With our painted streets, numerous galleries, theatres, stores and bursting talent, Cape Town has always celebrated art in style. This week, creativity is brought to the forefront with Art Week and Design Indaba hosting a range of incredible exhibitions, talks and showcases all over the city. Now the Cape Town Art Fair will be added to the mix, creating a wonderful platform for the African art industry.
The Cape Town Art Fair prides itself on connecting contemporary art from Africa to the rest of the world. The fair will exhibit the very best Pan-African and international contemporary art. Their mission is to showcase the latest trends and to provide a network between galleries, collectors and new artists. It also aims to stimulate innovation, dialogue and education within the sector.
From this we can see that the Cape Town Art Fair is much more than just a three-day art show. It plays such an important role in boosting our continent’s contemporary art industry and showing the world the huge amount of talent we have. Last year, more than 7,000 visitors went to the fair, and galleries recorded upwards of R20 million in sales. This year the fair is being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and the expanded space will hopefully help those numbers grow even more.
Around 59 galleries will be exhibiting at the fair, including galleries out of London, Germany, France and Zimbabwe. In addition to the exhibitions, there will be a number of talks spaced throughout the fair. These talks aim to reconsider Africa’s place in the global conversation around contemporary art production. Renowned South African artist and author, Sue Williamson, will also be launching her book at the fair titled Sue Williamson: Life and Work. For a full list of talks and to book your seats click here.
While the Cape Town Art Fair aims to connect artists, galleries and collectors from around the globe, everyone is welcome. You get to see some incredible contemporary art from all over the world and get exposed to some wonderful galleries. There are plenty of exhibitions to see so make sure you go early to see as much as you can!
OF NOTE
When Friday 19 – Sunday 21 February 2016 at 11 am – 4 pm
Where Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, CBD
Cost R80 – R120 at Computicket (per day)
Contact +27 76 550 1422, [email protected], www.capetownartfair.co.za
Photography courtesy Art Fair