The way in which art fairs are perceived in conversations that centralise the argument that the visual arts is not as important as other art forms is wide open for all sorts of arguments. One could argue that the views shared can be distorted for someone who has not been to any art fairs in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Miami. Luckily for many, who attend, the art fair in Cape Town are privileged to see the tone being set for what is to be expected from galleries, artists and curators, alike, in 2022. At the same time, we can also understand that as an artist creates in the midst of such an enormous puncture in our reality, the reigns of power, drastically change, bringing a new dawn of works. 

Cinthia Sifa Mulenga

No one could have prepared us for the rise of Cinthia Sifa Mulenga. She has continued from strength to strength. Her mixed media works of sensual images of black women, moving forward through their lives, navigating ‘beauty’ and its contradictions has catapulted Mulenga as a maverick in her own right. Unlike most creatives, her social presence is consistently showcasing her ability to engage multiple audiences and remain relevant to communities of a broad spectrum.

Black women remain active in her art – making, bestowing dignity, respect and substance for many to witness at this year’s fair. A debut showing at this year’s fair, Mulenga presents 3 works, in collaboration with Botho Project Space as well as Latitudes Online. Botho Project Space was created by Nelson Makamo in 2019, to provide a natural transition for artists such as Mulenga, who choose to create on their own terms. Mulenga, a young force has been absolutely certain of her trajectory and talent through their mentoring.

The investment value of Mulenga’s work is increasing with each exhibition, project and her participation in international shows, which Latitudes Online has enabled for close to 2 years. Mulenga’s works encourage the viewer to see the parallels in which she draws from, pursuing a narrative,unique to her own heritage, background and experiences.

Mavis Tauzeni

A masterful, magical combination of figurative and abstract painting imparted by Tauzeni cannot be missed in 2022. One is immediately captured by her use of colour surrounded by patterns of grand size. Not a single of Tauzeni’s pieces leaves you not desiring to surrender to a tone of a world with harmonious rapture.

The point of Tauzeni’s work is to denote much more than the technique, which may very well be an outstanding feature to also be one of the Cape Town Art Fair’s Tomorrow /Today Art Prize recipients, however it is also to marry enormous ideas of pleasure and freedom and also mourn many other parts of Zimbabwe’s unpredictable circumstances. A word that comes to mind while witnessing Tauzeni’s works is omniscient. Mavis Tauzeni is part of the artist roster for the Harare – based, First Floor Gallery.

Luyanda Zindela

It’s no surprise to see Zindela honouring narratives of safe spaces, friendships, kindred spirits and times that represent kin when moments require such bonds. Much of Lindela’s body of work is steeped in memory and archiving the messages from encounters he has had with his peers. A Sepedi reference to this kind of creation would be the word, “Thake”, denoting someone who can be or is your peer. Life takes shape and is real within the margins of conversations with those we choose to be family and that is something Zindela does so well in his work. The artist is at ease with the people he profiles, capturing each and every comment, without fail..

As a curator and an artist, Zindela references his friends to enter a space of unadulterated territory, taunting the viewer to interrogate the ways in which they measure the depth of each conversation they are able to have with their own “people’. How real are these conversations? What is the main purpose of the conversations? Do they ever become more than just conversations? And when can it be that these conversions become reality? In 2021, Zindela had his solo show at SMAC Gallery and continues to be part of the artist roster. 

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

18 < 20 February 2022

CTICC, Cape Town (South Africa)

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It’s hard to gauge the temperature of an online art fair. You don’t get to chat to gallerists or their staff on the floor, experience the throng on opening night or spy which gallery sold out before the fair ended. Online art fairs are different animals in every sense. Over a year into the online art fairs game, we also know now that they are not that effective at attracting sales. As the UBS Global Art Report 2021 indicated in 2020 art dealers only derived 13% of their income from fairs whereas a year previously they generated 43% of all sales from them. 

Given a degree of online fatigue is likely to have set in, and the glut of online art content that is out there and art buyers attention turning to real live art fairs – the recent Armory and upcoming Art Basel, Frieze London and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair  – interest in online art fairs might be waning.

This is the context in which Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) launched its first digital platform last week and by all accounts, from gallerists and the organisers themselves, there wasn’t as much engagement and sales as had been expected.

Owned by the Italian events company Fiera Milano, this fair is the largest and certainly the most ‘international’ one on the African continent.  Not only does this fair attract a large contingent of collectors from Europe, but almost 40% of the commercial galleries  that participated last year were European-based.

Their last live fair – which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in February 2020 – boasted over 100 exhibition stands and the participation of 72 commercial galleries – the rest were non-profits, media publications or printing studios. With all the ancillary events that have blossomed up around this art fair – with the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art, the Norval Foundation, the A4, Iziko South African National Art Gallery all putting on a strong programme to entertain all the art visitors to the city, this annual event has fast become a must-do one on the African continent.

How is it possible to translate this buzz, activity and all the sales it generates for the dealers on an online portal? It’s an impossible task and this may be why Fiera Milano were hesitant to launch an online version in February this year.   

“People are finding their way around the digital world and now that is part of the art world but we really wanted to host a physical fair,” commented Sophie Lalonde, head of VIPs and partnerships at ICTAF.

