In February 2019, the annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair returned to Cape Town to showcase the diversity of contemporary art from Africa and the rest of the world. The Cape Town Central City was well represented at the event with a number of its galleries participating.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair – the largest event of its kind in Africa – offers a platform for collectors, gallery owners, curators, artists and art journalists from across the globe to create connections at the forefront of contemporary art. According to the event organisers, the Cape Town art scene is currently one of the fastest growing in the world and the city was an ideal location for this showcase.
Representing the Cape Town Central City at the Art Fair, which featured more than 100 galleries and saw over 15 000 visitors and 2 815 invited guests attend, were 99 Loop, EBONY/CURATED, Gallery MOMO, SMITH, Eclectica Contemporary and WORLDART. The Art Fair was this year held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 15 to 17 February and was deemed to be a huge success. According to Emma van der Merwe, gallery director of Everard Read in Cape Town – which describes itself as Africa’s oldest commercial art gallery – each gallery that forms a part of the Art Fair is selected for its unique vision and personality, and for its distinctive range of artists, both established and emerging, from Cape Town, southern Africa and the rest of the continent.
“The selection of CBD galleries gives a varied and diverse overview of what is going on here,” says Emma.
“The gallery scene in the heart of Cape Town continues to expand and mature at a rapid rate, reinforced by the recent openings of two world-class art museums in the city, the Zeitz MOCAA and Norval Foundation, as well as various other institutions. This, together with the growth of the Art Fair which continues to go from strength to strength, serves to underline the fact that the Cape Town art scene is dynamic and worthy of global attention.”
Gallery curator for Eclectica Contemporary (69 Burg Street), Clare Patrick shares Emma sentiments, adding: “The galleries in the CBD are full of energy and are always finding new ways of approaching exhibition making as well as exploring new and otherwise overlooked narratives. It’s this urgency that makes the galleries and its artists stand out. And while there has been a fair share of economic challenges, there is a definite boom of attention on local galleries and artists internationally. There are constantly new collectors and clients who never cease to be amazed by the diversity and innovation with which our artists create.”
Here’s what some of the galleries have to say about their experience at the Art Fair and what they have in store for 2019:
WORLDART
Established in 2004, WORLDART (54 Church Street) specialises in managing and marketing contemporary South African artists and their work, catering to buyers who appreciate and acquire art. According to Charl Bezuidenhout, director and curator of WORLDART, while they do art fairs in Johannesburg, Miami, London and Munich, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair remains the most important fair for them.
“We have participated in every edition of the Cape Town Art Fair since its inception when it was hosted in a tent, then later at the BMW Pavilion at the V&A Waterfront through to today at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. It is a great event and brings buyers from all over the world, so it is a huge opportunity to increase our artists’ reach.”
This year, lovers of contemporary art with a leaning towards urban and pop art can look forward to new paintings from WORLDART by its top artists such as Kilmany-Jo Liversage, Khaya Witbooi, Norman O’Flynn, Dion Cupido and Catherine Ocholla.
99 LOOP GALLERY
Founded in 2015, 99 Loop Gallery (99 Loop Street) is a contemporary gallery that showcases the work of a wide range of top emerging and established artistic talent from South Africa. With a variety of different rooms (which range from 17 – 65 m2 in size), the gallery space is also available for private functions or shoots. Gallery Curator, Louisa Viljoen, says apart from the commercial value that art fairs bring, they contribute largely to creating public awareness and the critique that emerges when artists exhibit their work.
“As a gallery, our main objective is to bring light to our artists and the topics they are introducing to the public. And representing their considered viewpoints on a global platform such as the fair increases chances of positive change in the broader scope of things.”
What can members of the public look forward to from 99 Loop Gallery during 2019? “We have very exciting exhibitions in the pipeline from our artists including Chris Denovan, Fatima Moosa, Mia Darling and Rory Emmett.”
EBONY/CURATED
EBONY/CURATED (67 Loop St) was established in 2007 and has exhibition space in both the Central City and Franschhoek. Says co-founder Marc Stanes: “Being a part of the 2019 Art Fair is an affirmation that our gallery, programme and artists are appreciated by the international collectors and institutions who are part of what has become the continent’s largest and most prestigious fair.”
For 2019, EBONY/CURATED will be highlighting new works by a selection of its core gallery artists including Kaloki Nyamai, Hugh Byrne, Zemba Luzamba, Patrick Bongoy, John Newdigate, Richard Smith and Kimathi Mafafo.
“ART IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR OUR TIMES”
Renowned American filmmaker Ava DuVernay writes in the “Optimist Issue” of TIME magazine, which she also guest edited, that art is worthy of our interrogation and is, in fact, an antidote for this day and age. Ava says while “we live at a time when division is the norm, when biases and beliefs seem static and immobile, when hard science is debatable, when journalism is devalued, when humanity is stripped from those in cells, centres and shelters, when it’s all just too much to organise in our heads, art calls to the optimism within us and beckons us to breathe.”
She adds that it is the job of art “to meet us where we are and to invite us in to think, to feel, to wonder, to dream, to debate, to laugh, to resist, to roam, to imagine.” Fortunately, being in the Central City means we have this “antidote” on our doorstep to help us in these somewhat challenging times. Throughout the year, Central City galleries carefully curate amazing works which can mostly be seen free-of-charge every day.
And while, as Ava writes, that it is the job of art – to meet us where we are – we owe it to ourselves and to the talented artists that produce these amazing works to make that trip to the gallery.
A SELECTION OF CENTRAL CITY GALLERIES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
1. GALLERY MOMO
16 Buiten St | www.gallerymomo.com
2. SMITH
56 Church St | www.smithstudio.co.za
3. THE AFRICAN PORTRAIT
Cnr Long and Hout streets | www.theafricanportrait.com
4. ASSOCIATION FOR VISUAL ARTS (AVA) GALLERY
35 Church St | www.ava.co.za
5. THE CAPE GALLERY
60 Church St | www.capegallery.co.za
6. EDGE GLASS GALLERY
29 Vredenburg Lane | www.capeglassstudio.com
7. G2 ART
61 Shortmarket St | www.g2art.co.za
8. STATEOFTHEART GALLERY
50 Buitenkant St | www.stateoftheart-gallery.com
9. YOUNGBLOOD AFRICA ARTS & CULTURE DEVELOPMENT
Beautifull Life Building, 70-74 Bree St | www.youngblood-africa.com
10. IZIKO SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL GALLERY
The Company’s Garden, Government Avenue | www.iziko.org.za
11. LUTGE GALLERY
109 Loop Street | www.lutge.co.za
12. NEW HERITAGE GALLERY AND THE D’VINE ART ROOM
100 Shortmarket St | www.newheritagegallery.com
13. RED!
Portside Building, 4 Bree St| www.redthegallery.co.za
14. ROBERT SHERWOOD DESIGN
173 Bree St | robertsherwooddesign.com
Images by Worldart and 99 Loop Gallery
Note: This article was first published in the autumn edition of City Views