Outside city limits : introducing Anton van der Merwe of Starways Arts, in Hogsback, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Certain contemporary artists in South Africa choose to live in rural areas rather than in cities. This paper explores some reasons for this preference, and also looks at countercultural back-to-the-earth trends and other factors that may have encouraged some of these artists to prefer to live and work in rural settings. It is against this background that artist Anton van der Merwe is introduced and his early choices of spaces in which to work, both as a potter and painter, are examined. This background serves to contextualise his decision, made in 1992, to move home and studio from Midrand in Gauteng to Hogsback village, in rural Eastern Cape. Hardships were faced, artistic growth has been experienced, and a flourishing visual arts practice has been established by him at Starways Arts. In conclusion, it is noted that involvement in aspects of local community affairs have resulted in widespread mutual benefit. Buite stadsgrense : 'n voorstelling van Anton van der Merwe van Starways Arts in Hogsback, Ooskaap, Suid-Afrika Sekere hedendaagse kunstenaars in Suid-Afrika verkies om in landelike gebiedte in plaas van stede te woon. In hierdie artikel word sekere redes vir hierdie voorkeur ondersoek; daar word gekyk na kontrakulturele neigings van terug-na-die-aarde, asook ander faktore wat moontlik daartoe kon bygedra het om hierdie kunstenaars te beweeg om in landelike omgewings te woon en te werk. Teen hierdie agtergrond word Anton van der Merwe voorgestel en sy vroee keuses van werkruimtes, sowel as 'n pottebakker as 'n skilder, ondersoek. Hierdie agtergrond sien as kontekstualisering van die besluit wat hy in 1992 geneem het om sy huis en ateljee van Midrand in Gauteng na Hogsback Village in die landelike Ooskaap te verskuif. Ondanks probleme het hy as kunstenaar ontwikkel en 'n florerende visuele kunspraktyk, Starways Arts, gevestig. Ten slotte word aangevoor dat sy betrokkenheid by aspekte van plaaslike aangeleenthede wedersydse voordele opgelewer het.