Visitors and number of sales

This online edition with technology facilitated by Art Shell was paired with the Milan-based Miart, another art event staged by the Italian Fiera Milano. “We wanted to leverage Fiero Milano-owned fairs and the database of VIPS…  we can give more access to other galleries (from outside SA) and allow our galleries access to their VIPs,” says Lelonde. 

Exactly how much ‘eye’ traffic flowed from Miart to ICTAF is not certain. Some of the South African galleries – Worldart, Ebony/Curated and Southern Guild  – all reported that they did virtually meet some new collectors. However, based on the figures, the majority of visitors to the website – 69% – were South African-based, while the rest – 31% – hailed from other parts of the world, according to Fiera Milano.

All in all, visitor numbers to the online fair were substantially lower than the foot-traffic at their 2020 live fair last year. While last year brought 22 000 visitors to the art fair, they only attracted 3415 unique users. This is unusual, given the Joburg-based Turbine Art Fair attracted double the number of visitors to their online version last year. 

These low visitor numbers reflected in a reportedly poor enquiry rate.

“Most of us have only had a handful of enquiries unfortunately,” observed Julie Taylor of the Joburg-based Guns & Rain. Danda Jaroljmek of the Nairobi-based Circle Art Gallery was very disappointed.“We had no interest, no contacts and no sales,” she reported. 

This may have been due to the live ‘chat’ device, which one gallerist, who wished to remain anonymous, observed had “confused a few visitors. Only experienced collectors knew to provide emails for follow up, and while we of course requested emails for everyone making requests, we lost some because those people where possibly not online at the time. I think an easier interface was required.’

Afronova, Ecletica, Suburbia, Smac, Ebony/Curated, Worldart galleries and the Arthrob non-profit platform, all reported sales, according to Fiera Milano. 

As of Monday, some galleries, Southern Guild, Melrose Gallery, MmArt House – reported that they had yet to secure a sale.

“It’s a bit soon to say anything or nothing sold but there was quite a lot of engagement and interest to get a preview VIP ticket,” said Trevyn McGowan of Cape Town-based Southern Guild.

Yet, some gallerists, such as Busi Tsiki, from MmArthouse, who have yet to participate in a live ICTAF event, found their participation as a useful means of testing out which artists they should bring to the fair when it takes place in real life in February 2022.

“It helped solidify our direction and strategy for the physical fairs and for the artists we work with,” said Tsiki. “There is a benefit in visibility to a client that you would not have otherwise reached. As a small gallery, participation also keeps us relevant in the art community,” she added.

Other gallerists seemed to concur with this view – that online fairs were less about sales and more about maintaining visibility. 

“Events like this present an opportunity to promote and actual sales realise over a longer period than just the actual fair days, so it is too early to tell how successful it was. I am happy with the result and it definitely was worth the effort,” said Charl Bezuidenhout, director of Cape Town-based Worldart. 

The content of the art on the online platform seemed to align with this perspective with many of the galleries, not bringing new works to the fair but rather using the platform to market existing shows being staged in their galleries. This was the case with Stevenson and Blank Projects among others from South Africa and Osart, the Milan based gallery, which all presented solo exhibitions that are currently or have been staged in their galleries. 

This to some degree has been a characteristic of online fairs – the works on offer are not new – having been shown on other online portals or exhibitions. This has perhaps contributed to less engagement and sales on these platforms as the drive to see and acquire new works under pressure is what has made live art fairs so successful. In the past, aside from solo booths, most galleries tend to offer works from all their ‘star’ artists at art fairs. 

The content of the fair

There was a lot of art and other content – videos and interviews – to view. This online fair accommodated 54 exhibitors of which 49 are bona-fide commercial galleries. In this way the online fair was almost half the size as the live one. There was a smaller contingent of European-based galleries. Artistic expression from Northern Africa was channelled through some new participants, African Arty (Casablanca/France), Mashrabia (Cairo) and Rhizome (Algiers). 

An abundance of black portraiture was to be found, given the heightened interest in this genre on the auction circuit and in the US. There was interest in some newcomers working in this vein such as by the young Zimbabwean artist Tafadzwa Tega whose use of flat pattern and colour generated sales for Ebony/Curated. 

African patterns and prints infused the portraiture of Angolan artist’s Osvaldo Ferreira’s paintings offered by This is not a White Cube. Cape Town-based Christopher Moller focussed on portraits of black subjects by a range of artists from different countries, such as Idris Habib  and Daniel Tetteh Nartey both from Ghana, Tjaša Rener from Slovenia and Barry Usufu from Nigeria. The pop aesthetic – flat, bold colours and stylisation dominated these artists approaches. 

Artists whose works do well on or are features of dedicated African auctions such as William Kentridge, Franck Kemkeng Noah, and Zemba Luzamba, Goncaldo Mabunda and Esther Mahlangu,  were naturally offered by galleries.  It was works and presentations by some newcomers to the art scene that were more interesting to discover such as Patrick Akpojotor’s (Nigeria) Escheresque charcoal drawings, or Marwan El Gamal’s (Egypt) dense utopian landscapes, or Bahati Simoens’s (Burundi) headless subjects presenting a wry twist on the portraiture theme. Daniel Malan was perhaps the only artist presenting an NFT (non-fungible token) work for sale on OpenSea via the fair. The animated underwater scene depicted in his NFT work related to his paintings offered by Plot Gallery, resulting in a viable integration between object and digital based art. 

