Top secret art

WORDS Claire Jowell

Art and intrigue go hand in hand, and there is nothing like the element of exclusivity to get us excited. A secret art exhibition on Thursday 27 March 2014 in Cape Town? We’re there!

No Man’s Art Gallery is landing in Cape Town this month. A pop-up gallery on a world tour, it has already travelled to Shanghai, Copenhagen, Paris, Mumbai, Hamburg and Amsterdam, showcasing the video art, photography, painting, drawing and sculpture of young, mostly unknown, local artists – skyrocketing their careers forward into the international art market. 

The concept is pretty ingenious: every few months, the gallery moves to a new location, building everything from its network of artists and buyers to location and media hype. Armed only with the highlights from the exhibition in the previous country, it’s had great success picking up the work of young artists who might ordinarily struggle to find a market for their work at home, and connecting them with an international crowd of art lovers in exciting and unconventional locations. 

As you might have guessed, the name “No Man’s Art Gallery” refers to no-man’s-land, an area between countries that has no laws and no set boundaries. “We don’t regard conventions and territorial boundaries to be restrictions. We either ignore them wilfully or play with them until they work in our favour. It keeps us inno-vative and adventurous and allows us to do business in every country and culture,” the curators explain.

In the Cape Town edition, visitors will be exposed to emerging local artists alongside their peers from all six previous destinations. The exhibition will be in town for a very limited time at a secret location. Entrance is free but only if your name is on the guest list. 

To receive an invitation and the address, sign up on nomansart.com.

The No Man’s Art Gallery is featured in VISI’s WILD DESIGN issue, now on shelves.