The Tina Skukan Art Gallery is situated on one of the last remaining smallholdings in the suburb of Faerie Glen, Pretoria, South Africa, which originated out of the former Valley Farm smallholdings. This incredible landmark secretly tucked away in the heart of suburbia forms part of the Bronberg Nature Reserve. The owner, Thea Nigrini, who has been residing on this four hectare holding for the past 58 years, adapted the old barn 29 years ago to house a gallery for contemporary art and craftwork.

This art & nature lover’s paradise hosts monthly exhibitions of established and professional artists. Cultural activities such as artists talks, artists demonstrations, walkabouts and performances are presented during exhibitions of leading South African contemporary artists.

Adjacent to the main gallery are permanent exhibition areas including a sculptural garden which can also be visited. Works on display include mixed media, acrylic and oil paintings, various print media, drawings, scraperboard, sculptures, watercolours, pastels, textiles and ceramics.

Exhibition openings, with wine and refreshments, take place once a month on a Sunday morning at 11h30. The exhibition openings, with well-known opening speakers have become a prominent art event that attracts a crowd of art lovers from Pretoria, Johannesburg and surrounding areas.

Visitors to the gallery find a new home as well as rejuvenation in the climate of peace and quiet: old and young, artisans and students, friends and colleagues from all walks of life, everyone walks in at the Tina Skukan Gallery where you can dust yourself off, recharge your batteries, bury your sorrows and temporarily escape the daily routine.

Supporting the gallery is a tea garden, where visitors can enjoy refreshments, home-baked confectioneries and light meals in a rustic country atmosphere. Geese and chickens that freely roam the farmyard contribute to the environment’s atmosphere of tranquillity and serenity. Like on a farmyard of ancient times, you crumble to old milk and cream cans and early-time tools that stand everywhere on this unique agricultural holding. A wheelbarrow filled with pumpkins surprises the eye, and the earthen washbasin and lamp set on the veranda, recalls childhood visits to the grandparent’s farm. Yet there are also good splashes of Eastern European elements that commemorate the German-Croatian origin of the owner, Thea Nigrini. This prestigious venue for the arts and crafts was baptized in honour of her mother, Tina Skukan.

This rustic bohemian haven is a stone throw away from the fast-paced eastern suburbs and city centre of Pretoria and is visited by people from all over the world. The Tina Skukan Gallery and Tea Garden is an enchanting, aesthetic escape form the city for which you needn’t travel far.