This draws attention to perhaps one of the benefits of online art fairs in the African art market – due to the fact that there is less risk and costs involved in presenting new emerging artists work and there are less barriers for small upcoming galleries and spaces to participate in an established art fair such as this, they present the opportunity to really make some new discoveries. This is something that had become increasingly harder in the live events. 

Images in the slideshow:  Stella by Idris Habib featured on Christopher Moller’s virtual stand; ZiziphoPoswa’s Magodi Nokwanda offered by Souther Guild. Picture by Christof van der Walt.

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An abstract woman painted in black sits on top of a red goat. She wears a delicate lace top while on her head are stitched together leather straps that hang down like hair. The work, entitled The Journey (2020) by DRC-born Cape Town-based artist Patrick Bongoy, becomes more interesting when we see that she is depicted with the same hooves as the goat. It was displayed on the wall of Ebony/Curated, a gallery with branches in Franschhoek and Cape Town, during the eighth edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. The work, made with hessian, acrylic and rubber inner tubes, portrays the artist’s signature whimsical world that explores themes of migration, alienation and loss of one’s homeland. Also a fashion designer, Bongoy’s work speaks directly to today’s global state of environmental crisis. “My work speaks in response to the global reality of literal and figurative environmental pollution,” he says. Hard to miss after his startling sculpture of a figure at this year’s inaugural Stellenbosch Triennale of a man made in disused rubber hunched over as if trying to free himself from the confines of a pieces of fabric. The piece, which sold in the range of $6,000 and $10,000, was indicative of a strong presence of socio-political work at the fair, challenging present and past ideas of identity and historical narratives as the African continent jets into a new future.

The eighth edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair returned to its home at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with a new mission to endow the fair with a stronger African focus. “This is an international art fair where we bring in galleries from Europe and the US but we tried this year to focus more on galleries from the African continent,” said fair director Laura Vicenti. 

Out of the fair’s 107 exhibitors this year, 49 galleries were from the African continent and 58 were international, underlining a greater emphasis on the local. In previous years European blue-chip galleries such as Perrotin and Galerie Templon participated. Such names were replaced this year with new galleries from North Africa and the Middle East, including Lawrie Shabibi from Dubai, Galerie Veronique Rieffel from Ivory Coast and Tunisian Yosr Ben Ammar Gallery and AGORGI, among others. In addition, leading museums and institutions from around the world were present, including A4 Arts Foundation, ANO Institute of Contemporary Arts, FOLIO by Alserkal Arts Foundation, Fondazione Merz, Friends der Pinakothek der Moderne, Iziko South African National Gallery, the Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, The Norval Foundation, Palais de Lomé, Skissernas Museum – Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art, Tate Modern African Acquisitions Committee, WEDGE Curatorial Projects, Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation and Zeitz MOCAA.

Yet the challenging socio-economic landscape did provide cause for concern for many participants as well as the fair’s management. How does one host a contemporary art fair in a country where the local currency continues to plunge? 

“The economic landscape of South Africa is challenging,” said Vicenti. “Local collectors are very supportive but it is true that they are facing an economic crisis in South Africa so I tried to balance the situation by having international collectors from all over the world. The number of international collectors increased this year. In comparison to last year there is no comparison. But I am trying hard to have more collectors from Africa.” 

Local dealers were divided, however, on whether the buying power was coming from South Africa or abroad. “Of course we are happy when people from elsewhere come to South Africa to buy art—but the most exciting thing about this year’s Cape Town Art Fair was that the vast majority of our sales were to South Africans,” said Joost Bosland, a director at Stevenson. “It is amazing to see local support for our artists grow year on year.”

South African powerhouse galleries Stevenson, Blank Projects, SMAC Gallery and Goodman Gallery all reported swift sales on the first day of the fair. At the booth of Stevenson was an all-star group showing of emerging and established artists from the continent, including Meleko Mokgosi, Robin Rhode, Zanele Muholi, Neo Matloga and Paulo Nazareth and Simphiwe Ndzube. The gallery reported swift sales in the range of $2,000 and $75,000 and the works, like that of Bongoy’s, once again married the otherworldly and magical realm of dreams with the references to the often harsh reality of the present. 

Several of the fair’s biggest sales took place at Goodman Gallery’s booth, which confirmed approximately 25 sales in total on the opening day ranging from $2,000 to $500,000. The booth showed a line-up of some of their biggest names, including Ghada Amer, Yinka Shonibare…“We had a great diversity in terms of the spend and also the collectors that acquired the works,” said the gallery’s Anthony Dawson. “This is thanks hugely to Fiera Milano, the organizers of the fair who have cultivated a great program and collector base that is not only diversifying audiences to contemporary African art but bringing new brand new collectors into the country.”

“Cape Town is a stronghold for a lot of German citizens who have holiday homes here and they often come to the fair,” continued Dawson. “In addition, through the Italian organizers many Italian collectors were also in attendance but there seems to be strong focus of people from Western Europe coming more and more to Cape Town. We also had collectors from Angola and Nigeria as well. Overall, I’d say the majority of collectors were European.”

