I was invited to participate as a guest at Berman Contemporary for their UNBOUND residency programme 2026 – “Mending a Kitchen” with artist Camilla Pontiggia. A dinner in the gallery as part of her BREAKING BREAD – Performance Encounters – of which there are three over the course of the next few weeks, together with various other public engagements, all hosted in the gallery in Cape Town.

Image Courtesy of Berman Contemporary

Arriving to the gallery on a winters night, not knowing what to expect, other than dinner – I had conjured up visions of blue paint being thrown on me as some sort of colourful experiment, but alas, I was instantly at ease with Camilla’s beautiful calm charm, while she was stirring a pot of her historically relevant sauce, despite the white cube.

Immersed into her living site of making, gathering and participation dissolved the boundary between studio and the gallery night setting, her magnificently displayed works of sculptured bread, dough canvases and ideas for natural dyes were a show in and of themselves. I was introduced to four curated strangers I was about to have dinner with, at a table set to absorb what she had planned, as part of her dinner series. Each of us aware and open to the idea that we are part of Camilla’s artistic research and experimentation.

Every year I choose a word for the year and this year was LISTEN, so this moment hit home in this intimate setting.

Opening up the floor, comforted in the most delicious of all time traditional minestrone, (pronounced min-est-strone-ne) we meaningfully conversed over the ideas and thoughts she raised about heritage, the renaissance, colonialism, white guilt, interpretation, cultural identity and perspectives, while breaking freshly baked bread from the installation on the wall.

The meal was completed with a modest home-made jam tart that was made with as much love and care as the space held for this contemplation and what turned out to be deep conversation. Presented with a gentle pour of sparkling, it was the perfect ensemble to a thought-provoking, inclusive stage with an equally transformative experience.

I reckon we all could have stayed on past bed time as the company held its thread.

A data-analyst, a lawyer, a fundraiser, a creative strategist and an artist, made for interesting dialogue.

Needless to say there was absolutely no blue paint and I did not have to go home relinquishing my decision to take part in Camilla’s table – quite the contrary I have been most fascinated with her delicate courage to open herself up to others and invite them into her creative practice. And in so doing find a way and a means to ultimately heal. We are speaking generational wounds, political histories, stories we tell ourselves – that all speak to the narrative of societal mending and well-being.

As we know to work well, we need to be and live well… I was reminded of my philosophy, in this case, through the artistic expression in front of me and how these moments can create these important and defining opportunities to reflect. As a collective we can relate and resonate through artistic messaging to confront challenging and difficult issues. As always through listening to understand, we can change our perceptions that in turn elevate us to grow, give us context, forgive and move culture forward.

I look forward to what this body of work produces and I value the trust held in sharing her kitchen table, if not for my own alignment on the many points of discussion, then definitely for the menu and most certainly for the minestrone.

Buon appetito 🍅

Links:

• Video of the dinner series this article was about
• Berman Contemporary Gallery
• Artist: Camilla Pontiggia
• Wines by Seven Sisters

Images Courtesy of Berman Contemporary