From open studios and curated exhibitions to music, food, and conversation, Solo Studios returns from 24–26 October for a weekend of art and community across the Riebeek Valley.
Laurel Heritage, By the Light of the Moonflower. Courtesy of the artist.
Later this month, the Riebeek Valley will come alive with Solo Studios 2025, a weekend dedicated to creativity, collaboration, and connection. From Friday, 24 to Sunday, 26 October, the twin towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West will host over sixty artists for an immersive program of open studios, curated exhibitions, performances, and culinary experiences. Set against the backdrop of Swartland vineyards, olive groves, and mountains, visitors are invited to step beyond the gallery walls and experience art as a living conversation between place and people.
Founded on the principle of intimacy between artist and audience, Solo Studios opens its working studios to collectors, enthusiasts, and the simply curious. Visitors can meet artists in their creative spaces, see works in progress, and engage directly in the stories that inspire them. “Those of us lucky to live and work in this picturesque valley know how inspiring it is,” says Ashley Stone, co-owner and co-project manager of Solo Studios. “This year, we are also focusing on the cross-pollination of our community with artists from other regions, which brings an exciting new dimension to the event.”
Cross-Pollination and Collaboration
A highlight of this year’s edition is LANDscape[s], an exhibition hosted at Die Kunshuis featuring selected works from the private collection of Modern Art Projects South Africa (MAPSA) in Richmond, Northern Cape. Curated by Miné Kleynhans from the University of the Free State, the exhibition reflects on time, memory, and transformation through works that evoke the vastness and poetics of the Karoo landscape.
At EcoPlace, a newly built home and studio made entirely from recycled plastic and fabric, artist Louis Jansen van Vuuren and partner Hardy Olivier will present a group exhibition featuring Jansen van Vuuren’s own work alongside pieces by Ardmore Ceramics, Ashley Ogilvy, Linda Weaver, and Ruan Huisamen. Both architectural experiment and creative haven, EcoPlace embodies the event’s commitment to sustainability and artistic exchange.
Regional collaboration continues with FEAST, a group exhibition featuring three artists from Porterville at the Old Post Office in Riebeek Kasteel. Meanwhile, Riebeek West’s Church Hall hosts ‘Red Hot, Pink Spot’, a spirited exhibition of thirteen female artists from Kommetjie, showcasing a range of works in sculpture, ceramics, painting, and printmaking.
The newly opened Blacksmith Yard Gallery adds to Riebeek West’s growing art circuit, presenting ceramic and bronze works and paying tribute to the late Nicolene Swanepoel, protégée of renowned artist Wilma Cruise. Meanwhile, the Riebeek Kasteel Village Square will become a vibrant marketplace of creation, with fifteen ceramicists demonstrating and selling their work throughout the weekend.
Talks, Music, and Cultural Exchange
Beyond exhibitions, Solo Studios encourages dialogue about art and its place in daily life. Elmarie van Straten of Strauss & Co. will lead The Art of Collecting, a conversation exploring value, legacy, and the personal dimensions of building an art collection. Bricks and Books: Building with Contemporary Art in the Karoo will delve into art’s role in regional storytelling and cultural preservation.
The weekend will culminate with Vivaldi, The Movies and All That Jazz, a concert by World Café featuring violinist Veronica Bell, whose program combines classical compositions, film soundtracks, and gypsy jazz. The performance promises to close the weekend with an atmosphere of celebration and reflection beneath the Swartland sky.
A Weekend of Creative Connection
Now in its ninth edition, Solo Studios has become one of South Africa’s most distinctive art experiences, celebrating both the creative process and the communities that sustain it. Visitors can enjoy long-table meals, regional wines, and open-air performances while engaging with artists whose practices reflect the textures, rhythms, and resilience of the valley itself.
“This event brings together all that makes the Swartland extraordinary,” says Stone. “Art, hospitality, nature, and connection—it’s an experience that leaves you changed.”
With more than sixty artists participating, including Louis Jansen van Vuuren, Ardmore Ceramics, Astrid Dahl, Emma Willemse, Riaan van Zyl, Solly Smook, and Kristen McClarty, Solo Studios 2025 offers an unparalleled opportunity to immerse oneself in the creative life of the region.
Solo Studios 2025 takes place from 24 to 26 October in the Riebeek Valley, Western Cape. Tickets are available via www.solostudios.co.za and Webtickets.