Taking place concurrently were two auctions for contemporary and modern art in Cape Town: The Aspire x Piasa Auction, which took place on 14 February and Strauss & Co’s Contemporary Art sale, which took place the day after. The former told of the first time a South African auction house had teamed up with a European equivalent to host a sale of African art on the continent. “Both auction houses made a big effort to bring French collectors to Cape Town which also added to a new audience in the city at the fair,” added Dawson. “With Piasa’s francophone influence we also so collectors arrive from West Africa that the South African audience has never been exposed to.”

The fair was also the place to forge long-term business relationships. First-time participant Galerie Veronique Rieffel from Cote d’Ivoire who showed a series of haunting works by Swiss-French photographer Manuel Braun of an Ivorian dancer in Egypt said she sold works largely to European collectors passing through Cape Town in the range of €3,500 and €6,000. “I forged excellent relationship with local collectors which deserve to be deepened,” said Rieffel. “I have formed a very beautiful partnership with a gallery in Cape Town, South gallery, and we have agreed to continue to show Braun’s work with them in situ.”

The recent edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair testifies that a buoyant market for African contemporary art in South Africa can be achieved even during the most economically challenging of times—but through a concerted effort of local and international collectors, galleries and artists. 

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“Local cultural institutions have adopted the month of February as the visual arts month, transforming Cape Town into a cultural hub”

The 8th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) returns to the Cape Town Convention centre between 14th – 16th February.  As the largest contemporary art fair on the African continent, the ICTAF coalesces 107 exhibitors and amasses over 16 000 visitors. 

The fair is accompanied by a curated talks programme which brings together leading experts on a range of topics. Curator of the talks programme, Tumelo Mosaka elaborates, ‘The Talks program is very special for me as it is the space where dialogue about issues important in the art world can be engaged by various experts from within and outside the country. It offers an opportunity to introduce the public to some of the issues while also reflecting on others that might have been topical.’ He adds, ‘I’ve always approached the talks as a discursive platform aimed at broader dialogue about the state the arts field. For this year, we will explore arts philanthropy in Africa especially in light of all the new museums cropping up in Africa. Also the question of the role of museums has become a topical issue given issues around reparation and repatriation. Of course hearing from artists is always a treat, getting a glimpse into artists process as well as exploring the challenges of non-profit sector. So we have a lot to discuss that is important.’

For the first time this year, the fair will include a film programme; ART.DOC. Staged at Cape Town’s oldest cinema, The Labia Theatre, ART.DOC will showcase a selection of films including; Billy Monk – Shot in the dark (directed by Craig Cameron-Mackintosh), Sue Williamson, It’s a pleasure to meet you (directed by Sue Williamson) and Imagining Simon Stone (directed by Michaela Limberis). 

Running concurrently with the fair is a series of exciting exhibitions across the city; Materiality (group show) and This song is for… (Gabrielle Goliath) at the Iziko South African National Gallery, without a clear discernible image: Kevin Beasley at A4 Arts Foundation, stukkinne stories and The Royal House of Allure at blank projects, Carrie Mae Weems II Over Time at the Goodman Gallery as well as a Blue is the warmest colour at Bkhz studios’ pop-up exhibition space. 

As with many fairs across the world, the Cape Town Art Fair’s organising logic is centred around commercial interests; presenting an opportunity for established and emerging artists to attract new audiences and gain access to markets. Over and above this, it has the potential to initiate new and interesting conversations or to bring forth ideas and discourse into the general consciousness. A key example of this is the (re)emergence, contemplations and complications of notions of modernity and modernism(s). As part of its presentation, Stevenson Gallery will present Ernst Mancoba’s ink and watercolour work; Drawing. This inclusion of Mancoba feels very pertinent and salient because of course, Mancoba’s practice is instructive in explorations of modernity. Stevenson will also present Mawande Ka Zenzile, pre-empting his upcoming solo; Udludlilali, which will open on the 12th of March. 

Another artist to look out for is Francois-Xavier Gbré (France), who is represented by Cecile Fakhoury Gallery. Gbré’s work is an exploration and revisitation of histories through the landscape where the past is understood as “foreign and unfinished”. Gbré is one of ten artists selected as part of the Tomorrows/Today special segment alongside; Danica Lundy (Canada), Amanda Mushate (Zimbabwe), Andy Robert (Haiti), Fathi Hassan (Egypt), Ernesto Shikhani (Mozambique), Nnenna Okore (Australia), Gregory Olympio (Togo), Bonolo Kavula (South Africa) and Isabelle Grobler (South Africa).  Tomorrows/Today is a curated segment of the fair, which acknowledges emerging artists —those who have previously gone unrecognised and those who are at the early stages of their careers. This year, it is curated by Nkule Mabaso (Curator, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town) and Luigi Fassi (Artistic Director, MAN-Contemporary Art Museum, Nuoro, Italy).

Thandiwe Msebenzi is also exhibiting with SMITH. Msebenzi explains the concept behind her work; “Egwaveni is a game I played as a child with my friends, we would sing “egwaveni” and touch or gesture towards our vagina, which we referred to as the “gwava”. This is a game we played freely and openly on the streets. It became interesting when we played it around men, it intimidated them and in turn there was a strength we gained in that as young girls. The work is part of a bigger body of work that looks at the intersectonality of gender binaries, told through memories, experiences, and childhood games.”

Once again the city will vibrate and reverberate with art and art-related events during the long fair weekend.

