A year of art, connection & discovery at Sands Gallery

As Sands Gallery celebrates its first year, Robin Broide reflects on the exhibitions, artists and creative community that have shaped this intimate gallery space on the KZN South Coast.

Sands Gallery is celebrating its first birthday year! And the realisation of a dream…

Robin Broide (85) and her beloved daughter and son-in-law bought the old Glenmore Hotel in Glenmore Beach in March 2025. Known for being a popular fishing destination as far back as the 1920s, the property sits on the verge of the south-eastern coastline, looking towards the warm Indian Ocean that brings its annual load of sardines, dolphins, whales and seabirds.

Over the years, the site grew from cottages to hotels, with an upgrade in the 70s, and a large coastline garden where granite boulders heave upwards and rocky outcrops of aloes and pockets of vegetation glaze in the July sky. It is a place deeply connected to its natural surroundings, and this setting has become an important part of the gallery’s character.

Robin Broide with her self-portrait submitted for Women and their Head-Dress

Table of Contents

1. The Beginning of Sands Gallery
2. WABI-SABI
3. Women and Their Head-Dress
4. The Third Dimension
5. Spirits of the Green Coast
6. Looking Ahead: Zazi Mzansi
7. A Place to Meet and Muse

The Beginning of Sands Gallery

The Sands Gallery grew from the interior of the main block, close to the restaurant, revealing an L-shaped space that holds the art in an intimate, private way. Half of the central foyer does the rest, together with high-end spotlights that give exuberance and glow to so many artworks.

"From the outset, I was determined to develop the space as a showcase for local, emerging and established artists; a space where different people from different backgrounds and cultures could come together to “muse and meet”; to get to know each other in a welcoming, warm and comfortable environment – and this is exactly what has happened." Robin Broide

The first exhibition at Sands Gallery titled Wabi-Sabi

WABI-SABI

Our first exhibition, WABI-SABI, brought the work of artists who had exhibited at the Margate Art Museum to this relatively unknown little village of Glenmore, bordering Leisure Bay. The opening was a great success. It brought the Ramsgate and Southbroom High-Enders, the head of the Esayidi Art Department and friends. It also brought locals who may never have attended an art exhibition before.

WABI-SABI, a Japanese art form, asks us to see beauty in imperfection, to catch the fleeting moments in nature – a raindrop on petals, a bud about to open, forest mists, passing lights and shadows. The exquisite variety of snacks and canapés echoed this – their appearance was certainly momentary! Many art pieces were snapped up by discerning buyers, and the Sands Gallery was now on the map.

With articles in the local newspaper and people buzzing on social media for weeks after the opening, the exhibition helped create new awareness and excitement about art in this part of the South Coast. More importantly, it gave us our first glimpse of what Sands Gallery could become: not simply a room in which artworks were displayed, but a meeting place where people could discover artists, exchange ideas and see their own surroundings through somebody else’s eyes.

Canapés at Wabi Sabi opening

Wabi Sabi sculptures by Cheryl Aveyard

Women and Their Head-Dress

By mid-November 2025, our major exhibition WOMEN AND THEIR HEAD-DRESS was ready to run. The covering of a woman’s head, in one form or another, has always had huge cultural, religious and often political significance.

With over 40 artists and beautifully inspiring pieces influenced by strong women, the exhibition did indeed provide a space for many women who had not had the opportunity to exhibit previously. It was welcomed and enjoyed by artists and the buying public alike, and many of these art pieces are now enjoying special places in homes around the country.

Robin sharing words with Artist Zamaxolo Dunywa at Women and their Head-Dress Opening

The opening was a social event, and most attendees and artists actually wore headdresses to represent the exhibition. Sands Restaurant & Lounge served beautiful canapés and wine throughout the event, and there was a pianist playing and singing after words were shared by some of the artists.

Visitors enjoying the exhibition

It was truly a resounding success, and the guests and locals who visited this exhibition all seemed to have a sense of wonder and awe when they saw the artworks. There was something particularly special about seeing so many interpretations of one theme together – each one carrying a different story, history, culture or personal meaning.

