Art & aid project Namibia: The ceramics of the SAN

In several workshops in the Kalahari, SAN artists from the Donkerbos and Drimiopsis settlements created a series of designs on paper. These were then selected using original Gmundner Keramik colours and completed on site.

It was the beginning of a collaboration that provides the SAN with a livelihood and takes the artistic programme of Gmundner Keramik to another high point.

The owner of Gmundner Keramik, Markus Friesacher, has a close connection to Namibia. He knows the history and fate of the SAN (a collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in southern Africa) and actively supports them.

The high artistic skills of the artists in Donkerbos led to the idea of creating a SAN ceramics edition in 2022. The result was a unique project.

The painters of Gmundner Keramik were inspired by the artworks of the SAN and were able to develop their artistic skills. The result of this symbiosis can be admired at www.gmundner.at/en/africa/.