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Investec Cape Town Art Fair is the largest contemporary art fair in Africa. With almost 100 galleries, over 15,000 visitors and 2,815 invited guests, it offers a platform for collectors, galleries, curators, artists, and art journalists from around the globe to create connections at the forefront of contemporary art. With an intimate experience of one of the world’s most unique art capitals, Investec Cape Town Art Fair has proven to be the place where the fast-growing African art market and the international art world meet. Art professionals and enthusiasts will gather for stimulating discussions at the upcoming Investec Cape Town Art Fair, from 14 to 16 February 2020.

An increasingly large contingent within the fair is made up of prominent galleries from around the globe. These galleries represent exciting, established and emerging artists with a presence in museums, bienniales, and important private collections around the world. For the first time, we welcome North African Yosr Ben Ammar Gallery and AGORGI both from Tunisia, Jahmek Contemporary Art from Angola and Galerie Veronique Rieffel from Ivory Coast. Their participation strengthens one of the fair’s goals to provide a platform for more voices from the African continent. Among participating for the first time, there is Belgium gallery Tatjana Pieters (Gent) and a collective comprising of 3 galleries including; PLUS-ONE Gallery (Antwerpen) Gallery Sofie Van de Velde (Antwerpen) and GEUKENS&DEVIL (Knokke). 

As a result of successful past editions the fair welcome the following new international galleries; 31 Projects (France), Afikaris (France), C+N Canepaneri (Italy), Galerie ElGEN+ART (Germany), Galleria Patricia Armocida (Italy), GIORGIO PERSANO (Italy), Hannah Hoffmann(United States), Lawrie Shabibi (UAE), Mimmo Scognamiglio Artecontemporanea (Italy), Osart Gallery (Italy), Perve Gallery (Portugal), Prometeogallery (Italy), Galerie Raum Mit Licht (Austria), Sakhile&Me (Germany) Septieme Gallery (France) and Suburbia Contemporary (Spain).

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

14th – 16th of February 2020

Friday, 14 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Saturday, 15 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Sunday, 16 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

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Investec Cape Town Art Fair is the largest contemporary art fair in Africa. With almost 100 galleries, over 15,000 visitors and 2,815 invited guests, it offers a platform for collectors, galleries, curators, artists, and art journalists from around the globe to create connections at the forefront of contemporary art. With an intimate experience of one of the world’s most unique art capitals, Investec Cape Town Art Fair has proven to be the place where the fast-growing African art market and the international art world meet.

Art professionals and enthusiasts will gather for stimulating discussions at the upcoming Investec Cape Town Art Fair, from 14 to 16 February 2020. The Investec Cape Town Art Fair Talks Programme brings leading art advisors, curators, collectors, critics and artists into dialogue, giving all Fair ticket-holders access to their expertise. For this edition of the Fair, the programme will cover a number of topics which are of great relevance in understanding the current state of the global and regional contemporary art world.

The Talks Programme will take place in the De Gama Room at the Westin Hotel, directly adjacent to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair venue at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

According to Talks Programme Curator, Tumelo Mosaka, discussions between featured artists and galleries will introduce ideas related to building value through art, as well as understanding the curatorial role within the cultural field. The mix will balance artistic and academic perspectives, along with those from private and publically-run institutions supportive of emerging artists.

Panels will feature esteemed academics and curators from diverse localities to unpack various topics including:

Art and Philanthropy in Africa

Friday 14 February: 12h00-13h00

Funding for the creative cultural sector across Africa has suffered setbacks from poor management, political interference, and corruption among the many issues. Over the past decade, Africa has witnessed an emerging creative economy that is providing employment and sustaining artistic production through commissions and acquisitions of art. Africa today hosts several world-class museums, art fairs, auction houses and artists residencies all invested in growing the arts landscape. This panel will examine the role of philanthropy in the arts, and expose the gaps and opportunities to advance the creative industries as a viable and important aspect of our daily life.

Moderator: Damian Nixon (Art Business Consultant, London)
Panellists: Matthias Leridon (Co-founder and Director of African Artists for Development, Cape Town); Marcus Desando (CEO of Arts and Culture Trust, Johannesburg); Danda Jarolimek (The African Arts Trust, Nairobi); Banele Khoza (Founder of BKhz Projects, Johannesburg)

A passion for collecting art

Friday 14 February: 14h00-15h00

Collecting art should always begin with a passion and only later be informed by self-education, specialist knowledge and commitment. While in the beginning it may be a daunting task; key to this experience is asking why you want to own this work. For many, collecting art can seem out of reach and only preserved for older and wealthy clients. This panel will address misconceptions and constraints associated with collecting art, while also exploring how passion manifests in collecting art.

Moderator: João Ferreira (Art Dealer and Advisor, Cape Town)
Panellists: Guido Giachetti (Private Collector, Cape Town)
Tristanne Farrell (Investec Wealth & Investment, Cape Town)
Kholisa Thomas (Private Collector, Johannesburg)
Martin Epstein (Private Collector, Cape Town)

Constructing Landscapes of probabilities

Friday 14 February: 16h00-17h00

In a country where it is impossible to not talk about the politics of identity and where to talk about it is a millstone that is hung around black artists necks, how does one navigate the terrain that is ‘black female subjectivity’ in South Africa creatively? This panel aims to explore the way in which these young women artists harness imagination in redefining black women’s subjectivities historically and in the contemporary moment, but also in imagined futures. The discussion will look at the artists shared common interests of painting and digital technologies, and will also tease out the ways in which both artists use imagination in their creative practices as a radical redefining methodology to present alternative narratives, which include renewed understandings of who and what (s)heros are; the possibility of alternate pasts; and the construction of landscapes of probabilities.

