Gallery iZArte. From 2006 to 2013, Gallery iZArte sold a range of art and design products from South Africa and Zimbabwe. We purchased the items in our collection in South Africa from the artists themselves, and at a fair price, meaning that we know the artists personally. This is modern art that intrinsically tells a South African, tribal story. These years were wonderful and full of passion and inspiration. Gallery iZArte also organized lectures, workshops, cultural exchanges and presentations. However, Gallery iZArte had to close its doors in Zutphen in September 2013. As a result of the economic crisis, sales weren’t high enough to cover costs. Still, the passion remained. The contacts remained. We’ve built up something special with the artists and the organizations with which we work, something that can’t be lost. It’s something we also want to preserve for the sake of the artists and organizations themselves.
iZArte Art Tours. For this reason, we launched a new initiative in 2014: the iZArte Art Tours in South Africa and Zimbabwe, our own tailor-made trips about art. IZArte provides the artists and art, and in collaboration with a South African travel agency, we put together a great and balanced travel package. Tailor-made. In close contact with locals.
iZArte and Artists/Small Businesses. We still maintain direct contact with the artists and art world in South Africa and Zimbabwe. We also keep you up to date on our latest finds via blog posts and social media: snippets of local life, points of interest, fragments of the moment.
iZArte and Projects. We realized there was still more we could do. At the end of 2017, we devised a plan as to how we could offer our knowledge, skills, and network to projects and small businesses that we value. The keywords here are: art/handicraft/artists/social impact/social entrepreneurship. The first project we’re proudly supporting is Mogalakwena in Limpopo. The second project is Home of Hope for Girls in Johannesburg. We are also in talks about supporting a third project in South Africa.
With that in mind, it’s high time for a new-and-improved website. Thank you to Igor Huisintveld for designing and developing our nice new site.
Of the many photos on the site, the most beautiful were taken by Hanneke de Vries, Colin van de Meeberg and Sara Rebergen, to whom we owe our deepest gratitude.
Gert and Janneke Rebergen