Through inclusivity, inquiry and the incubation of new ideas, FNB Art Joburg continues to champion the innovation that is shaping the continent role in the future of the global ecosystem.
WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Courtesy of FNB Art Joburg
In a city deemed nobody’s home, FNB Art Joburg has become a gathering where artists, galleries, collectors and cultural producers converge to engage with work that shapes how Africa sees itself and how the world sees Africa.
The fair returns for its 19th edition this year at the Sandton Convention Centre from the 4th to the 6th of September with multiple celebrations from its curated fair sections and public programme, to city-wide initiatives such as Open City, which returns in partnership with Brand South Africa, the BMW Art Generation, and the celebration of Johannesburg’s 140th birthday.
“Johannesburg has always been a place where ambition meets possibility; where artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers and communities arrive carrying different histories and leave having built something entirely new. It is a city propelled by movement, sustained by inquiry and shaped by people willing to imagine beyond what already exists. That restless energy has made Johannesburg one of the continent’s great cultural engines, and it remains the reason FNB Art Joburg continues to call this city home,” says fair director Mandla Sibeko.
With dozens of exhibitors, the fair is designed to highlight a distinct facet of contemporary art in eight specialised sections: Gallery HUB, Gallery LAB, MAX, GIF, INK, AUX, ORG, and the newly added ARC section, ensuring that there is something for everyone.
Gallery HUB: Showcases Africa’s leading galleries, representing institutionally recognised artists shaping global narratives.
MAX: An extension of the fair’s Gallery HUB presents large-scale installations that reimagine scale, space and audience engagement.
Gallery LAB: Curated by Kim Kandan (Fair Manager, FNB Art Joburg), Gallery LAB supports emerging and hybrid spaces that experiment with new modes of presentation and representation.
ORG: Gives visibility to non-profit and artist-run initiatives driving cultural infrastructure and community building.
AUX: Offers talks, screenings and performances that invite audiences into meaningful conversations about art and its contexts.
INK (formerly ETC): Celebrates print culture, spanning critical writing and art publications to artist books and limited-edition prints that acknowledge language and documentation as central to cultural legacy.
GIF: Focuses on photography as one of South Africa’s most significant artistic mediums, tracing both its histories and its futures.
ARC: This new section expands how contemporary artistic practice is encountered at the fair. Dedicated to artists and works that challenge convention, it creates a space for discovery, dialogue and critical inquiry. | artjoburg.com
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