Remembered for their Highveld anarchy and bad-boy attitude, Avant Car Guard offered the South African art world unasked-for criticisms and unflattering reflections. Based in Johannesburg, the trio – Zander Blom, Jan-Henri Booyens and Michael MacGarry – rallied together around a shared passion for punk rock, Black Label beer, and a general disregard for the local art scene. With mordant wit, the three lampooned the contemporary art market, its artists and gallerists, in works both flippant and mocking. While many delighted in their brash one-liners and reprobate charm, not everyone was convinced by their mutiny. Avant Car Guard’s project, though “highly entertaining and thought-provoking,” critic Mary Corigall wrote, “does parade a puerile façade bereft of substance.” In 2012, the collective dissolved. All three artists had become respected in their own rights, with gallery shows to make and commitments to fulfil. In the end, the object of their critique – the unholy art market – had its appeal.