Culture mavens, take note! There’s less than a month to go before the doors open to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, which takes place from February 16-18 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair is the largest art fair in Africa, and in 2024 the 11th edition will be bigger and bolder than before, with more than 400 works curated to the theme of ‘Unbound’ to focus on emerging and ‘unbound’ voices from across Africa and the diaspora.
After a decade of cementing its position on the global arts calendar, the Fair is established as one of Cape Town’s key cultural events, connecting contemporary art from Africa to global markets and providing a valuable platform for emerging contemporary galleries and artists. As the number of international buyers, curators and collectors attending the Fair continues to grow, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair has become a vital forum for discovering the trends informing the African art market.
‘Cape Town is a vibrant cultural hub,’ says Fair director Laura Vincenti. ‘It is very attractive to international collectors, with the great combination of diverse, cutting-edge art and a favourable exchange rate. This year the Fair continues its work of providing an annual platform for artists, galleries, curators, museums, cultural institutions, collectors, and art enthusiasts to connect and interact in the name of art.’
But the general public is equally welcome at the Fair, where visitors can tap into works presented by leading African and international galleries, arranged according to themes and curatorial concepts. Key areas of the Fair to discover include:
- The MAIN section includes exhibiting galleries from the rest of Africa, and around the world.
- With 12 exhibitors, Tomorrows/ Today is led by renowned Spanish curator, Dr. Mariella Franzoni and provides a platform for emerging and underrepresented artists to offer a forecast of future relevant practices and ideas.
- The SOLO section - Titled Loopholes in the Walls of Darkness - is focused on painting and is curated by Cape Town-based critic and curator Sean O’Toole.
- GENERATIONS is the Fair’s newest section, and offers an intergenerational curatorial conversation between the two South African and American co-curators.
- An expanded ALT section returns in 2024, and invites dialogue around unconventional modes of artistic practice.
In addition to the exhibitions at the Convention Centre, the Fair includes an extensive public programme in and around the city, with gallery shows and public art events.
For visitor information and tickets, go to www.investeccapetownartfair.co.za.
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