WORDS Gina Dionisio
Taking place from 18 – 20 February 2022, the 9th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair continues to bring together galleries and artists from around the world and to showcase new talent. For the 2022 edition, local and international art lovers will have the opportunity to engage with the art online or in person.
The annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair draws the best artists from different parts of the world and the ninth edition sees the return of the long-running programme with a special new addition. “We believe art can break down barriers and bring people together. So, we’re delighted to welcome back a face-to-face Fair, combined with the digital edition, which could bring the world of art to a potentially larger, more diverse audience.” said Peta Dixon, Investec’s head of Sponsorships.
Besides the broader artist presentation, the 2022 Investec Cape Town Art Fair has some exciting new additions and highlights:
ALT
ALT will makes its debut at this year’s Fair and is dedicated to projects that reflect the many ways in which the art world had to adapt in response to the global shift from physical to virtual. Here, young, non-traditional exhibitors have the opportunity to showcase their artists in a nonconventional way, though in the conventional setting of an Art Fair, opening a dialogue on representation and physical versus virtual connection. This new offering will hopefully trigger dialogue on representation; physical versus virtual connection.
Among the African artists who have signed on for ALT is Daniel Malan of The Plot online gallery, as well as Colijn Strydom of Untitled in South Africa, Rharha Nembhard of THEFOURTH and Willy Karekezi of KomezART in Rwanda.
Tomorrows/Today
Curated by Luigi Fassi (the artistic director of MAN Contemporary Art Museum in Nuoro, Italy) and Nkule Mabaso, (the curator at Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town), this section features a cross-section of emerging artists from Africa and the diaspora and is dedicated to artists who are set to be tomorrow’s leading names. “Tomorrows/Today is characterised as a hub, a place in which decisive artistic achievements are concentrated, as the title of the project suggests – between the now and the yet to come, or more precisely, to emphasise an anticipation of the future in the present,” says Luigi Fassi and Nkule Mabaso.
The Tomorrows/Today line up includes Aldo Salucci (Italy) of A.MORE Gallery, Mavis Tauzeni (Zimbabwe) of First Floor Gallery, Feni Chulumanco of EBONY/CURATED, Philiswa Lila of Melrose Gallery, Abdus Salaam of THK, Bev Butkow of Guns & Rain and Michaela Young of SMAC, all from South Africa.
Past Modern
Past/Modern, guest curated by Cape Town art dealer and veteran gallerist Joāo Ferreira, will feature modern masters such as Christo Coetzee, Edoardo Villa, Hannes Harrs, Irma Stern, Judith Mason, Paul du Toit, Gregor Jenkin, Cecile Skotness, Lucas Sithole, Marion Arnold, Robert Hodgins, Tinus de Jongh and Willem Boshoff.
SOLO – Connect Through Art from Africa and the World
SOLO will explore the artistic practices of artists working locally and abroad, through curated solo presentations. Now in its fourth iteration, the section will explore the theme ‘Connect Through Art from Africa and the World’ – how artists have reacted to periods of isolation, as well as provide dialogue for conversations about the effect that exchange, and collaboration has in the artist’s production.
Among the confirmed participating artists are Johannes Phokela of Eclectica Contemporary, Brett Charles Seiler of Everard Read, Thebe Phetogo of Guns & Rain, Luyanda Zindela of SMAC, Osvaldo Ferreira of This is Not a White Cube in Angola, Duduzi and More of Berman Contemporary in South Africa.
Editions
This section showcases leading print galleries and workshops that specialise in prints, multiples, and editions. Participating in Editions this year is: 50ty/50ty, Artist Proof Studio, ArtThrob, Asele Institute, Dale Sargent Fine Art, LL Editions Contemporary, Samuel Maenhoudt Gallery and South Atlantic Press.
The Digital Eye
The digital edition will be available for online viewing via Artshell, allowing for autonomous, independent gallery/exhibitor access directly via an Artshell account with immediacy, and in sync with the Investec Cape Town Art Fair office championing the theme of ‘Connect Through Art from Africa and the World’.
Investec Cape Town Art Fair continues to expand beyond the physical realm (and within digital and online formats). “As technology continues to evolve, we understand the role it will increasingly play in the art market at large and are poised to prepare our collector base and patrons for the implications of these advancements, which serve their long-term interests, ” says Laura Vincenti, Investec Cape Town Art Fair Director.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair runs from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 February 2022, 11am to 7pm, at the Cape Town International Conventional Centre (CTICC). Tickets are R130-R330 via Webtickets. For more information, visit investeccapetownartfair.co.za and follow the fair on Instagram @investeccapetownartfair.
Looking for more on local art? Here’s what happened at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in 2020.