Moderator: Sharlene Khan (Artist and Scholar, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg)
Panellists: Malebona Maphutse (Artist, Johannesburg); Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi (Artist, Johannesburg) 

Museums in the 21st century

Saturday 15 February: 12h00-13h00

Traditionally art museums have functioned as a sanctuary, a place for meditation whilst also offering education. They have also been a cultural resource contributing to the economic engine that has strengthened local businesses through cultural tourism. In recent years, this model of museums as a shrine to history has been rethought particularly with an interest to dramatically increase audiences of every kind, whilst also recognising the role technology plays in everyday lives. It is said that museums have gone from, “being about something, to being for somebody”. Such a shift in perspective has raised many questions about what was and could be a museum in the 21s​t ​century. This panel will explore the various ways museums respond to pressures and challenges of the coming decade.

Moderator: Tumelo Mosaka (Curator, Cape Town, cultural & talks programme Investec Cape Town Art Fair)
Panellists: Adriana Rispoli (Independent Curator, Italy); Koyo Kouoh (Dir. Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town); Sonia Lawson (Dir. Palais de Lomé, Lomé)
Nana Oforiatta-Ayim (Founder and director of ANO Institute of Contemporary Arts, Accra)

The quest for sustainable art platforms

Saturday 15 February: 14h00-15h00

The panel examines the current and possible future model of art platforms and institutional spaces as self-sustainable entities. Challenges around sustainability for art platforms are well theorized and yet remains a question that most non-commercial entities grapple with. Competing for the same shrinking pot of funds and maintaining the intellectual autonomy of the projects while juggling the needs of the funder is a real challenge. How do we keep our doors open while occupying the space and practitioners that the museums and commercial entities do not reach?

Moderator: Nkule Mabaso (Curator, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town)
Panellists: Premesh Lalu (Factory of the Arts, UWC); Georgina Maxim (Village Unhu Collective, Harare); Angela Shaw (Director of KZNSA, Kwa-Zulu Natal); Kabelo Malatsi (Independent Curator, Johannesburg)

Artist in dialogue

Saturday 15 February: 16h00-17h00

The discussion will explore how these artists conceive of their practice and engage the public.
Moderator: Lorenzo Fusi (Director/Curator Yerevan Biennial 2020, London)
Panellists: Kemang wa Lehulere (Artist, Cape Town); François-Xavier Gbré (Artist, Abidjan)

Building Legacies: Investing in culture

Sunday 16 February: 14h00-15h00

There is a rise of private institutions in the form of museums, artist-led foundations and other types of non-profit organisations. While their functionalities may differ due to their business goals and how they position themselves, an underlying factor among them is their investment in culture based on place-making and legacy-building. This panel will unpack these processes by exploring questions and ideas about what role these institutions play in our culture today and how private objectives too can contribute towards national culture.

Moderator: Boitumelo Tlhoaele (Co-curator of the Talks Programme, Cape Town)
Panellists: Bongiwe Dhlomo-Mautloa (Artist and Curator, Johannesburg)
Craig Cameron-Mackintosh (Billy Monk Collection, Cape Town); Sipho Mdanda (Curator, Freedom Park, Johannesburg); Lindsay Hendricks (Education Coordinator at the Norval Foundation, Cape Town)

Investec Cape Town Art Fair

14th – 16th of February 2020

Friday, 14 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Saturday, 15 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Sunday, 16 February 2020: 11am – 7pm

Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

The post Investec Cape Town Art Fair Talks Programme: Speakers Announced appeared first on Artskop.

Billy Monk was a photographer working in the 1960s in Cape Town, but much more than that he was a vagabond; transient and spry—moving from job to job while also capturing the Cape Town underworld. In 1982 an exhibition of Monk’s work was presented at The Market Gallery in Johannesburg…Monk tragically died before seeing it. In engaging with Monk’s work and trying to decipher it, I reached out to Craig Cameron-Mackintosh, one of the custodians to the Billy Monk Collection (a small but important archive of Monk’s work). We spoke about Monk’s life, his work and legacy.

NM: Can you tell us a bit about Billy’s childhood; his early family life, where he grew up etc?

CC-M: Not much is known about Billy Monk’s early life. In my interviews with his son, David Monk, it’s apparent that Billy didn’t speak about it much either. David got the impression that his father had a tough upbringing. Originally from Johannesburg, Billy resorted to burglary to survive, eventually spending two years in prison after a botched heist at the OK Bazaars on Eloff Street. Apparently in the heat of the chase, Billy and his accomplices wrestled the security guard to the ground and Billy grabbed his gun. He refused to shoot though, foiling any chances of escape.  

NM: On the 1982 show —It has been thirty seven years since that show at the Market Gallery; what would you say the images are revealing now that they were not revealing three decades ago? 

CC-M: Good art, and cinema, reflects the current times. Billy Monk captured a cross-section of society that was completely against the laws and acts that divided our country at the time. But of course capturing it is one thing, exhibiting it is another and unfortunately this was not an option for Billy in the late 1960s. He had even been in trouble with the law due to the fact that his common-law wife, Jeanette, was classified as coloured.

