Gifted: Roberta Coci

What is your ultimate luxury?

The freedom to travel. One of my favourite indulgences is to work remotely for a month or so in a new city, and really get to know it. Just before Covid I spent six weeks in Buenos Aires. I’m definitely overdue for another adventure.

What are your essential grooming products?

Coconut oil for my skin and Evo Liquid Rollers Curl Balm for my hair.

Favourite scent?

Nothing beats the scent of fynbos mixed with sea air. I wish it could be bottled, for an instant holiday mode.

What is the most essential element in any partnership?

Trust.

What about an artwork attracts your eye first?

For me, it’s less about the eye and more about the feeling it evokes. I recently bought an artwork by Heidi Fourie. Every time I walked past it, I was drawn to it, and would stop and stare, losing myself in it. It was only after I had bought the piece that I noticed the title and realised the subject matter had subconsciously resonated with me on a very personal level.

What is your all-time favourite place to eat out?

Marco’s [Ice Dream Land] in Plett for a margherita pizza and a scoop of the best handmade ice cream.

If money were no object, what would your dream buy be?

An apartment overlooking Central Park in New York.

And what are you listening to?

I’ve been an obsessive consumer of podcasts for years. We’ve just launched The Latitudes Podcast, and I still pinch myself every time I hear a new episode. Our host, Refiloe Mpakanyane, is a joy to listen to as she steers interesting and moving art-fuelled conversations.

A visual artist you have your eye on?

Egyptian artist Nada Baraka, who just won the annual ANNA Award. Her paintings sway between abstract and surreal, and I find them so evocative.

Your favourite way to spend a Sunday morning?

Lying on the daybed on my balcony with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Your favourite summer haunt, anywhere in the world?

Formentera, the smallest of the Balearic islands.

Your favourite room in the house?

I’ve always liked to live in apartments or small houses, where I can design each space to my idea of perfection and enjoy every room daily.

What did staging the 2023 RMB Latitudes art fair mean to you? 

Being able to dream up a project of that scale with my dear friend and business partner Lucy MacGarry was a privilege and a joy. The process was entirely collaborative between everyone involved, and the result was a beautiful celebration of creativity that left me feeling optimistic about Joburg, South Africa, the continent, and what’s to come.

Are you a collector of anything (besides art)?

Most things I consume regularly (books, podcasts, photos, communications) now live on my devices, which is wonderful for keeping my life uncluttered, but I do have a certain nostalgia when I go through my collections of old letters and photo albums, or my bookshelves, which haven’t been added to in years.

What makes you happiest?

Love. Familial, romantic, platonic.

A colour that is underrated?

Grey. It makes the ultimate backdrop for any artwork or accessory.

Minimalism or maximalism?

Aspiring minimalist — I have to do regular declutters to keep my inner maximalist at bay.

The last travel destination that knocked your socks off?

Sicily.

What is the one thing you’ll NEVER find in your fridge?

Pickles. Just the smell makes me shiver.

A great gift you received recently?

My gran, or Nonna, was a talented crafter, and when I was a child she knitted me a version of Princess Diana’s iconic pink “Santa Rosa” alpaca jersey, which I still wear. My mother recently gave me Nonna’s collection of knitting needles, which I found an incredibly nostalgic practical gift.

The one indulgence you would never forgo?

Knitting while listening to a podcast, every morning before the chaos of the day sets in.

• From the September edition of Wanted, 2023.