Southern Guild, a cornerstone of Cape Town’s artistic community, is establishing a significant presence in New York City. The gallery, co-founded by the husband-and-wife team Trevyn and Julian McGowan, will soon open its doors in a restored cast-iron building located at 75 Leonard Street in Tribeca.

The New York Venue Details

The new location spans 4,000 square feet and features high, 17-foot pressed tin ceilings. This space is designed to house two dedicated exhibition galleries, a viewing room, and necessary offices.

This move follows a previous, shorter engagement in the American market. Southern Guild previously operated a space in Los Angeles's Larchmont neighborhood, which opened in February 2024 but permanently closed late last year.

Lessons Learned and Future Confidence

The McGowans view the LA venture as a period of crucial learning, allowing them to gauge collector interests and test new concepts, including bespoke gallery dinners and live performances. Julian McGowan noted, “We’re much more experienced within the American market now.”

Trevyn added that while LA was experimental, they feel a sense of permanence regarding the New York location. Sales director Andrea Delph-Dorcely stated that opening in New York now, amid a cautious market, sends a powerful message of confidence with fresh energy and a considered program.

Cultivating an Artistic Ecosystem

For nearly two decades, the McGowans—who have backgrounds in interior design and set design, respectively—have focused on more than just exhibiting art. They have fostered an ecosystem supporting cross-disciplinary artists who prioritize material experiments and process-driven work.

This support is backed by the gallery’s robust infrastructure, which includes production, logistics, and fabrication capabilities. The author witnessed this firsthand during a visit to the GUILD Residency in Cape Town ahead of the Investec art fair.

The GUILD Residency Model

The residency operates with an informal, flexible structure tailored to artist needs. It emphasizes research, knowledge exchange, and independent work, notably without the typical requirement for artists to produce work for a formal presentation.

The residency’s airy loft displays paintings by the gallery’s artists, situated near the main offices and a warehouse. This warehouse includes a production wing, a photo studio, and onsite crating and shipping facilities, evidenced by logistics staff preparing massive patina tree branches for shipment.

Structural Intimacy and Collaboration

Collaboration is integral to Southern Guild’s structure. The cofounders view themselves as partners, integrating input from their sales directors and managers, a team composed mostly of women. “Together, we make more than the sum of our parts,” Trevyn stated.

This ethos is shared by many represented artists. Andile Dyalvane and Zizipho Poswa, who cofounded Imiso Ceramics three years before Southern Guild launched in 2008, center their practice on collaboration.

Featured Artists and Inaugural Shows

Through Imiso Ceramics, clay is used to explore collective memory and spiritual symbolism. Poswa creates massive, symbolic sculptures honoring Xhosa cultural traditions and matriarchal heritage. She commented, “Working with Southern Guild creates an enabling environment for me to produce large-scale works.”

Dyalvane connects his practice to ancestral memory, cultural heritage, and nature. Inaugurating the New York gallery next month will be the US solo debuts of painter Mmangaliso Nzuza and conceptual artist Usha Seejarim.

Nzuza’s large oil paintings reflect early 20th-century Cubist styles, depicting angular figures. Seejarim’s conceptual works transform everyday household items to examine gender, labor, and power dynamics.

Looking Ahead

As the Tribeca space awaits its first exhibition, the bare walls and shimmering hardwood floors signal a new chapter. The LA experience planted the seeds, and New York is positioned as the place where the work will blossom.

Southern Guild New York is scheduled to open to the public on April 24.