The 1982 exhibition – Nagklub – was curated by Jac de Villiers and Andrew Meintjes and although they had access to the same archive as I do, it should be remembered that this was very much still in the grips of apartheid. But in my conversations with Jac, he explained that the series of Billy Monk images that they released followed the sequence of a typical night at the club and was not attempting to make any other kind of statement. As the narrative flows, first of all the audience is exposed to the sense of light-hearted fun in the club. As the evening progresses, the selected photographs reflect a darker mood and a “sharing of secrets”. Finally, the narrative lays bare the scandal and the shame.

Relooking at the images now with different viewfinders in a democratic South Africa, I would say that they reveal scenes of hope. They show that even in the worst of times, joy, fun and inclusion existed and can still.

NM: What was Billy’s own attitude towards his photographs —did he see them as work? Given what we know about the man, what do we imagine would be his attitude now? 

CC-M: Billy Monk definitely had the ambition of becoming an acclaimed photographer. He understood that the images he took of smiling sailors and nightclub patrons were ‘happy snaps’, which were sold back to them as souvenirs but that his artistic shots were something separate. He had a sharp eye and spotted fleeting moments and personal dramas. Whether posed or taken without his subjects knowing, Billy clearly had a natural gift for framing and telling a story through his images. He often retold the accounts of his nights at the club to his housemate, Paul Gordon, thrilled by the scenes he had snapped.

Had Billy not been tragically killed in 1982, I think he would be pleased at the impact that his work has had on anyone who’s seen the collection. But knowing a little bit about his personality and the way he moved through like as a “factotum”, as art critic Ashraf Jamal described to me in an interview, I can’t imagine Billy embedding himself in the art world specifically. I’m sure he would’ve continued to photograph the world around him so beautifully though.

NM: On the documentary; Billy Monk – Shot in the Dark —how was this documentary initiated?

CC-M: I have a background in filmmaking and so it was a natural decision to create a short film about Billy Monk and the underground world that he captured. The idea was that the video could accompany any future photographic exhibitions but soon grew in scope when I uncovered the layers in this story and learned how interesting the man was. Even at 37 minutes in length, the documentary leaves questions with the audience and makes you want to learn more.

NM: I want to speak to the title of the documentary; “Billy Monk – Shot in the Dark” It is quite alluring, like the man himself….can you speak to this title? 

CC-M: One of my film’s co-producers, Cait Pansegrouw, suggested the title and I felt it spoke a lot about the man and his story. A double, or even triple meaning; referring firstly to these graphic photographs of dark nightclub corners, lit up with stark flash, revealing so much about this underground world. Also of the fateful night Billy was shot with a .22. Lastly, it hints at the sheer chance of Billy Monk’s images even making it to the light of day after having spent over a decade inside a box.

My aim with the film was to reveal a little bit more about the man and this subculture that he was a part of, while maintaining the allure and legend around him. Some questions are raised but not necessarily answered in full.

NM:What plans do you have for the documentary, in terms of where it will be screened, when and why?

CC-M: I’m pleased that the world premiere will take place at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 6th – 16th of June. I look forward to showing this Capetonian story to a local audience because so many South Africans were not aware that this subculture existed.

After that, I hope to screen it at international film festivals around the world and have begun the submission process. It’s a universal story that’s relatable to all audiences. I also love that it’s a refreshing take on this part of South Africa’s history. Even in the darkest times, there are always pockets of society that don’t agree with the powers in charge and find (or create) spaces to dance, drink and just have fun. Billy Monk too, is the ultimate hero of a story like this. So totally against the racist regime of the time and living a life that went against it completely. Luckily for us, he was documenting this for us all to enjoy, five decades later.

NM: I imagine the process of going through the collection has made you reflect more on the practice of photography – I’d be interested to find out your thoughts on Susan Sontag’s view of photography as an aggression “Essentially the camera makes everyone a tourist in other people’s reality, and eventually in one’s own.” — Susan Sontag

CC-M: Susan Sontag’s quote really makes one think about the effects of photography, especially when the photographer allows the viewer to safely dip into a world as different as 1960s dockside Cape Town. The first task as custodian of Billy Monk’s archive was to digitise the entire catalogue for ease of reference. It took a few days to view all the photographs and by the time I had seen each and every image I felt I had been changed. I felt I had lived, if only briefly and through someone else’s eyes, in this underground world. However, the black and white gave it a certain distance and a degree of separation. Much like a brief vacation – enjoying the sights from a superficial level but not necessarily understanding the culture.

But what’s so evident in Billy Monk’s archive is his sensitivity to the people he photographed. He wasn’t commenting or passing judgement on his ‘subjects’, nor was he acting as some sort of voyeur. Instead, he was simply documenting the world he was a part of, in an artistic way. He was very much a part of this scene, embracing and living all aspects of it. This is apparent when looking at the archive and realising that none of the characters are blocking their faces or resisting being photographed. In fact they’re playing up to Billy and his camera. And so rather than being an aggressive tool to unwilling subjects, Billy’s camera was a welcome part of the scene.

The effect on the contemporary viewer may be of shock or curiosity as we look into an unknown world, but at least in Billy Monk’s case, there’s a sense of authenticity there. I also love that although these images were taken exactly 50 years ago and we as an audience watch with fascination at this different time in history, there’s a certain sense of familiarity too. The way that trends return (they called it ‘stovepipe slacks’, we call it ‘slim fit’, for example) and the recognizable scenes of people drinking, dancing, passing out. We’ve all been there.

