By Juané Swart
Hi there! I’m Juané Swart, a final-year Fine Arts student at Stellenbosch University. For the past two weeks, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to intern and shadow at David Krut Projects (DKP), encompassing both The David Krut Gallery and the printing workshop at Arts on Main. It’s been a privilege to observe the many facets of the business and to witness first-hand how the collaborative relationships at both the gallery and the workshop seamlessly intertwine, continually contributing to DKP’s success.
My journey to this internship began in a rather serendipitous way – it’s truly a small world! Through a very unexpected connection to South African architect and artist, Peter Cohen, who has been in a long-standing collaboration with DKP, I reached out to David Krut himself. Within a few hours, I received a call entailing a potential internship opportunity.
Day 1
Kicked off with a warm introduction to the team. I first met David Krut upon entering 151 Gallery, followed by Amé Bell (DKP’s Director/Coordinator), and the rest of DKP’s team. This day focused on understanding the operations of the gallery and bookstore, and how collaboration forms the foundation of this institution. I was also introduced to Marque van der Walt (DKP’s Marketing Manager), who truly was a warm and friendly face throughout this entire internship experience.
Day 2
I had the unique chance to sit in on a meeting with renowned SA artist, Stephen Hobbs, discussing his (then upcoming) ‘Behind Closed Drawers’ exhibition, slated for Saturday, June 28, 2025. Lisa Crozier (DKP’s Operations Manager) expertly facilitated the meeting, and it was through this experience that I gained an appreciation for how DKP cultivates and maintains its relationships with leading artists and other creatives. The remainder of the day was dedicated to making arrangements for Hobbs’s show and engaging in conversations about the various intricate aspects involved in planning such an event. I picked up valuable new skills, like accurately and fairly pricing artworks, setting up a master spreadsheet in Excel, and coordinating and curating an exhibition to capture public interest – all while ensuring the artist’s vision for their work is honoured.
Day 3
I was introduced to Alison Kane (DKP’s Books and Website Manager), who guided me through the process of uploading new artwork to their website’s database and making necessary updates to keep everything current and relevant. The day continued with more practical tasks, allowing me to test out what I’d learned the previous day and put my observations into practice. Lisa tasked me with selecting some of Stephen Hobbs’s prints from the drawers in the main gallery space.
And with the assistance of Brilliant Nzima (involved with DKP Books and Administration), we carefully placed the prints underneath the large perspex covers on top of the drawers. Crucially, before doing so, Lisa demonstrated the proper techniques for wrapping and storing prints to prevent any damage or unintentional marks. This ensured that prints by Maja Maljević, Stephen Langa, and Hoek Swaratlhe were safely returned to their respective drawers before Stephen Hobbs’s prints were displayed.
Day 4
Amé arranged for me to visit the Printing Workshop at Arts on Main, Johannesburg. This day was filled with insightful conversations about the collaborative environment that is David Krut Workshop (DKW) and how they’ve successfully maintained relationships spanning decades.
DKW printer, Sbongiseni Khulu, gave me an overview of the workshop, and shared his fascinating introduction to woodblock printing through the collaboration with William Kentridge. It was inspiring to see how DKW printers embraced something entirely new, especially in collaboration with a leading South African and world-renowned artist such as Kentridge.
DKW printer, Roxy Kaczmarek, then introduced me to the world of watercolour monotypes, demonstrating the process of cleaning and prepping perspex plates for painting and subsequent printing. She even lent me two small perspex plates to experiment with over the weekend, with the possibility of printing them the following Monday. I also had the exciting opportunity to assist Sbongiseni in tracing a Mary Sibande onto a new woodblock and even met the artist herself as she popped into the workshop to check in.
Day 5
The day began with a slower pace, focusing on administrative tasks and cleaning the workshop in preparation for the week ahead. Roxy introduced me to a technique called ‘chine collé’. With the kind assistance of DKW printer, Jesse Shepstone, I was able to try this technique in combination with the watercolour plates I’d painted over the weekend. This day also provided opportunities for conversations with the DKW team, learning about the innovative printing techniques they encourage artists to explore all while remaining true to their individual artistic styles and practices.
Day 6
A fellow intern from North-West University (NWU) and I joined Amé for an insightful talk at the workshop. This formed part of an initiative launched by Dineke Orton (UJ Art Gallery’s curator) aimed at high school students interested in curatorship. Later that day we ventured to Goodman Gallery to experience British artist, Yinka Shonibare’s exhibition, ‘Earth Pictures’. Upon our return to the gallery we got to work creating engaging handouts for Stephen Hobbs’s exhibition (the same one mentioned earlier), however, now titled ‘Porous Structures’, and the gallery’s upcoming exhibition, ‘Still Life: A Contemporary Arrangement’.
Day 7
The quietest day, largely dedicated to individual tasks and finding ways to stay warm amidst the chilly July winter weather.
Day 8
My final day – entailed some of the last enriching experiences. Merice, the intern from NWU, and I visited the Johannesburg Contemporary Arts Foundation to view ‘Structures’, their wonderfully curated exhibition that thoughtfully explores the human relationship to the built environment, bringing together artists and architects from the Global South.
The rest of the day involved submitting our final ideas for the exhibition handouts we had designed and assisting with the curation of the ‘Still Life’ exhibition, which was set to open the following Saturday. As the day drew to a close and it was time to express my gratitude and say my goodbyes, Alison and Amé generously gifted me a beautifully wrapped William Kentridge book, naturally published by David Krut Publishing. They also carefully wrapped my watercolour monotype with chine collé – a wonderful memento of my time there.
This internship provided me with an abundance of valuable insights and skills that I will undoubtedly carry forward into both my current studies and whatever exciting experiences the future holds. The entire team at DKP truly exhibit a visible passion for their work and openly share their extensive knowledge with those eager to learn – like me!
A heartfelt thank you to David Krut and the wonderful teams at DKP and DKW. Your collective experience in the field and the genuinely welcoming atmosphere you cultivate truly made this a very special and unforgettable experience.
– Written by an appreciative (and now slightly more sure about her future) art student.
