to emulate foreign processes. Making use of traditional techniques and crafts that focus on the hand rather than machinery, his works reconnect the senses and evoke an innocent, open-hearted awe.

Hefer’s larger-than-life seating environments have garnered extensive global recognition over the past few years. His first solo show, Monstera Deliciosa, Volume I, was presented at Southern Guild in Cape Town in 2015, and in 2017 he had a solo exhibition at R & Company, New York. Hefer also represented South Africa at the inaugural London Design Biennale 2016.

 

For inquiries, please contact Marika Kielland (marika@sfa-advisory.com)

 

About Porky Hefer

South African designer Porky Hefer focuses on conceptual precepts that manifest in three-dimensional forms in a variety of executions, from public sculptures and installations to product and furniture design. Fascinated by the reactions and energy a piece can generate in a space, he embraces Africa and the skills and processes that are readily available indigenously, rather than trying to emulate foreign processes. Making use of traditional techniques and crafts that focus on the hand rather than machinery, Hefer’s work ensures that age-old skills are preserved and kept relevant in a modern age.

Hefer is South Africa’s 2013 Design Foundation Icon Award Winner. His first solo show, Monstera Deliciosa, Volume I, was presented at Southern Guild’s Cape Town gallery at the end of 2015, garnering rave local and international reviews, which led to a solo exhibition at R & Company in New York in 2017. Hefer also represented South Africa with Southern Guild at the inaugural London Design Biennale 2016.

 

About the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) is dedicated to the long-term health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants. LDF supports projects around the world that build climate resiliency, protect vulnerable wildlife from extinction, and restore balance to threatened ecosystems and communities. To date, LDF has provided grants of more than $80 million USD to support crucial environmental work in over 60 countries.

We are now experiencing what can only be called a planetary crisis — a convergence of accelerating climate change, unprecedented loss of biodiversity, and increasing human health issues caused by a toxic environment. The diverse range of projects supported by LDF – from efforts to create and expand protected areas on land and in our oceans, to initiatives to protect and recover species on the brink like elephants, sharks, lions and orangutans, to supporting grassroots and indigenous organizations working to secure environmental protections and implement sustainable solutions at the local level – are a direct reflection of the array of efforts that are needed to turn the tide. LDF believes that we can create a world where both nature and humanity coexist in harmony. Not only do we believe this can be done, we know it must be done in order to ensure the long-term survival of both our planet’s magnificent biodiversity, and humanity.

To learn more about the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and its work around the world, please visit www.leonardodicaprio.org.

 

About SFA Advisory

SFA is a private art consultancy specializing in modern and contemporary art that serves a select group of dedicated collectors around the world. Careful scholarship is at the core of our work, guided by each collector’s individual aesthetic, interests, and goals. Founder Lisa Schiff and advisor Marika Kielland spearheaded this collaboration with Porky Hefer and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. For more information, please visit: www.sfa-advisory.com

 

About Southern Guild

Southern Guild has spearheaded the high-end design category in Africa, propelling its artist-designers to make spirited, challenging and complex work. Since being founded in 2008 as the sole gallery representing locally made limited-edition design, Southern Guild has birthed a new category for artists and designers in South Africa. Founders Trevyn and Julian McGowan are embedded in the South African cultural landscape and play integral roles in guiding, advising and mentoring designers. For more information, please visit: www.southernguild.co.za