The Art Escapes Atlas — a curated guide to extraordinary places where art extends beyond walls

Made for the cultural explorers, The Art Escapes Atlas is a guide to the world’s most captivating art destinations — tucked away in forests, woven into cityscapes, or standing in quiet solitude across remote landscapes. Here is an excerpt written by Feride Yalav-Heckeroth.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg Art Gallery

Johannesburg’s historic art gallery built like a Roman temple

With one of the largest art collections in South Africa, the Johannesburg Art Gallery’s collection spans the centuries and the globe. It is home to 15 exhibition halls displaying 17th-century Dutch paintings, 18th- and 19th-century British and European art, 19th-century South African art, and a growing collection of 20th-century South African and international works. Built between 1911 and 1915 by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens — at the request of Lady Phillips, the wife of a diamond and gold magnate — the building is a beautiful fusion of the Beaux-Arts and postmodern styles, with classical elements such as a prominent Roman-style portico flanked by columns and composed of sturdy sandstone. An epicentre of Johannesburg’s art scene with historic and architectural significance, JAG — as it is affectionately known — has also launched a volunteer organisation to ensure the maintenance of its valuable collection, as the institution faces significant ongoing issues, including severe structural deterioration of its building.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Norval Foundation

A leading collection of art from the African continent

Inside a modern pavilion facing a mountainous landscape dotted with vineyards, this museum is a nexus for modern and contemporary art from the African continent and its diaspora. Created by dhk Architects, the building’s rectangular mass with its over-sailing roof is located on the edge of an indigenous wetland and was designed to harmonise with the environment, minimising its impact. Opened in 2018, Norval has several collections spanning painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media, all of which celebrate African artists and place them within the global art canon. Equally striking is the outdoor sculpture garden, where monumental works from artists such as Nandipha Mntambo, William Kentridge, Norman Catherine and Yinka Shonibare exist peacefully among the native flora.

The museum’s quiet research library also hosts a comprehensive collection of publications and documents related to 20th-century South African artists, open to visitors upon appointment.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Southern Guild

An influential gallery promoting African art on a global scale

Established in 2008 by Trevyn and Julian McGowan — with a gallery opening in 2017 in Cape Town’s trendy Silo district — Southern Guild has become one of the most influential spaces for African art, with a presence both home and abroad. Featuring a roster of artists inspired by their environmental, ancestral and spiritual roots, Southern Guild represents such well-known names as sculptor Adam Birch, fashion designer Rich Mnisi, ceramist Andile Dyalvane, and sculptor Zizipho Poswa. On the 2024 opening of its first international outpost, in Los Angeles, the gallery confirmed its status as a leading ambassador of African American art, with a physical presence. Founded on the principles of community and collaboration, Southern Guild stages exhibitions thoughtfully to spur the growth of both functional and contemporary art from the African creative ecosystem; works have been acquired by such renowned institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Vitra Design Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Woodstock Art District

A neighbourhood reinvigorated as a locus of art and creativity

In a successful model of urban regeneration, Cape Town’s Woodstock neighbourhood’s industrial past and worn-down corners have given way to a vibrant new community with a spotlight on art. Inside the repurposed warehouses, an abundance of prestigious art galleries have opened new spaces, and the studios of some of Cape Town’s most well-known artists have moved in. Adorning the walls all around the area — some are more hidden than others, making a tour guide a handy option — are street art murals created by artists from around the world; a resplendence of colour invigorating the large-scale buildings with human creativity. Visitors may come upon elephants afloat in water, giraffes entwining their long necks, and a leopard’s face that blends into a paradise of colour. Inside the renovated Old Biscuit Mill, design stores have also cropped up and a weekly Neighbourgoods Market is held, with bustling stalls selling street food as well as African handicrafts and fashion.

AGADEZ, NIGER

House to Watch the Sunset

An earthen sculpture with one simple purpose

When Swiss-born formalist and minimalist sculptor Not Vital moved to Agadez in 2000, he bought land from the nomadic Tuareg people and worked with local craftsmen to create sculptural structures that he financed himself. From the design of two schools for local children in the form of pyramids to a cinema where audiences could pay the ticket price with recyclable garbage, themes of a beneficial social function were part of the project’s purpose. Another striking work is House to Watch the Sunset, a construction of sculptural architecture made for only one purpose: observing sunsets. A series of cubic rooms are stacked on top of one another, each space is accessible via an external staircase. Made from local materials in earthen hues, the tower-like structure is a contemplative space in nature, a place where anyone can connect to their surroundings and the brilliant spectacle of the sunset; a corner where one can admire the variations of colour caused by refracting light.

ACCRA, GHANA

Paa Joe Coffin Studio

Reimaging death via coffins as colourful works of art

Death is perceived differently in every culture; in Ghana, the so-called fantasy coffin is a unique tradition that transforms the last journey into a work of art. Custom-made by specialised carpenters, these coffins defy their conventional form, transforming into objects or figures in bright colors that express details from the lives of the dead. Most famous among these craftsmen is Paa Joe, a pioneer whose work has been exhibited as art across Europe, Japan, and the USA. Intricate and colourful coffins shaped like a tiger, a chili pepper, a flip-flop, a Walkman, or a seashell are just a few examples. Only upon opening the lid is the object’s true purpose revealed: the final resting place within usually being equally colourful. With his son and successor Jacob now running his workshop, the retired Joe has trained enough apprentices to ensure that his unique artform will never die.

TIÉBÉLÉ, BURKINA FASO

Cour Royale de Tiébélé

Traditional adobe houses adorned with hand-painted murals

In the West African savanna’s flat, sunbaked landscape, meandering pathways lead past traditional adobe houses and outbuildings that compose a compact compound within protective walls. First established in the 16th century by the Kassena people, the community chief’s complex is a testament to internal cultural values and social organisation; a unique building tradition; and, most strikingly, hand-painted decorations of symbolic significance. Created exclusively by the women of the community—the sole guardians of this art form—the murals are painted in black, white, and hues of red with a lacquer made from beans. Geometric patterns, reliefs depicting animals, and scenes from local life adorn every wall, transforming the otherwise homo-genous mud, brick, and stone constructions into dynamic works of art. Dried and enhanced by the sun, the often-complex designs are then maintained by the women of the community, who keep the tradition alive.

ACCRA, GHANA

Nubuke Foundation

A modern concrete structure encompassing a palm grove and local art

A monolithic concrete structure raised on subtly curved glass pillars appears to hover above its visitors. Created by the architects Baerbel Mueller and Juergen Strohmayer in 2019, the Nubuke Foundation’s new exhibition centre in Accra set out to preserve existing structures on the grounds, dating from the 1980s, while adding a new extension dedicated to African art. Today, it boasts artists’ studios, a shop, and an archive. The concrete, split-level construction elegantly frames the tropical garden and its almond tree, which can best be viewed from the museum’s green roof, accessible via an interior stairway. Generous exhibition spaces are flanked by large windows on the northern and southern sides, in line with the wind direction and views of Accra and a palm grove. Beyond its status as an architectural highlight, the museum actively works for the preservation and promotion of Ghanaian contemporary art and culture with its exhibitions and programs. DM

The Art Escapes Atlas was published by gestalten in October 2025.