With a consolidated artistic brand in world-renowned venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Dubai Opera, and Carnegie Hall, the duo has recently opened their own creative hub at the very heart of the capital, where live theatre, gastronomy, and fine-art exhibitions merge in a narrative symbiosis. Guillermo Nazara chats with the two creatives to learn more about this initiative and what exciting new offer it will bring to London’s vibrant scene.
How does it feel to have your venue’s opening show extending due to popular demand?
We’re absolutely delighted that the world and community we’re building with the venue keeps going from strength to strength. We want people to feel they can make it their own, so having some audience members return six times already means a huge amount to us. Seeing those relationships grow – with the show, the artists, the whole team, and the venue itself – really does mean the world to us.
How did the idea for this space come about?
In 2018, we marked our 10th anniversary with a red carpet, invite-only celebration at Ministry of Sound, where we launched our full slate of international collaborations, introduced by the wonderful Jeremy Irons.
We were the first to bring theatre into the venue, curating a full evening of live performance, fine wine, and dancing, all set against a glamorous red-carpet dress code. It was a very special night and, in many ways, a pilot for House of Sisters Grimm.
As part of our ongoing mission to be inclusive and create unique, memorable experiences, we began looking for a home where we could open that kind of evening to everyone, while still keeping the sense of occasion and exclusivity.
How would you describe the philosophy behind it and how do you think this venue makes a difference in comparison to other spaces?
The philosophy comes from a desire to celebrate culture and diversity within a holistic luxury lifestyle venue – and to give people the perfect excuse to really dress up. We’ve taken a deliberate approach to the immersive, ‘educational’ experience created by the different pillars that come together in the space: INALA, Fine Art, and iGOLI Bar, our exclusively South African fine wine bar.
What are the reasons behind adding a fine-wine bar and a visual arts gallery?
We wanted to bring our immersive exhibitions together under one roof with our Dance Musicals, in a way that feels cohesive and allows each element to complement the other. The paintings depict natural landscapes across South Africa, places of real historical, archaeological and anthropological importance.
It was a bold move to commit to opening the first exclusively South African Fine Bar. The wine sector in the Cape Winelands employs close to 300,000 people, and we have direct relationships with every winery we list. We can vouch for each of them – not only for the quality of their wines, but for their ethical and environmental practices, strong community upliftment work and, in some cases, Fair Trade certification.
As a B Corp–certified company ourselves, it’s extremely important that the partners we work with share those same values.
How do these three ambiances work as a whole in terms of experience? Are there any connections between what’s served, performed, and exhibited at the same time?
A number of the paintings connect directly to the show: from a painting of Durban Playhouse, where the songs first began to take shape between Joseph Shabalala, other members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Ella Spira, through to the piano bar, which now serves as a wonderfully extravagant ice-bucket bar. The piano is the same one that Ella composed on.
We’ve also partnered with six wineries to create special collaboration labels featuring the paintings displayed in the gallery.
The venue itself features a distinctive and unique, richly toned wall colour, developed in partnership with paint mixologists Thando and Aubrey in Johannesburg.
The venue’s name evokes a focus on storytelling. How does that translate into the entire concept?
We have created a world where there is storytelling to be found in every detail for those with inquisitive minds. There is much to be discovered – from the locations of the paintings, the genesis and journey of what INALA is and represents, through to the wine list, the labels, and the wineries themselves.
One of the space’s missions is to champion underrepresented voices. What are those, in your opinion, and how could the issue be solved beyond the venue’s programming?
We recognise that some people can feel certain experiences are ‘not for them’, and we make a conscious effort to prioritise those who may have been underrepresented or made to feel unwelcome. That said, this is never to the exclusion of anyone.
For example, our tastings of exclusively South African fine wines are hosted by our South African wine partner, Julian Naik, founder and director of a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment enterprise that is 100% Black owned.
Creating an authentic pathway like this has to be part of the thinking from the very beginning – it can’t be something that’s simply bolted on afterwards.
What are the greatest challenges emerging artists are facing nowadays? Will the venue offer any other initiatives to help?
Some of the greatest challenges at this moment in time are around developing a professional etiquette and an approach to discipline. With technological developments, it’s easier than ever to create showreels and supporting materials. It also opens the door to exploring and drawing inspiration from other art forms, which can be hugely beneficial. However, it is important to focus and put the hours in to finesse your craft. Practice, practice, practice.
As the venue’s founders, what particular challenges have you faced?
Where do we begin?
The Capital raise is always a challenge. We are not from financial privilege and we do not receive any financial government support. Instead it is entirely up to us to seek out investment ourselves.
We were approached by a financial partner who seemed a good fit for iGOLI Bar. After months of due diligence and significant investment, it became clear that we had been misled with the intention to defraud us. Following a lengthy legal process, we obtained civil and criminal judgements and are now awaiting their execution in South Africa. The impact of this experience has been deeply painful, and we will speak more on it and provide updates in due course.
What initiatives have you planned following this inaugural season?
By the end of March, we’ll be previewing our innovative, immersive Art & Wine Experience, Sensory Notes – designed to bring the artistry of wine to life through storytelling, music, and in-situ paintings.
We’ll also be launching Wine Wednesdays, featuring our own series of collaboration labels. Each label showcases Ella Spira’s paintings, created in situ in the Cape Winelands, and is available exclusively through House of Sisters Grimm and iGOLI. Alongside this, we’ll be hosting 9pm African Jazz Nights.
In the coming months, we’ll be launching a membership club, giving members exclusive access to iGOLI for special wine tastings with winemakers and one-off concerts throughout the year.
Our curation within this intimate, luxurious space is an ever-evolving journey, blending art, theatre and wine.
Why come visit House of Sisters Grimm?
Awaken your senses, stimulate your mind, and join us for a night of indulgence.
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Production pictures credit to Helen Maybanks.
Further information, shows, and tickets at House of Sisters Grimm are available on the following link.