Barbara Lawrence Strydom posing proud in front of her picture

The Third Dimension

In May 2026, Izidro Duarte, one of KZN’s leading sculptors for many years, was approached to present a major retrospective of his work together with several other celebrated sculptors from KZN and beyond. Izzy produced a mesmerising collection of his work, co-curated by his son Everett Duarte and myself, Robin Broide.

Izidro Duarte's collection for The Third Dimension

THE THIRD DIMENSION offered a rare opportunity to see Duarte’s profound engagement with Africa as a continent in transition, capturing what he describes as its rapid movement towards global assimilation. The exhibition felt very inviting and had a high-end quality to it, as Duarte’s work is delicate, expressive and impressively sculpted.

The Third Dimension "Phoenix" by Izzy Duarte

The Third Dimension "Eve" by Izzy Duarte

Among the other contributors to THE THIRD DIMENSION, Anda Dodo, Beth Rautenbach and Cheryl Averyard are all recognized sculptors in their own right. Bringing these different sculptural voices together allowed visitors to move through a collection that was tactile, thoughtful and distinctly different from our previous exhibitions.

Visitors told us it was of a world-class standard!

Spirits of the Green Coast

Our most recent exhibition, SPIRITS OF THE GREEN COAST, opened in June 2026 and runs through until the end of September. It explores aspects of the mystical in everyday life – in the forest, the coastline and the ocean of our glorious KZN.

Daniela Gwecher’s SARDINES RUN AGAIN, topical, vibrant and colourful, sold very quickly, and a number of other artists have sold successfully. Currently, prices have been reduced for the closing of the exhibition.

Spirits of the Green Coast

People loved the freshness and colourful magic of this winter exhibition. SPIRITS OF THE GREEN COAST was beautifully curated, and the placement of the artwork in and around the gallery created a feeling that made you feel almost one with the works. Nature is remarkable, and the way the artists managed to capture the “spirit” of nature was truly inspiring.

The exhibition also felt particularly suited to Glenmore and the South Coast, where the ocean, forests, birdlife, changing skies and wild spaces are part of daily life. Visitors could walk through the gallery and then step outside into the very landscape that had inspired so much of the work.

Artist Adele Joubert with her artwork titled "Visgraat Faring" for Spirits of the Green Coast

Spirits of the Green Coast

Looking Ahead: Zazi Mzansi

As we step into summer, we challenge artists to produce their best work under the theme ZAZI MZANSI (Know Yourself). Evoking conversations around identity in the cultural, historical, political, religious and gender-sensitive environment that makes up the multifaceted nature of our country, the exhibition promises to open another important conversation through art. Submissions close on 15 November 2026 and the Exhibition will officially open on 3 December 2026. Zazi Mzansi Exhibition will run until mid February 2027.

All in all, through the feedback we have had from the creative community around us, we feel very happy that Sands Gallery is heading towards an important, challenging and exciting year ahead, with Robin Broide at the helm and Samukelisiwe (Sam) Jokazi, our trainee.

During this first year, the gallery has grown organically with every exhibition, every artist and every person who has walked through its doors. What started as a dream has slowly developed into a small but vibrant creative space on the South Coast, and we hope it will continue to grow while remaining accessible, welcoming and full of discovery.

A Place to Meet and Muse

We look forward to many more successful exhibitions, art sales, and providing a platform for new and upcoming artists to showcase their talents.

Sands Gallery is not only a gallery but truly has become a place to “Meet and Muse.” We encourage our visitors to stay a while, immerse themselves in the stories and history of the art and, while visiting Sands, explore the beautiful gardens, enjoy a delicious bite to eat in Sands Restaurant & Lounge and take in the intoxicating atmosphere.

Explore Sands Gallery Online

For more Sands Gallery updates and information, explore the gallery online here.

There is always something to discover at Sands.