It is almost impossible to talk about iconic African galleries without mentioning South Africa’s Kalashnikovv Gallery. The space has become a backbone for developing new artists and will once again take South African art to global audiences with its presence at this year’s 1-54 London. Showing at this particular fair, at this particular time, is a testament to its past and their vision for the future. Like 1-54, Kalashnikovv Gallery was founded in 2013, and has moved from an edgy, corner gallery in one of Joburg’s cultural districts, to establishing a global footprint. At 1-54, the gallery showcases four artists who reflect Kalashnikovv’s unconventional, rising star-focused mission.

I sit down with the team at their space in the leafy suburb of Parkhurst. Though considered a quaint, mostly ‘vanilla’ part of the city, inside the gallery, it’s all colour and character. Artists are in and out, new exhibitions and events hum constantly throughout the year, and South Africa’s creative kids can even be found browsing exhibitions on a weekday afternoon. The same goes for its second space in Cape Town city centre. And this is no accident, considering the way the gallery was masterminded. “Kalashnikovv Gallery was founded in direct response to the traditional white cube gallery system by envisioning an alternative operational model for the visual arts,” their mission statement reads. “Kalashnikovv aims to re-imagine traditional art world structures through transparency and innovation to foster the creative journey of its artists and enrich the quality of public experience in our field.”

Like its artists, many of whom over the years were “the first to” in their chosen disciplines, Kalashnikovv has never been the gallery to play it safe. It has been a home for classically trained artists but has always kept its door most open to young rebels. Nothing could be more true of gallery’s showing at 1-54 London where they’ll present Boemo Diale, Cinthia Mulanga, Alfred Thoba and Zanele Montle. When I ask about their breakthrough approach, co-founder and director Matthew Dowdle explains: “We were disruptive by accident and 10 years later we've grown into a globally known gallery so we don't have to now try to be disruptive. A lot of our work is becoming international. Also, we know we're not the young, edgy kids anymore.”

With its mature foundations, the gallery continues to support the newest generation of African, and particularly Southern African artists. Driven strongly by a flipped over narrative that focuses on what the African art world can do, rather than what it can’t, the space has seen filmmakers turned painters become overnight successes, untrained artists develop entirely new styles and new kids on the block become established names. Artists like Seth Pimentel (aka African Ginger), contemporary dancer Llewellyn Mnguni and painter Kylie Wentzel and photographer-turned painter Fhatuwani Mukheli have all been part of – and embodied – the Kalashnikovv pride in African art. But, as practical businesspeople, the gallery is honest about the challenges of location, a slow-changing industry and the pressures of doing it their own way.

“I mean, first of all, we’re on the southernmost tip of Africa. So even if we had every dollar in the world, our process of getting works to different places isn’t easy or cheap. Of course, this means that we have put an insane amount of energy into making sure we can do those things,” explains co-founder and director, Murray Turpin. “We’re at a point where, because we are breaking into new markets with new connections, we can be honest with our colleagues in the Global North about what our reality looks like. Partly that’s just saying, ‘Do you know what these costs mean for artists?’ but we’re also not about speaking from a place of lack. We can’t do that, we’ve just had to be realistic, as frustrating as that can feel.”

The team has had an incredible year of group exhibitions, collaborations with other galleries (a rarity in our city), and the uncovering of some special artists. Of the group showing at 1-54 London, all four artists have been super well received in recent years, with a string of accolades under their belts. While Alfred Thoba’s art-meets-activism approach has been both a visual and educative offering to audiences, Boemo Diale has used her perceptions of self and society to carve out narratives about her mixed-race identity and her home of Rustenburg. Cinthia Mulanga brings her printmaking and painting expertise to her works, which often touch on gender in unexpected and dreamy new ways. Lastly, Zanele Montle focuses on intricate self-portraiture, using herself as a lens for her South African heritage.

This vastness of representation is not accidental. As the gallery has evolved and taken on new projects and new locations, the artist has remained central to the business of the day. And while the team has its eyes firmly set on expanding its global reach, there will be no eventual emigration from Africa, or abandoning the purpose. Associate director and long-time public supporter of arts in South Africa; Zanele Kumalo, describes the granular approach: “We're finally being recognised, globally, and here. This conflux of things, and years, and shows, is coming together. So now we’re saying this is where we are, and it's working, and it's a beautiful thing, and let's just do it. But we’re not losing focus, we’re making sure we're doing it, for the artists.”

When I ask how they maintain this connection to the ground, their answer may sound obvious but is more of a rarity in the arts scene than one would think. “One thing about us that often sets us apart is that we actually go to shows. At some point the scene seemed to decide that shows were just for audiences, not gallerists. But for us, that proximity is everything,” says Turpin. Dowdle agrees: “Now that I'm thinking about that, that's actually so true. I never go to an opening, but I'll always go. I actually like going when it's at its absolute quietest,” he says. To which Kumalo chimes: “And it’s not just shows and galleries. It’s museums, it’s about spaces where art is flourishing. We’re focused on that in our space and so we seek that out in the city or wherever we are.”

As the gallery prepares to show at 1-54 London, they are well positioned to share their legacy, but also the artists who speak to the future. That’s about leaning into their UK and European audiences, continuing to show up as themselves, and continuing to press on to overcome the barriers to entry for African artists. And as the name of the gallery suggests, this gallery absolutely has the power to smash through into an even better decade ahead.