Wender·Vista
Gqeberha
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Africa
on Algoa Bay, on the Eastern Cape of South Africa

Gqeberha

— — the bay the southern right whales return to.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A port city on the warm side of the Indian Ocean, renamed Gqeberha from Port Elizabeth in February 2021 after the small river that runs through it. Algoa Bay curves wide and shallow, with Bird Island and St Croix Island offshore. Southern right whales calve here from June through November. The land breeze comes down off the Karoo and the swell builds steadily through the afternoon. — from the studio

from the studio
Gqeberha
— bring it home

Gqeberha, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Gqeberha

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Gqeberha sits on Algoa Bay, on the southeastern coast of South Africa, within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The city was renamed from Port Elizabeth on 23 February 2021 to honour the isiXhosa name of the Baakens River that runs through it. With a population over a million, it is the largest urban centre between Cape Town and Durban. Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport sits within the city limits, ten minutes from the beachfront.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

Algoa Bay is the largest bay on the South African coast, sweeping roughly 70 kilometres from Cape Recife in the west to Woody Cape in the east. Bird Island, about 60 kilometres offshore, holds the largest breeding colony of Cape gannets in the world. St Croix Island once held the largest African penguin colony anywhere; numbers have fallen sharply this past decade. Southern right whales return from Antarctic waters to calve in the bay between June and November.

— informed by Wikipedia — Algoa Bay
— the visit

Addo Elephant National Park lies about 70 kilometres northeast of the city and protects more than six hundred African elephants across roughly 1,640 square kilometres. The Donkin Reserve in the city centre holds a pyramid and lighthouse raised in 1820 in memory of Lady Elizabeth Donkin, after whom the colonial-era town was named. Long stretches of Indian Ocean beach run from Humewood south to Schoenmakerskop, with the strong afternoon land breeze giving the coast its long-standing nickname, the Windy City.

— informed by Wikipedia
— where
South Africa · Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa
— within
Addo Elephant National Park
— elevation
60 m · 197 ft
— position
-33.9608° S · 25.6022° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
70 km NE
Addo Elephant National Park
national park
90 km SW
St Francis Bay
coastal village
60 km E
Bird Island
seabird colony
N
Gqeberha
Addo Elephant National Park
St Francis Bay
Bird Island
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Gqeberha — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Gqeberha lies on Algoa Bay on the southeastern coast of South Africa, in the Eastern Cape province. It is the largest city between Cape Town and Durban and the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

Port Elizabeth was officially renamed Gqeberha on 23 February 2021. The new name comes from the isiXhosa name of the Baakens River that runs through the city, and replaces a name given in 1820 to honour the wife of a colonial governor.

The name begins with a click in isiXhosa, often approximated in English as a hard k followed by the rest of the word, roughly KEH-ber-ha. Locals will accept either the click or the simplified English form.

Algoa Bay holds Bird Island, the world's largest Cape gannet breeding colony, and St Croix Island, historically the largest African penguin colony. Southern right whales calve in the bay between June and November each year.

Addo Elephant National Park lies about 70 kilometres northeast of the city, an easy day trip by road. It protects more than six hundred African elephants across roughly 1,640 square kilometres of Sundays River bushveld.

A persistent afternoon land breeze rolls down off the Karoo interior toward the Indian Ocean, building through the day and dropping at sunset. The pattern is reliable enough that the nickname dates back to nineteenth-century shipping logs.

— about the piece in your home

It suits someone born or raised in Gqeberha, a graduate of Nelson Mandela University, or anyone whose childhood summers were spent on Algoa Bay. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries the bay well across an ocean.

The warm coastal palette and wide bay composition settle into coastal-modern, South African contemporary, and warm-neutral rooms. It also reads well against rattan, raw cotton, and the deep greens of an indoor-plant interior.

Yes. The Indian Ocean palette of warm sand, deep teal, and afternoon-gold sits within the current coastal-modern direction, which favours one strong place-piece over a gallery wall of small seaside prints.

Above a standard sofa or console, the single Large reads as a focal piece. For a longer wall a four-tile Mural opens the bay across the room; a nine-tile Mural turns the wall into the view from Cape Recife.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splashes, which makes them right for a kitchen backsplash, a shower surround, or a guest-bathroom wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is enough. In a kitchen install, a small amount of mild dish soap is fine. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based sprays, which can dull the surface over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, under the eye of Reid Wender. The artwork is original to our studio and not licensed from any third party.

— if this one stayed with you

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