NM: Can you take us through the process of sorting and cataloguing this collection; how long did it take and what did the exercise entail? 

CC-M: As mentioned, the first task was to digitise each photograph for ease of reference and for posterity. Luckily Billy meticulously labelled and filed his negatives and each spool was accompanied with its corresponding contact sheet. The negatives are in great condition because of the care he took with them, despite them being 50 years old. They’re currently being kept in a temperature controlled storage vault.

In terms of putting together a new collection of previously unseen photographs that was unveiled at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair earlier this year, this involved a massive exercise in editing and creating larger pools of great images. Starting with separating the ‘happy snaps’ from the artistic shots. Billy’s hand written notes and marks on the contact sheets helped me in deciding which images he liked but of course a lot of subjectivity goes into the decision making too. I looked at photography standards like composition, focus, exposure and other technical merits but also whether the image told a story beyond what we see in the frame or simply whether the image makes the viewer feel something or even just smile.

NM: In your view, what is Billy Monk’s legacy?

CC-M: Billy Monk has given us a rare glimpse into a secret world. Beautifully documenting a place that would have been left largely unknown had he not. His legacy is an honest portrayal of a small yet fascinating Cape Town subculture, demonstrating what Ashraf Jamal calls “love in a loveless time”. The audience has the pleasure of viewing this world through his viewfinder, as close as you can get to his point of view.

***Director Statement: Billy Monk – Shot in the Dark is a celebration of a little-known slice of South Africa’s history. Through Billy Monk’s photographs and his own tragic story, I aim to shine a light on the many marginalised communities that existed in Cape Town in the late ’60s. This is a film about Billy Monk but also about inclusion, joy and just having a good time, despite the situation.

The post Shot in the Dark —Billy Monk and the Cape Town underworld appeared first on Artskop.

An increasingly large contingent within Investec Cape Town Art Fair is made up of prominent galleries from around the globe. These galleries represent exciting, established and emerging artists with a presence in museums, biennials, and important private collections around the world. International galleries returning to the Fair are:

• Perrotin (Paris)
• Galleria Minini (Brescia)
• Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Abidjan)
• Galleria Continua (San Gimignano)
• Circle Art Gallery (Nairobi)
• Officine dell’Immagine (Milan)
• Gregor Podnar (Berlin)
• First Floor Gallery (Harare)
• Tyburn Gallery (London)
• October Gallery (London)
• Galleria Giovanni Bonelli (Milan)
• Addis Fine Art (Addis Ababa)
• Afriart Gallery (Kampala)
• ARTCO Gallery (Aachen)
• Caroline Smulders (Paris)
• THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE (Luanda)
• Sulger-Buel Lovell (London)
• Galerie Pascal Janssens (Ghent)
• Art First (London), MOVART (Luanda)
• THIS IS NO FANTASY (Melbourne).

There is also an influx of international galleries participating in Investec Cape Town Art Fair for the first time:

• Templon (Paris)
• MAGNIN-A (Paris)
• LOOM Gallery (Milan)
• Ayyam Gallery (Dubai)
• Retro Africa (Lagos)
• Lia Rumma (Milan)
• LKB/Gallery (Hamburg)
• Omenka Gallery (Lagos)
• Montoro12 Gallery (Rome)
• Eduardo Secci Contemporary (Florence)
• Art Twenty One (Lagos)
• Apalazzo Gallery (Brescia)
• Barbara Paci Galleria d’Arte (Pietrasanta)
• Nil Gallery (Paris)
• Cellar Contemporary (Trento)
• ELA – Espaço Luanda Arte (Luanda)
• NOMAD Gallery (Brussels)
• Sitor Senghor (Paris)
• Louis Simone Guirandou Gallery (Abidjan)
• Matter Gallery (Toronto).

Investec Cape Town Art Fair serves as the hometown fair of local galleries with a significant international presence. ICTAF 2019 will see new presentations by leading South African galleries including Goodman Gallery, Everard Read CIRCA, Stevenson, SMAC Gallery, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Gallery MOMO, SMITH, and Blank Projects. Alongside their presentations at ICTAF these galleries, each of whom are pillars of the art scene in Cape Town and South Africa at-large, will form a captivating programme of exhibition openings and events to coincide with the Fair.

Tomorrows/Today, the section of the Fair which aims to place a spotlight on emerging and under-represented artists, will be curated by Fair Curator Tumelo Mosaka. The artists presented in Tomorrows/Today are positioned to be tomorrow’s leading names in contemporary art. The presentations in the section have continued to be thought-provoking and experimental since its inception at the 2016 edition of the Fair. Tomorrows/Today reiterates the Fair’s support of artists who may otherwise be overlooked by the art market.

The second iteration of the SOLO section, will explore the effects of the digital world on artistic production and our lived realities. Each edition of SOLO aims to present a more in-depth insight into the artistic practices of a varied selection of artists than is commonly found in the commercially-driven art fair setting. The selected artists have varying aesthetics and contexts, are situated in different stages of their careers, and have unique perspectives on each edition’s thematic focus.

Artskop3437 is an official partner of Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF)

See the full exhibitor list here

© Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) 2019

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